Sköll und Hati

Skoll and Hati (pronounced "SKOHL" and "HAHT-ee" respectively; Old Norse Sköll, meaning "One Who Scoffs" and Hati, meaning "One Who Hates") are two wolves briefly mentioned in Norse mythology, known for chasing Sol (the Sun) and Mani (the Moon) across the sky with the intention of devouring them. During Ragnarök, the end of the cosmos, they catch their prey as the sky and earth darken and collapse.

It is unclear which wolf chases which celestial body. The medieval Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, whose works are often cited in introductory books on Norse mythology, claims that Skoll chases the Sun and Hati chases the Moon. However, in Snorri’s source, the Eddic poem Grímnismál, the following verse provides a different implication:

"Skoll is the name of the wolf Who follows the shining priest, Follows into the desolate forest, And the other is Hati, The son of Hróðvitnir, Who chases the bright bride of the sky."

The noun for Skoll’s prey, goði ("priest"), is masculine, while Hati’s prey, brúðr ("bride"), is feminine. Since Mani (the Moon) is masculine and Sol (the Sun) is feminine, the wording of this verse strongly suggests that Skoll chases the Moon and Hati chases the Sun.

In the same verse, Hati’s father (and likely also Skoll’s father) is named as Hróðvitnir. Another poem from the Poetic Edda, Lokasenna, uses the almost identical term Hróðrsvitnir ("Famous Wolf") as an epithet for Fenrir, the monstrous wolf. This suggests that Fenrir is their father. This interpretation is further supported by another Eddic poem, the Völuspá, which mentions that Fenrir’s children will swallow the Sun during Ragnarök.

Ultimately, it is futile to establish a definitive genealogical link between Fenrir, Skoll, and Hati. The sources themselves provide contradictory interpretations, reflecting the lack of systematic organization or codification in Norse religion when it was still a living tradition. Like so many aspects of Norse mythology and religion, any single, definitive interpretation we impose on the material today in an attempt to resolve its many contradictions is a modern, artificial imposition.