In
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 peri ...
, Sköll (
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
: ''Skǫll'', "Treachery"
[Orchard (1997:150).] or "Mockery"
[Simek (2007:292)]) is a wolf that, according to
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
's ''
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 t ...
'', chases the Sun (personified as a goddess,
Sól Sól may refer to:
*Sól (Germanic mythology), a goddess who personifies the sun in Germanic mythology
* Sól, Lublin Voivodeship, east Poland
* Sól, Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland
* Sól, Silesian Voivodeship, south Poland
* Sowilo rune ...
).
Hati Hróðvitnisson
In Norse mythology, Hati Hróðvitnisson (Old Norse: , first name meaning "He Who Hates", or "Enemy"Byock, Jesse. (Trans.) ''The Prose Edda'', page 164. (2006) Penguin Classics ) is a warg; a wolf that, according to Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edd ...
chases the Moon (personified, see
Máni
Máni ( Old Norse: ; "Moon"Orchard (1997:109).) is the Moon personified in Germanic mythology. Máni, personified, is attested in the '' Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the '' Prose Edda'', writ ...
).
According to Rudolf Simek, it is possible that Sköll is another name for
Fenrir
Fenrir ( Old Norse: ; " fen-dweller")Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (O.N.: ; "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (O.N.: ; "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (O.N.: ...
, and, if so, "there could be a nature-mythological interpretation in the case of Sköll and Hati (who pursues the moon). Such an interpretation suggests the wolves may be intended to describe the phenomenon of parhelia and paraselenae or
Sun dog
A sun dog (or sundog) or mock sun, also called a parhelion (plural parhelia) in meteorology, is an atmospheric optical phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun. Two sun dogs often flank the Sun within a 22° ...
s and
Moon dogs, as these are called 'sun-wolf' in Scandinavian languages (Norwegian ''solulv'', Swedish ''solvarg'')."
See also
*
List of wolves
This is a list of famous individual wolves, pairs of wolves, or wolf packs. For a list of wolf subspecies, see Subspecies of Canis lupus. For a list of all species in the Canidae family, several of which are named "wolves", see list of canids.
...
Notes
References
*Orchard, Andy (1997). ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''.
Cassell.
*Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. D.S. Brewer.
Wolves in Norse mythology
Mythological canines
{{Norse-myth-stub