Fenrir Greyback – literary parallels

[Geoff Bannister]

When I read HBP after it first came out, I read the name of Fenrir 
Greyback and it jumped out at me from the page. Now, after a month, I 
am finding time to put down a few thoughts about this character and 
parallels to him in other books.

The reason his name initially jumped out at me was an association 
with CS Lewis. In his first Chronicle of Narnia "The Lion, the Witch 
and the Wardrobe" the chief of the White Witch's police in the UK 
version is a wolf named Maugrim but in the early US edition he is 
called Fenris Ulf and the similarity of the names intrigued me.

In the last couple of days, I have had time to look for information 
about this name and there are some interesting parallels and links 
which emerge. The following information is mainly from Wikipedia with 
additional annotations by myself.

In Norse mythology, the Fenrisulfr, Wolf of Fenrir or simply Fenrir 
is a monstrous wolf, the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. 
Fenrir is bound by the gods, but is ultimately destined to slip his 
bonds and devour Odin during the course of Ragnarök, before being 
slain by Odin's son, Viðarr, who will either stab him in the heart or 
rip his jaws asunder according to different accounts.

Maugrim is a powerful wolf and one of the White Witch's servants in 
the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. His 
name is derived from the words "maw" (meaning mouth), "morgue", 
and "Grim" (a foreboding wolf-like figure from English folklore). His 
name was changed to Fenris Ulf for early American editions of the 
book. More recent American editions have reverted to the original 
British text, with the name Maugrim.

In Harry Potter terms, there seems to be a link between the Grim and 
Maugrim. It is also interesting to note as a side issue that Fenris 
Ulf has a giant mother – now who does that remind us of?

Fenrir Greyback is the most vicious werewolf alive. It was he who bit 
Remus Lupin and turned him into a werewolf (as Lupin's father had 
offended him). He is on Voldemort's side in the Second War. He is 
named for the wolf Fenrir, whose release in Norse mythology heralds 
Ragnarök. The mythical Fenrir kills Odin, who is then quickly avenged 
by his son Viðarr.

Another thought I would like to run past other members is whether 
Fenrir is his real given name or a nickname. Agreed he is a werewolf 
but when did he become one? I can't see anyone naming a child after 
the monstrous wolf of Norse mythology.

If I may now go slightly OT, there are other connections which show 
that writers have been drawing on the same ideas as source material. 
We have already been told that Fenris Ulf is involved with Ragnarök. 
Ragnarök ("Doom of the Gods"), also called Gotterdämmerung (German= 
twilight of the gods), means the end of the cosmos in Norse 
mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. 
Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. 
Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all 
morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.

I have in the past on HPFGU referred to a couple of books by Alan 
Garner, which I recommended highly to other members if they can track 
copies down. They are "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" and "The Moon 
of Gomrath". During the course of the first book, the heroes 
encounter the Fimbulwinter when they are seriously impeded by a 
violent snowstorm before the evildoers of the book are eaten by 
Managarm and thus sent to Ragnarok. In Nordic mythology, Managarm is 
a giant "moon dog" who eats the flesh of the deceased and is 
associated with the coming of Ragnarok.

I am very intrigued by the way in which these various elements have 
been used by the authors I have I have mentioned, not forgetting that 
Tolkien drew on myths such as The Elder Edda for names in "The Lord 
of the Rings". I wonder how far they might have been influenced by 
each others' writings.