5 Fearsome Yet Coolest Creatures in Norse Mythology

Norse mythology captures our attention not only because of the powerful gods but also the fearsome creatures. They contributed a lot to the story more than just being in the background. They didn't merely interact with the major characters but they also helped the advance the plot, move the story, and do much more. In this blog post, we are to discover 5 fearsome yet awesome creatures from Norse mythology. There is no order to compare which creature was more fearsome. The list is based on personal reading and viewpoints. 

Fenrir 

If you are a Norse-myth enthusiast, you definitely know who Fenrir was. Fenrir was among the most complicated characters in Norse mythology. We know that he would savagely destroy Norse Pantheon but we still admit he was a cool creature in Norse mythology. 

In the myth, Fenrir was the son of Loki and giantess Angrboda "She Who Brings Anguish". Fenrir was born as a wolf. He had two siblings whose names were Jormungand and Hel. While Jormungand grew up to be an enormous serpent encircling Midgard, Hel became the Queen of Dead. Fenrir was destined to trigger off Ragnarok Doomsday of Norse Cosmos.

Because of the prophecy that Fenrir would slay Odin, everyone was afraid of him even when he was just little pup. No one dared to approach Fenrir. On one occasion, he bit and swallowed the hand of Tyr God of Honor and Justice. He was bound to the rock. And there he lay until Ragnarok when he broke free and waged war against gods. 

Fenrir was bound to the rock by gods. His jaws were sealed by a sword to prevent him from swallowing anything approaching. 

Nidhogg

Yggdrasil Tree held the Nine Worlds and also sheltered many creatures. On the top of Yggdrasil lived a hawk Veðrfölnir. A squirrel Ratatoskr lived along the branches and trunks. And deep under the root was Nidhogg the Dragon. 

Nidhogg was a dragon. Veðrfölnir and Nidhogg always exchanged insults and the squirrel Ratatoskr would be the messenger carrying the envious words to each of them. Nidhogg was fettered by the roots of Yggdrasil. All of his life, he wanted to make the Great Tree of Life collapse not only to slay Veðrfölnir but also to free himself. Most of his time was spent either insulting Veðrfölnir or chewing the roots. 

Nidhogg was also known as the Corpse Devourer

Until Ragnarok, Nidhogg was released and joined the army of Fenrir and Loki fighting against the gods.

In the Viking society, "níð" was a stigma referring to the loss of honor and status of a villain. 

Hati and Skoll

In Norse mythology, Hati and Skoll were mentioned as the wolves that chased the Sun and the Moon. Their greatest desire was to catch and devour the Sun and the Moon on the Norse sky. 

It was not until Ragnarok that Hati and Skoll finally caught the Sun and the Moon

But many time they chased the Sun and the Moon in vain. It was not until the beginning of Ragnarok that Hati and Skoll finally caught the Sun and the Moon. Because of this, darkness befell the Nine Worlds and Doomsday of Norse Pantheon was looming on the horizon. 

Fafnir

Fafnir was a name of a dragon mostly heard in the Legend of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. In Norse mythology, Fafnir was originally a dwarf. He was the son of the Dwarf King Hreidmar. Hreidmar had more sons whose names were Regin and Otr. 

On one occasion, while Odin, Loki, and Hoenir were travelling to the land of the dwarf, they came across an otter who was actually Otr. Loki killed the otter with one stone and took its skin. Then they went to the palace of Hreidmar and showed the beautiful skin only to be held captive by the dwarves. The dwarves made Loki gather ransom which was a hoard of gold. Loki fulfilled the task by including the cursed gold of Andvari and the ring Andvaranaut. Anyone who possessed the cursed gold and ring would meet their death very soon. 

When Hreidmar possessed the gold and the ring, he was killed by Fafnir - his own son. Fafnir became bottomlessly greedy and he stored the hoard of gold for himself. Fafnir left the kingdom for the woods to keep the gold. There he turned into the dragon that breathed poison so that no one could approach him. 

Elf

In many mythologies, the elf was the beautiful creatures playing the harps and dancing elegantly and gorgeously. Elves in Norse mythology were beautiful too. But they were not always nice and kind. 

Norse elves were complicated characters. They usually caused humans illnesses and difficulties. But they also turned up to help the human. And commonly, they were the most willing to help human when sacrifices were made. 

Humans and elves could interbreed. Their children were half-elf and half-human. They had the appearance of human and the power of the elves as well.