The Wolf of Fenrir

Category: Books

Readers who grew up reading the American edition of Lewis’s books will know the captain of the White Witch’s guard by the name Fenris Ulf. But readers of the British editions will know him by the name Morgrim.

Morgrim is the name that Lewis originally used for the wolf, and it is a name that was original with him. I am not quite sure why he changed the name in the American edition, but it was a process in which he was personally involved. And the name itself, Fenris Ulf, has a rich connection.

It is obvious that Lewis lifts hugely from various mythologies of various times and places in human history. This is a staple for fantasy literature, really, a borrowing from older mythologies, recasting those borrowed items to fit a new mythology. One of Lewis’s favorite sources for the Narnia series is Norse mythology, just as what we see in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (though Tolkien would argue that Lewis does so much more sloppily — but that is for a different discussion). Fenris Ulf is one of those elements.

Fenrisulfr, or the Wolf of Fenrir, in Norse mythology is a great wolf and son of Loki, the god of strife and spirit of evil. He is a huge wolf. In fact, when he opens his mouth, the bottom jaw drops to the earth, and the top reaches to the heavens. He is ferocious and mighty. Indeed, at Ragnarok (the Twilight of the Gods), he breaks his bonds and swallows Odin. As an act of vengeance, Vidar thrusts his sword into Fenrir’s open mouth, down the gullet, and pierces his heart, killing him.

This is the beast for whom the captain of the Witch’s guard is named in the American edition of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (“Ulf,” by the way, is translated wolf.) However, I have read a lot of people at various chat rooms who say that they prefer the name Morgrim because it sounds “fiercer.” Hmm… fiercer than Fenrir? That is pretty scary!