Jarnvidr- Norse LocationLocation · Landmark"Ironwood"
Also known as: Járnviðr
Titles & Epithets
Symbols
Description
A dark forest east of Midgard where giantesses dwell and monstrous wolves are bred. According to Völuspá, an old woman in the Ironwood nurtures Fenrir's offspring who will devour the sun and moon at Ragnarök.
Mythology & Lore
The Ironwood
A dark forest east of Midgard, named for its iron-hard trees. Völuspá places it at the edge of the ordered world, where giantesses called the Járnviðjur dwell. Snorri elaborates in Gylfaginning: the Ironwood is a breeding ground for monstrous wolves.
The Old Woman and the Wolves
In Völuspá 40, an old woman sits in the Ironwood nurturing the kin of Fenrir. Snorri identifies her as Angrboða. Among the wolves she raises are Sköll, who chases the sun across the sky, and Hati, who pursues the moon. At Ragnarök they will catch their quarry and the world will go dark.
The mightiest of the brood is Mánagarmr, the Moon-Hound. Völuspá says he will gorge on the flesh of the dead and redden the gods' dwellings with blood.
Relationships
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