Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern per ...

, Garmr or Garm (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

: ; "rag") is a wolf or dog associated with both Hel and

Ragnarök In Norse mythology, (; non, wikt:ragnarǫk, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the Æsir, gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disast ...

, and described as a blood-stained guardian of Hel's gate.

Name

The Old Norse name ''Garmr'' has been interpreted as meaning "rag." The etymology of the name remains uncertain. Bruce Lincoln brings together Garmr and the Greek mythological dog Cerberus, relating both names to a Proto-Indo-European root ''*ger-'' "to growl" (perhaps with the suffixes ''-*m/*b'' and ''-*r''). However, Daniel Ogden notes that this analysis actually requires ''Cerberus'' and ''Garmr'' to be derived from two ''different'' Indo-European roots (*''ger-'' and *''gher-'' respectively), and in this opinion does not establish a relationship between the two names.

Attestations

''Poetic Edda''

The ''

Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic med ...

'' poem '' Grímnismál'' mentions Garmr:

The best of trees , must Yggdrasil be, Skíðblaðnir best of boats; Of all the gods , is Óðinn the greatest, And
Sleipnir In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: ; "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the '' Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier tradition ...
the best of steeds;
Bifröst In Norse mythology, Bifröst (), also called Bilröst, is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, the realm of the gods. The bridge is attested as ''Bilröst'' in the '' Poetic Edda''; compiled in the 13th cen ...
of bridges, , Bragi of skalds, Hábrók of hawks, , and Garm of hounds.Bellows (1923.)
/ref>

One of the refrains of ''

Völuspá ''Vǫluspá'' (also ''Völuspá'', ''Vǫlospá'' or ''Vǫluspǫ́''; Old Norse: 'Prophecy of the völva, a seeress'; reconstructed Old Norse: ) is the best known poem of the ''Poetic Edda''. It tells the story of the creation of the world and ...

'' uses Garmr's howling to herald the coming of Ragnarök:

Now Garm howls loud , before Gnipahellir, The fetters will burst, , and the wolf run free; Much do I know, , and more can see Of the fate of the gods, , the mighty in fight.Bellows (1923).
/ref>

After the first occurrence of this refrain the Fimbulvetr is related; the second occurrence is succeeded by the invasion the world of gods by jötnar; after the last occurrence, the rise of a new and better world is described. '' Baldrs draumar'' describes a journey which Odin makes to Hel. Along the way he meets a dog.

Then Óðinn rose, , the enchanter old, And the saddle he laid , on Sleipnir's back; Thence rode he down , to Niflhel deep, And the hound he met , that came from hell. Bloody he was , on his breast before, At the father of magic , he howled from afar; Forward rode Óðinn, , the earth resounded Till the house so high , of Hel he reached.Bellows (1923).
/ref>

Although unnamed, this dog is normally assumed to be Garmr. Alternatively, Garmr is sometimes assumed to be identical to Fenrir. Garmr is sometimes seen as a

hellhound A hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from N ...

, comparable to Cerberus.

''Prose Edda''

The ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been ...

'' book ''

Gylfaginning ''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; c. 20,000 words; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'' after the Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' deals with t ...

'' assigns him a role in

: :Then shall the dog Garmr be loosed, which is bound before Gnipahellir: he shall do battle with

Týr (; Old Norse: , ) is a god in Germanic mythology, a valorous and powerful member of the and patron of warriors and mythological heroes. In Norse mythology, which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among the Germanic people ...

, and each become the other's slayer.Brodeur (1916).
/ref>

In popular culture

Garm appears as a boss in '' God of War Ragnarök''.

Notes

References

* Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.). 1923. ''The Poetic Edda''. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. * Brodeur, Arthur Gilchrist (trans.). 1916.
Snorri Sturluson: The Prose Edda
'. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. * * * *

External links

* {{commons category-inline, Garmr Creatures in Norse mythology Mythological dogs Norse underworld Wolves in Norse mythology