Fenrisulfr - Attestations - Poetic Edda

Poetic Edda

Fenrir is mentioned in three stanzas of the poem Völuspá, and in two stanzas of the poem Vafþrúðnismál. In stanza 40 of the poem Völuspá, a völva divulges to Odin that, in the east, an old woman sat in the forest Járnviðr, "and bred there the broods of Fenrir. There will come from them all one of that number to be a moon-snatcher in troll's skin." Further into the poem, the völva foretells that Odin will be consumed by Fenrir at Ragnarök:

Then is fulfilled Hlín's
second sorrow,
when Óðinn goes
to fight with the wolf,
and Beli's slayer,
bright, against Surtr.
Then shall Frigg's
sweet friend fall.

In the stanza that follows, the völva describes that Odin's "tall child of Triumph's Sire" (Odin's son Víðarr) will then come to "strike at the beast of slaughter," and with his hands, he will drive a sword onto the heart of "Hveðrungr's son," avenging the death of his father.

In the first of two stanzas mentioning Fenrir in Vafþrúðnismál, Odin poses a question to the wise jötunn Vafþrúðnir:

"Much I have travelled, much have I tried out,
much have I tested the Powers;
from where will a sun come into the smooth heaven
when Fenrir has assailed this one?"

In the stanza that follows, Vafþrúðnir responds that Sól (here referred to as Álfröðull), will bear a daughter before Fenrir attacks her, and that this daughter shall continue the paths of her deceased mother through the heavens.

Read more about this topic:  Fenrisulfr, Attestations