Loki, the trickster god, had three very strange children. One was a snake that wrapped around the world, one was a spooky girl, and the youngest was a wolf pup named Fenrir. At first, Fenrir was cute and fluffy, just like a normal puppy. But he had a very big appetite.
The problem was, Fenrir didn't stop growing! One day he was the size of a dog, the next week he was the size of a horse, and soon he was bigger than a house! He ate everything in sight — tables, chairs, and even the gods' homework! The gods in Asgard started to get nervous.
Only one god was brave enough to feed him: Tyr, the god of bravery. He would pet the giant wolf and say, "Who's a good boy?" Fenrir liked Tyr, but he was becoming too dangerous. Odin, the King of Gods, said, "We can't let him run loose. He might accidentally eat the moon!"
The gods decided to play a "game" with Fenrir. They brought a huge iron chain. "Hey Fenrir!" they called. "I bet you aren't strong enough to break this chain!" Fenrir wagged his giant tail. "Ha! That looks like a piece of string to me. Tie me up!"
They wrapped the heavy iron chains around him. Fenrir waited a moment, then stretched his muscles. SNAP! The iron shattered into a million pieces like glass. "Is that all you got?" Fenrir barked, laughing. The gods gulped.
They tried again with a chain twice as thick, made of solid steel. "This one is called Dromi," said Odin. "If you break this, you will be famous!" Fenrir liked being famous. He let them tie him up. He huffed, he puffed, and CRASH! The steel chain flew into the sky. Fenrir was unstoppable.
Odin knew they needed magic. He sent a messenger to the Dwarves, the best crafters in the universe. "Make me a chain that cannot be broken," Odin ordered. The Dwarves didn't use metal. They used six impossible ingredients.
The ingredients were very silly: 1. The sound of a cat's footsteps. 2. The beard of a woman. 3. The roots of a mountain. 4. The breath of a fish. 5. The spit of a bird. And 6. The nerves of a bear. They mixed them all together to make a magical ribbon called Gleipnir.
When the gods returned, they showed Fenrir the ribbon. It looked soft, thin, and yellow, like silk. "We want to play one last round," said Odin. "Break this little ribbon." Fenrir sniffed it suspiciously. "No way," he growled. "This is a trick. It looks too easy. There is magic in there."
The gods taunted him. "Are you scared of a ribbon, big wolf?" Fenrir bared his giant teeth. "I will only let you tie me if one of you puts your hand in my mouth as a promise. If you don't untie me, I bite." The gods went silent. None of them wanted to lose a hand.
Then, Tyr stepped forward. He didn't look scared. He looked at his friend Fenrir and slowly placed his hand inside the wolf's massive jaws. "I trust you," said Fenrir (though he really meant, "I'm watching you").
The gods quickly tied the silk ribbon around Fenrir's legs. "Okay, break it!" they shouted. Fenrir pulled. He kicked. He rolled over. But the ribbon didn't break! In fact, the harder he pulled, the tighter it got. It was stronger than iron!
"Untie me!" roared Fenrir. The gods shook their heads. "Sorry, we can't let you go. You're too big!" Fenrir realized he had been tricked. He looked at Tyr. Tyr looked back sadly. CHOMP! Fenrir closed his jaws.
Tyr didn't scream. He stood tall, even though his hand was gone. He had paid the price to keep his friends safe. The gods tied the other end of the ribbon to a rock deep in the ground. To stop Fenrir from biting anyone else, they placed a sword in his mouth to keep it open like a doorstop.
Fenrir was furious, but he couldn't move. He tried to talk, but with the sword in his mouth, he just drooled a lot. In fact, he drooled so much it made a river! The gods were safe again, thanks to Tyr's bravery.
And there Fenrir stays, bound by a magic ribbon until the end of time. The story of the Binding of Fenrir teaches us that true bravery isn't about being the biggest or the strongest — it's about doing what is right, even when it's scary.
