The Story of Skoll and Hati in Norse Mythology

     Skoll and Hati, in Norse Mythology, are the sons of the wolf Fenrir and also grandsons of Loki. Both pulled the sun and moon, in addition to having a relevant role in Ragnarok as they are mentioned in the poem Gylfaginning.

Hati in Norse Mythology:

     In Norse Mythology, Hati (Old Norse: Hateful) is a wolf who, according to Gylfaginning, chases the moon across the night sky (just as the Skoll wolf chases the sun during the day) until the time of Ragnarök, when both they will swallow these heavenly bodies. After that, Fenrir will free himself from his bonds and kill Odin. Lunar eclipses occur when Hati is close to reaching her goal.

     Hati's surname is Hródvitnisson, as seen in Grímnismál and Gylfaginning, which indicates that he is the son of Fenrir, whose alternate name is Hródvitnir (Famous Wolf). According to History: A certain female giantess lives east of Midgard in a forest called Ironwood. In that forest live the troll women called Iarnvidiur. The ancient giantess raise many direwolves as children, and from these direwolves the Hati and Skoll descended.

     And they say that from this clan will come a mighty wolf called the Moon Eater. He will be filled with the lifeblood of all who have died and will swallow the moon and splash blood on the sky. As a result, the sun will lose its brightness and the winds will be violent and blow back and forth. He devours the lives of damned men, reddens the halls of the gods with spilled blood. The sun will darken for the summers afterwards, all weather will be hostile. Of all the wolves there comes another in particular, a sun-eater. From this story it was concluded that Skoll and Hati are brothers.

     The Nordic children were banging pots and making a lot of noise to try to scare him and keep him from devouring the moon. The sparks generated by the knocking of the pots could travel across the sky. Earth people who saw them would think the sparks were shooting stars. It is said that by the time of Ragnarok, Hati will finally manage to capture the moon and break it between his teeth.

Skoll in Norse Mythology:

     In Norse Mythology, Skoll is a wolf that chases the horses Arvak and Alsvid, which pull the chariot that carries the sun (coincidentally also called the word Sun), trying to eat it (in this mythology, Sun was a goddess).

     Skoll had a brother, named Hati, who hunted the moon. Both are sons of Fenrir and grandsons of Loki. Both Skoll and Hati will reach for their prey, devouring them and initiating Ragnarok.

So both Skoll and Hati, in Norse Mythology, chase the sun and moon.

But after all, who is Fenrir?

     Fenrir, in Norse Mythology, is a giant wolf. Fenrir, along with Hel and the Serpent of the World, is the son of Loki and giantess Angrboða. It is attested to in Edda Poetics, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, in Edda in Prose and Heimskringla, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, Fenrir is the father of the wolves Skoll and Hati, in addition to being the son of Loki and was predicted to kill the god Odin during the events of Ragnarök, but be killed by Odin's son Vidarr.

Check: Discover what is Yggdrasil

Check Now: