Sköll

"The Wolves Pursuing Sol and Mani" (1909) by J. C. Dollman.

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

In Norse mythology, Sköll (Old Norse "Treachery")^[1] is a warg that chases the horses Árvakr and Alsviðr, that drag the chariot which contains the sun (Sól) through the sky every day, trying to eat her. Sköll has a brother, Hati, who chases Máni, the moon. At Ragnarök, both Sköll and Hati will succeed in their quests.

Sköll, in certain circumstances, is used as a heiti to refer indirectly to the father (Fenrir) and not the son. This ambiguity works in the other direction also, for example in Vafþrúðnismál, where confusion exists in stanza 46 where Fenrir is given the sun-chasing attributes of his son Sköll. This can mostly be accounted for by the use of Hróðvitnir and Hróðvitnisson to refer to both Fenrir and his sons.

In popular culture

• In the Fate of the Norns table-top role-playing-game, Skoll is partially responsible for the onset of Ragnarok.^[2]
• The song Sowelu by Wardruna mentions Skoll.
• In Vikings the character Rollo has Skoll and his brother Hatí tattooed on his chest and arms.
• Both Hati and Skoll are bosses in Ragnarok Odyssey.
• Both Hati and Skoll are bosses in Ragnarok Odyssey Ace ( the updated version of Ragnarok Odyssey).
• Skolls are enemies in Etrian Odyssey.
• Skolls appears as a demon in the Cavalier of the Abyss manhwa.
• Skoll is the title of one of the werewolf enforcers in the Anita Blake:Vampire Hunter book series, the other title being Hati.
• Skoll is the name of a rare tamable spirit beast with a unique appearance in World of Warcraft. In the Legion expansion, its counterpart Hati appears as well, and it is revealed that the two of them are the pets of Thorim (a reference to Thor).
• The legend of Skoll is referenced to by Agent Dana Scully in season 2, episode 19 of The X-Files, "Død Kalm".
• In January 2011, a wolf called Hati made an appearance in the online video game RuneScape and reappeared in January 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 along with his brother Sköll,^[3] in 2016 their father Fenrir was also included in the winter event.
• In Cardfight!! Vanguard, Skoll and Hati appear as units in the Genesis clan, as does Fenrir, for whom they are supporting units. Managarmr also appears as a unit in the Great Nature clan.
• Skoll is mentioned in Marvel Comics as a Wolf God in Journey Into Mystery #101.
• In one episode of Tiziano Sclavi's Dylan Dog, the Nightmare Investigator, Sköll and his brother Hati, 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.

Notes

References

• Orchard, Andy (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-34520-2