Norse Mythology Creatures
Norse mythology creatures are the beasts, monsters, and beings of the Norse cosmos, from the monstrous wolf Fenrir and the world-serpent Jörmungandr to the fire giants of Muspelheim, the fate-weaving Norns, and Odin's Valkyries. Drawn from the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and later Scandinavian folklore, they gave the Vikings a way to explain a dangerous, wondrous world.
Many famous characters in Norse mythology would not be as memorable without exciting enemies to fight. Countless creatures crossed paths with Odin, Thor, and the other gods, and each one carries its own background story rooted in Norse mythology symbols and their meanings.
In the Viking age, people believed these beings were real, since the gods had defeated them time and again. Every great story needs a hero and a villain, and these monsters helped explain the unknown: strange diseases, sudden deaths, and the dangers of the dark. Someone had to be responsible, and terrifying, night-lurking beings fit the role.
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What Are the Fire Monsters of Norse Mythology?
The fire monsters of Norse mythology are the fire giants (Old Norse eldjötnar) of Muspelheim, the realm of flame, led by the giant Surtr, who wields a sword brighter than the sun. At Ragnarök, Surtr and the sons of Muspel ride out against the gods, and Surtr's fire finally engulfs and burns the whole world. Alongside these fire giants, the most fearsome monsters of Norse myth include the great wolf Fenrir, the world-serpent Jörmungandr, and the corpse-eating dragon Níðhöggr who gnaws the roots of Yggdrasil.
The Gods Fought Them Off and Won
The Norse gods and goddesses were not the only powers known to people. Many beings shared the world with the Vikings in one way or another. It was believed that the gods often helped Vikings by travelling across the Bifröst bridge from Asgard to Midgard (Earth), standing with them in battle so they could prevail.
The gods clashed with many of these beings, and those struggles made them famous among the people. Most creatures were weaker than the gods, yet they were essential to the Norse universe we know today.
Some of these beings were chaotic, fearsome, and destructive, while others were benevolent. A few could be either, depending on the story.
Most Popular Norse Mythology Creatures
Many of these beings belonged to the night: eerie, fearsome spirits that sought to bring ruin to the world of men. Most were far more powerful than the Vikings, but the Vikings had the gods at their side in battle and beyond.
The Norse world also held plenty of benevolent figures, such as the dwarfs and elves the Vikings dealt with often.
Among the most striking beings were the giants, sometimes called the "devourers": chaotic powers of darkness, death, night, and winter who often opposed the great Aesir tribe of the gods. One well-known figure of giant descent is Hel, Loki's daughter, who rules the realm of the dead. The most notable being in the Norse end-times narrative, however, is Fenrir, the wolf that devours Odin at Ragnarök.
With the surface scratched, here is a closer look at the most prominent beings of Norse myth.
1) Dwarfs
These human-like beings were known to both Norse and Germanic tradition. Dwarfs were sometimes equated with the dark elves. Small and twisted, they are said to have originated as maggots in the flesh of the primeval giant Ymir, then gifted with reason and human form by the gods of Asgard.
Svartálfheim, an underground warren of forges and mines, was thought to be their home. Dwarfs are the master smiths of the myths, credited with forging Mjölnir, Thor's hammer, and Gungnir, Odin's spear.
Some myths say that dwarfs exposed to sunlight would petrify and turn to stone. When the wise dwarf Alvíss sought the hand of Thor's daughter, Thor stalled him with questions until dawn broke and the sunlight turned Alvíss to stone.
2) Elves
Snorri Sturluson describes two kinds of elves. The ljósálfar, or light elves, and the dökkálfar or svartálfar, the dark elves. The dark elves are described as "blacker than pitch" and are often conflated with the dwarfs who dwell underground. 
The light elves are a sight to behold, said to be fairer than the sun. The Vanir god Freyr received Álfheimr, the elven homeland, as a gift. Elves in Norse and later folklore have an ambivalent bond with people, with the power both to heal and to bring sickness.
3) Draugar (the Undead)
The draugr (plural draugar) is the undead grave-dweller of the Norse sagas. Some tales cast these beings as blood-thirsty, but they behave more like walking corpses than modern vampires. A draugr had tremendous strength, could swell in size at will, and carried a stench of rotting flesh that was horrific to behold.
Draugar lived within their burial mounds to guard the treasure they were buried with. Sagas such as Grettis saga and Eyrbyggja saga tell of them leaving the grave to kill the living, crush people with sheer strength, or drive victims mad.
Killing a draugr meant dismembering its body or burning it to ash. The common belief was that a person would most likely become a draugr after death if they had been evil, greedy, or unpopular in life.
4) Hulder (Huldra)
The huldra belongs to the Scandinavian rå, the nature-guardian spirits of later folklore rather than Eddic myth. As a skogsrå, or forest guardian, she watches over the woods. She appears as a woman of striking beauty, with a tail like a cow's and a back that is hollow or covered in bark.
The huldra could pass as a young woman and walk among people, her disguise broken only if someone glimpsed her tail. She lured single men into the forest to make them lovers or servants, and in some tales drained the life from them. A man who escaped her was said to lose the temptation to return forever.
5) Kraken
The kraken is a giant sea-monster of Norwegian legend, reported off the coasts of Norway and Greenland. It belongs to later folklore rather than the Eddas, and was famously described by the bishop Erik Pontoppidan in the eighteenth century. Tales describe it as squid or octopus-like, so vast that its body could be mistaken for an island.
If sailors set foot on that "island," it would sink beneath them. When the kraken rose or dived, it churned massive whirlpools that could drag nearby ships under. Its sheer size made it one of the most enduring monsters of the northern seas.
6) Ratatoskr
Ratatoskr is a squirrel that scurries up and down Yggdrasil, the great tree of the cosmos. He carries messages, and often twists them into insults, between the eagle perched at the top and Níðhöggr, the serpent gnawing at the roots.
By ferrying slander back and forth, Ratatoskr deliberately stirs strife between the dragon below and the eagle above, keeping their feud alive. He does not carry messages from the gods; his role is to sow discord along the trunk of the world-tree.
7) Trolls
Norse and Scandinavian tradition knows two broad kinds of trolls. Large, ugly trolls that dwell in mountains and forests, and smaller kinds that live deep in caves and caverns. They are usually seen as malevolent and dim, though some stories show them repaying a favour with kindness.
The Scandinavian countryside is strewn with boulders, and folklore held that trolls hurled these rocks as weapons. Another belief says the boulders are trolls themselves, caught in sunlight and turned to stone.
8) Norns
The three Norns, Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld, are female beings who shape fate. They tend Yggdrasil and the Well of Urðr, watering the tree that holds the nine realms of Norse cosmology together.
Their care only slows the tree's decline, since Norse myth teaches that all things must eventually end. When Ragnarök comes, all life will pass away with it.
9) Valkyries
The Valkyries are among the most famous beings of Norse myth. They are Odin's female spirits, whose name roughly means "choosers of the slain." They decide which warriors fall in battle and carry the worthy dead to Valhalla to become the einherjar, the army that waits with Odin for Ragnarök.
The Valkyries served Odin and shaped the outcome of war. The Eddic poem Darraðarljóð even depicts them weaving the fates of battle on a grim loom. If you honour this tradition, you can carry it with you through our Viking jewelry collection or a piece like this Valkyrie design.
10) Sleipnir
Sleipnir is Odin's eight-legged horse and his personal steed, the swiftest of all horses. His origin is one of the strangest in the myths. Loki, in the form of a mare, mated with Svaðilfari, the powerful stallion of the giant who was building the wall around Asgard. From that union Loki foaled Sleipnir, which is why Loki is called Sleipnir's mother.
11) Mare
The mara, or mare, is a night-spirit that brings bad dreams. It was believed to sit on the chest of a sleeper, pressing down on them and giving them nightmares. Folklore held that the mare was a wandering soul that slipped from a person's body, as a demon might, to torment the innocent in the dark.
Another belief cast these spirits as witches whose souls could take animal form and roam at night. The mare's touch was said to tangle what it brushed against, twisting the hair of sleepers into knots known as marelocks.
12) Fenrir
Fenrir is the most famous wolf in the Norse universe. He is the child of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Raised among the gods of Asgard so they could control his troublesome nature, Fenrir grew at an alarming rate.
As he grew larger and more dangerous, the gods resolved to bind him, and turned it into a test of strength. Fenrir snapped every ordinary fetter with ease, so the gods had the dwarfs forge Gleipnir, a bond stronger than anything before it. 
Suspecting a trick, Fenrir demanded that one of the gods place a hand in his jaws as a pledge of good faith. The god Týr stepped forward, knowing he would lose the hand. When the wolf found he could not break free, he bit Týr's hand off.
The gods chained Fenrir and propped his jaws open with a sword. His running slaver formed a river, and the myths call him Vánagandr after Ván, meaning "Expectation." At Ragnarök, Fenrir breaks loose and looses his wrath on the gods, devouring Odin himself.
Two more wolves, Sköll and Hati, chase the sun and the moon across the sky. When Ragnarök comes, they finally catch and devour them, a common tradition also linking them to Fenrir's line.
Norse Mythology Creatures: FAQ
What are the fire monsters of Norse mythology?
They are the fire giants (Old Norse eldjötnar) of Muspelheim, the realm of flame, led by the giant Surtr, who wields a sword brighter than the sun. At Ragnarök, Surtr and the sons of Muspel ride out and Surtr's fire engulfs the whole world.
Who is Fenrir in Norse mythology?
Fenrir is the monstrous wolf, child of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. The gods bound him with the dwarf-made fetter Gleipnir after Týr placed his hand in the wolf's jaws and lost it. At Ragnarök, Fenrir breaks free and devours Odin.
What does Ratatoskr do?
Ratatoskr is a squirrel that runs up and down the world-tree Yggdrasil, carrying messages, often twisted into insults, between the eagle at the top and the serpent Níðhöggr gnawing at the roots. He deliberately stirs strife between them.
Where did Sleipnir, Odin's horse, come from?
Sleipnir is Odin's eight-legged horse. He was foaled by Loki, in the form of a mare, after Loki mated with Svaðilfari, the stallion of the giant who built the wall around Asgard.
Who are the Norns?
The Norns are three female beings named Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld who shape fate. They tend Yggdrasil and the Well of Urðr, watering the tree that holds the nine realms together.
Which Creature Would You Least Want to Meet?
These are some of the most famous beings of Norse myth, and the wider tradition holds many more. If you were a Viking warrior, which of these creatures would you most want to avoid? Share your answer in the comments below.
Keep exploring: Fenrir and Jörmungandr, the full Norse pantheon — or shop wolf & serpent jewelry.