Loki's lover. Mother of Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel.
Angrboda (Old Norse Angrboða, 'she who brings grief') is a giantess in Jotunheim who bore Loki three offspring: the wolf Fenrir, the Midgard Serpent Jörmungandr, and the death-ruler Hel. Gylfaginning 34 tells that the gods received prophecies of great harm from these children and that Odin therefore had them taken away.
Angrboda is also mentioned in Völuspá hin skamma (Hyndluljóð 40) as the 'Ironwood-dweller' or mother of giant wolves. Her role is primarily genealogical, as the mother of three of the most fateful beings in Norse mythology.
Sources in the Eddas
- Gylfaginning 34
- Snorri tells that Angrboda in Jotunheim bore Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel to Loki.
- Hyndluljóð 40
- Angrboda is mentioned as a giantess in the Ironwood who bears the wolf-kin.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Angrboda is Loki's lover and mother of Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel (Gylfaginning 34).
B What we think we know
Whether Angrboda and the Ironwood-dweller in Völuspá hin skamma are the same figure is debated among scholars.