FEN'RIR. In Norse mythology, the offspring of Loki (the evil genius) and Angurboda, (an guish-boding), a giantess from .16tunheim. Loki had a legitimate wife, Sig,yn; lint by Angurboda he became the father of three monsters: (1) the wolf Fenrir; (2) the Midgard Serpent; (3) the Goddess of Death, whose name is ]let. Fenrir was bred among the gods, but only Tyr had the courage to give him food. When the gods saw how much he increased daily, and remembered that the predictions were that he was destined to be their destruction, they endeavored to chain him. But he easily broke the first I wo chains. Then they made a third. It was composed of the sound of a eat's footsteps, a man's beard, the roots of a mountain, a fish's breath, and a bird's spittle. Fenrir suspected sonic trick in this, and be said: "If ye bind me so fast that 1 cannot free' myself again, I am well convinced that I shall wait long to be released by von. I am, therefore, not at all desirous to let the cord be fastened upon me. But rather than that ye shall accuse Me of want of courage, let one of you place his hand in my mouth as a pledge that there be no guile in the ease." The gods hesitated. but
finally Tyr put his hand in the wolf's month. and the wolf in his vain struggles to break the chain bit off the hand. Fenrir could not break the magic chain, and became a captive to the gods until Ragnar6k—the end of time—comes. Fenrir will then break loose, his upper jaw will touch heaven, his nether jaw the' earth; fire will blaze from his eyes and nostrils. In the tremendous tumult which precedes the general dissolution. the wolf will swallow Odin (father of gods), and so cause his death. But at the moment will conic Vidal., the silent god, who wears a wonderful shoe made from since time began. With that shoe he will hold down Fenrir's lower jaw, and with his hands tear off the upper jaw, and thus will the monster wolf be slain. See SCANDINAVIAN AND TECTONIC MYTHOLOGY.