The Tale Of Loki's Monstrous Children 

Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Hel – Three monstrous beings who will eventually bring about the downfall of the gods, and the end of the world as we know it. 

Deep in the iron wood, an unholy union would bring into being three monstrosities, that would eventually lay waste to the entire cosmos during Ragnarok. These were Jormungandr, Fenrir & Hel, fathered by Loki and his secret union with the Giantess Angrboða. 

Another shining example, much like the story of Sleipnir, of how quickly everything turns into chaos when Loki gets horny. Let me tell you about these chilren, their stories and the role that they will eventually play in the downfall of the gods. 

And the meaning of Jormungandr? Giant Monster.

A fitting name for such a collosal beast. Jormungandr literally means 'giant monster,' a serpentine abomination that was discarded into the sea like trash by the gods. This decision would forever shape their fate, as Jormungandr would grow so large that it would eventually span the enire circumference of Midgard. 

The adversary of this heinous monstrosity is Thor, and they would meet on several occasions, each resulting in an unsuccessful kill for the thunder god, until Ragnarok that is. 

Odin's greatest adversary. 

A colossal wolf that terrified the gods with his rapid growth – especially Odin – who learns from the witch in Voluspa that he is fated to face Fenrir at Ragnarok, and no matter what he does to try and change his fate – he will be devoured. 

Seeking a solution to this growing threat, the gods chose lifelong imprisonment. 

Through deception and trickery, they would lure Fenrir into a series of trials, chaining him with stronger and stronger chains to see if he would break free. After unsuccessful attempts, they commissioned the dwarves for a magical fetter that no being could break free from. 

Hel – From the Codex

Hel is an interesting goddess in Norse Mythology, she is a late-stage addition to old Nordic poetry and serves as the personification of the realm Hel. The realm is briefly mentioned in stanza 43 of Vǫluspá and in the 2nd stanza of Baldrs Draumar, but it's Snorri's work where we get a much more detailed description of the goddess. In the 34th chapter of Gylfaginning, we're told about the three monstrous children of Loki - Hel, Jǫrmungandr and the Fenrisúlfr - Fenrir.

Snorri describes Hel as half-white, half-black and fierce-looking, and she is the ruler of those who died of natural causes, the ones who were not deemed fit by the valkyries to enter Valhalla. Many have taken this description to mean that she appears half-alive and half-dead, which given her domain, personally makes sense to me and is thus how we've depicted her in our artworks. 

Hungry for more? Check out the Codex

My Nordic Mythology Codex houses over 250 entries of gods, beasts, realms & other Notable People/things from the Norse Myths. It's a work in progress, but I've recently updated that entire section to be a lot more digestible and easy to navigate. 

The link below will take you to the main Codex page, where you can explore all of the sub-pages where you'll learn about anything and everything that inhabits Yggdrasill. 

Take me there