Hati
In
Norse mythology,
Hati ("Hateful") 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.
Hati's surname is
Hródvitnisson, attested in both
Grímnismál and
Gylfaginning, which indicates that he is the son of Fenrir, whose alternate name is
Hródvitnir ("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
Járnvid ("Ironwood").
Snorri 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.
In the poem
Helgakvida Hjörvardssonar,
Hati is the name of a
giant slain by the hero
Helgi.
