Fenrir was the Norse wolf bound by the gods after biting the hand of Týr.
In Norse mythology, Fenrir is the monstrous wolf and child of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. The gods became frightened by predictions about Fenrir’s future power, so they tried to restrain him. Ordinary chains failed, and the dwarfs made the magical binding Gleipnir from impossible ingredients, including the sound of a cat’s footstep and a bird’s spittle.
Fenrir suspected a trick and agreed to be bound only if one of the gods placed a hand in his mouth as a guarantee of good faith. Týr accepted the risk. When Fenrir discovered that he could not break Gleipnir, he bit off Týr’s right hand.
At Ragnarök, Fenrir is foretold to break free and kill Odin before being killed by Odin’s son Víðarr. Fenrir is distinct from Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent, and from Garmr, another mythological canine figure associated with the realm of the dead.