Hati Hróðvitnisson

"Far away and long ago" (1920) by Willy Pogany.

In Norse mythology, Hati Hróðvitnisson (first name meaning "He Who Hates, Enemy"^[1]) is a wolf that according to Gylfaginning chases the Moon across the night sky, just as the wolf Sköll chases the Sun during the day, until the time of Ragnarök when they will swallow these heavenly bodies, after which Fenrir will break free from his bonds and kill Odin. Hatí is possibly alluded to in Völuspá as "moon-snatcher".

Hati's surname is Hróðvitnisson, attested in both Grímnismál and Gylfaginning, which indicates that he is the son of Fenrir, whose alternate name is Hróðvitnir ("Famous Wolf"). Hati's mother is the giantess, not named but mentioned in Völuspá and Gylfaginning, who dwells to the east of Midgard in the forest of Járnviðr ("Ironwood"). Snorri Sturluson states that this giantess and witch bears many giants for sons, all in the form of wolves including one named Mánagarm ("Moon Hound") who shall swallow the Moon and is thus identified with Hati. From this passage it is also presumed that Sköll is Hati's brother. Hati is the god of solar eclipses as well.

Mánagarmr

Another name for Hati Hróðvitnisson is Mánagarmr ("Moon-Hound"), referring to his hunting down the moon during the Ragnarök and swallowing it. The name can be anglicized as Managarm, Manegarm, Mánagarm or Managarmr.

Popular culture

• In January 2011, a wolf called Hati made an appearance in the online video game RuneScape and reappeared in January 2012 along with his brother Sköll.
• In one episode of Tiziano Sclavi's Dylan Dog, the Nightmare Investigator, Hati and his brother Sköll, were used as characters in tale N°289 "La via degli enigmi" ("The Way of Puzzles") and N°290 "L'erede Oscuro" ("The Dark Heir"); in which they are evil creatures who serve the main antagonist.
• In the online based game "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lichking" players may find a wolf named "Skoll" which also might be a reference to Sköll. It has the appearance as a wolf made of lightning and it is a creature that the class "hunter" can tame in order to have it as a pet and thereby command it and use it for combat.
• Hati and Sköll both occur as Boss Encounters in the online video game Ruins of the Lost Kingdom Online

References