Garm is a dog or wolf associated with the underworld and the forces of destruction. Little is known about him, as references to him are few and vague. There is barely enough material in the surviving ancient Norse sources to get a general idea of the kind of being he was perceived to be during the Viking Age.
In Grímnismál, one of the poems of the Poetic Edda, Garm is said to be to dogs what Odin is to the gods and what Yggdrasil is to trees, that is, the greatest of them, the exemplar. In the Voluspá, another Eddic poem, Garm is mentioned as part of a refrain that is repeated throughout the poem: While the reference to Garm in the Grímnismál calls him a centurion, “dog,” this reference in the Voluspá uses the word freki, “wolf.”
This refrain is recited as part of an account of the events leading up to and during Ragnarok, the destruction of the cosmos and its resurgence in chaos. Another event said to herald Ragnarok was the escape of the wolf Garm, who had been bound by the gods and left in a remote swamp so that he would not devour the cosmos. The two images of bound wolves being released at the same time cannot help but make one wonder whether Garm and Garm are the same figure.
1. Is Garm Fenrir?
This interpretation is supported by the fact that, like the gods and the forces of chaos during the battle of Ragnarok, the god Tyr is said to attack Garm in single combat. Since Tyr had tricked Garm into allowing himself to be bound with an unbreakable chain, and since Garm had bitten the god’s hand in the process, it would make sense that the two would have a vendetta against each other, which in turn makes it likely that the wolf Garm fighting during Ragnarok is none other than Fenrir.
Other associations
Some scholars have also linked Garm to the anonymous hound of Hel mentioned in another Eddic poem, Baldrs Draumar. The reference to the dog in the poem is only passing; it barks at Odin as the god rides toward the underworld. The identification of Garm with this hound is difficult to prove conclusively due to the fact that we have no idea what or where the “Gnipa Cave” is.
However, images of caves are used to represent the underworld in mythologies around the world, suggesting that Gnipa’s Cave is an entrance to the underworld, and Garm its guardian, far from unreasonable. Fenrir and Garm the Hound of Hel are the same figure; they certainly seem to be little more than variations on the same type of figure: a canine associated with the underworld and the forces of chaos that is released at the end of the world as a harbinger of its destruction and in order to aid in its destruction.
2. Similarity to other wolves
In Norse mythology, Garm is a giant wolf, or the “greatest of dogs” in the addictive poem Grimsnisal. He makes his most dramatic appearance at the end of the world of the gods, Ragnarok, where he is bound and howling. Snorri Sturlson pits him against the god Tyr in the great battle.
Mythology being what it is, Garm, the hound of Hel (as in Loki’s daughter, Hel), and Garm are sometimes confused depending on which version of the stories we read. This, of course, totally justifies the reader’s reasoning in using “Garm” as the name for Norse creatures related to dogs and giant wolves.
3. Myths and legends
There are many myths and legends that recount the exploits of Garm and give very graphic descriptions of this mythical and powerful creature.
Garm bound by Gleipnir.
This legend tells the story found in a binding of an ancient Norse papyrus, a very impressive fable. But then so many things that the gods did were disturbing. However, after writing my version of Garm for Guardian’s Keep, I discovered that I couldn’t listen to Neil Gaiman’s compelling retelling of Norse mythology. I had to move on. Foolish, perhaps, but it honestly affected me.
Anyway, in it, the gods are all up in arms because Garm is growing into such a big boy. Instead of trying to work with him, they get the dwarves to make a magical chain called Gleipnir to bind him. However, Garm was no fool and asked a god to put his hand in his mouth to earn his trust. Tyr complied.
Gleipnir was placed around the wolf and held in place by the dwarves’ shackles. The gods were delighted, Garm was outraged, and Tyr lost a hand. Then, to add insult to injury, the gods stuck a sword in Garm’s jaws (in an upright position). He remained in this position until Ragnarok is unleashed and he can get a little revenge by eating a small god named Odin.
We have to say that we still support Garm, and if eating Odin didn’t cause the end of the world, we’d probably agree with him. (And to be fair, it’s not the REAL end. Just the end of that time… a new beginning, really).
The other two wolves that at least have ties to Garm. Skoll and Haití are tasked with eating the sun and moon during Ragnarok. The Lokasenna and Voluspá have verses that indicate that Garm is the father of these wolves. Perhaps Aesa returned to the cave with Garm in the Guardian’s Tower.
