 |
|
Free Fenrir!
|
|
|
This forum has moved!
Same people, same great conversations, new location.
Please join us in the new Beliefnet Community.
|
|
<Prev |
Next>
First Page |
Last Page
|
|
|
This is a read-only area. |
|
Messages: 1 - 4 (37 total)
|
|
|
Sorn
11/16/2004 4:10 PM
|
1 out of 37 |
|
|
|
Hi.
I've been lurking for a couple of months, and I've been hoping someone would ask or mention this, but it never seems to come up and be discussed at any length on any of the boards I slink around.
Anyways. I'm wondering why the old heathen folk seemed to hate wolves so much. We've got Skoll and Hati who are going to eat Sol and Mani, respectively. There're Loki's sons by Sigyn, one of whom is turned into a wolf and promptly kills the other. Sigmund and Sinjoftl live as outlaws during their time as werewolves, and one of them goes so far as to kill the other while they're in wolf form. Wolves are used as symbols for outlawry and warfare and death in skaldic poems. And, of course, there's Loki's other son, Fenrir, who's going to kill One Eye during Ragnarok.
I lived in Alaska for several years, and there was only one documented wolf attack on a human, and that wolf was sick, sick, sick and attacked a kid, not a healthy adult human. During the same time, there were dozens of attacks by bears, moose, caribou, and even squirrels (though no one died from the squirrel attacks that I know of).
Why is the wolf singled out like this? Were the European wolves much more deadly than I realize? Is it more a metaphor, with the wolf being the wild/chaotic counterpart to the orderly, domesticated dog? Was Snorri Sturluson scared by a wolf when he was a little kid?
As a slightly related aside, the story of the binding of Fenrir has always created in me more sympathy for the Loki's son than anything. Even as a kid, I was pretty upset with the gods for tricking him and then leaving him with a sword stuck in his mouth like that. I think the Aesir should free Fenrir; that way, he won't have to break his bonds, and if he doesn't bread his bonds, then one of the things that'll occur at Ragnarok won't happen, so maybe Ragnarok won't happen, either.
|
|
|
|
hithrael
11/17/2004 12:15 AM
|
2 out of 37 |
|
|
|
Geri and Freki, Odin's wolves are not necessarily bad.
I don't really recall much else about the role of wolves so I can't shed much other insight.
~N
|
|
|
|
Drknss
11/17/2004 2:19 AM
|
3 out of 37 |
|
|
|
Hi Sorn.
Anyways. I'm wondering why the old heathen folk seemed to hate wolves so much. We've got Skoll and Hati who are going to eat Sol and Mani, respectively. There're Loki's sons by Sigyn, one of whom is turned into a wolf and promptly kills the other. Sigmund and Sinjoftl live as outlaws during their time as werewolves, and one of them goes so far as to kill the other while they're in wolf form. Wolves are used as symbols for outlawry and warfare and death in skaldic poems. And, of course, there's Loki's other son, Fenrir, who's going to kill One Eye during Ragnarok.
This is a good question. Unfortanitly I don't have an answer. Though I did want to point out that also. Their some references in Runic Poems to wolf to that's not so loveable.
Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme
fehu (Gold) causes strife among kinsmen;
the wolf grows up in the woods.
Old Icelandic Rune Poem
(Tyr) is the one- handed God and the leavings of the wolf
and the ruler of the temple. Thorrson's translations.
Why is the wolf singled out like this? Were the European wolves much more deadly than I realize? Is it more a metaphor, with the wolf being the wild/chaotic counterpart to the orderly, domesticated dog? Was Snorri Sturluson scared by a wolf when he was a little kid?
I'm lenning more towards a metaphor (just going with the gut). It could be because alot of people associate Loki with wolf (cause of the sons). Some don't like Loki cause of him having a part in Balder's death. So thay in turn (maybe subconciously. I'm sure I spelt that wrong) don't like wolf purely because thay don't like Loki.
As a slightly related aside, the story of the binding of Fenrir has always created in me more sympathy for the Loki's son than anything. Even as a kid, I was pretty upset with the gods for tricking him and then leaving him with a sword stuck in his mouth like that. I think the Aesir should free Fenrir; that way, he won't have to break his bonds, and if he doesn't bread his bonds, then one of the things that'll occur at Ragnarok won't happen, so maybe Ragnarok won't happen, either.
I didn't really like (at first) the way thay bound him too. But I look at it like this. Thay had to. (If I remember correctly) Fenrir was becoming really strong and becoming a threat. That I'm guessing is the reason thay put him on an island. So that he can destroy that place if he wants. Anyways. He was becoming a threat and thay knew that the longer thay waited the harder it'd be later. If thay chose to bind him. So thay went ahead and did it. I just came up with a possibel reason for the sword (which is totally just an assumtion.) "Maybe" thay put the sword in him mouth so he couldn't howl. If he howled maybe that would of made it to where friend/family of his could of found him and unbound him?
Well anyways. Take care. :)
|
|
|
|
Sorn
11/23/2004 12:37 AM
|
4 out of 37 |
|
|
|
Thank you for your input, hithrael. Don't the names Geri and Freki mean something like "Greed" or "Fear" or "Gluttony" or something like that? Not that being named "Greed" makes you necessarily bad, of course, but I see it as possibly being another example of wolves being made the villain in Germanic lore.
Drknss- Thanks for the additional information. I'm not really familiar with the Rune Poems, so I hadn't known that.
I guess the Aesir thought Fenrir was becoming a threat, but I've never read of him doing anything particularly bad besides being so scary that only Tyr dared feed him. Magni is also incredibly strong, but the gods don't chain him up on an island somewhere.
You're probably right about the sword. It probably keeps him from howling all that well. It could also be to keep him from biting, or it could be sadistic, I suppose.
|
|
|
|
<Prev |
Next>
First Page |
Last Page
|
|
|
This is a read-only area. |
|
|
