Myths, Religions & Legends Power Ranking TOP100
I wrote a book ranking the most powerful gods, monsters, and heroes from world mythology, religion, and legend in order of strength! Of course, the rankings reflect a great deal of my own subjective judgment, but the reasoning behind each placement is grounded in the lore and episodes of each mythology, so I think it’s a book that will feel reasonably convincing.
This time I’d like to introduce some of the characters featured in the book’s ranking. Of course, many more characters appear in the ranking beyond those introduced here, so I think anyone interested in mythology, religion, and legend will enjoy it!
Rank 39: Fenrir (Norse Mythology)
Overview
It would be no exaggeration to say that the most famous monster in Norse mythology is Fenrir, the demonic wolf who slew Odin.
At the time of its birth, it was apparently not much different from an ordinary wolf, but it grew larger with each passing day. Because it was prophesied to bring disaster at Ragnarök, it was eventually bound with a magical cord called Gleipnir.
Fenrir remained bound for a long time, but was finally released during the great final battle of Norse mythology (Ragnarök), where it ran wild with tremendous force. One of its most significant acts was devouring Odin, the chief god of Norse mythology.
However, Fenrir was subsequently killed when Odin’s son Víðarr tore its jaws apart. Fenrir was said to be an enormous wolf — with its upper jaw reaching the sky and its lower jaw touching the ground, and with flames shooting from its eyes and nostrils.
At Ragnarök, Fenrir was freed because its offspring Sköll and Hati swallowed the sun and moon, which unbound all restraints in the world.
As a side note, since Sköll and Hati appear to be smaller than Fenrir itself, it can be assumed that Fenrir could easily swallow the sun and moon too, if it wished to do so.
Reason for This Ranking
Fenrir appears in many fictional works, but it also holds a very prominent place in the actual mythology — the fact that it devoured Odin, the chief god of Norse mythology, speaks clearly to the magnitude of its power.
However, many people don’t know what happens next: Fenrir is actually defeated rather easily by Odin’s son Víðarr.
Also, when it comes to Fenrir’s defining trait — its enormous size capable of reaching the sky — it seems slightly smaller compared to its sibling Jormungandr, making Fenrir appear to be the least powerful of the three great monsters of Ragnarök (Fenrir, Jormungandr, and Surtr) by comparison.
Even so, given the strength it demonstrated in devouring Odin, there is no doubt that it possesses power exceeding the highest-tier gods — so I evaluated it at this position in the ranking.
