Another in my series of illustrations from Norse Mythology. Pen and ink, 11"x14" (about 27 cm by 35 cm), 45 hours.

In this case, the "Father" is Loki, the shadowy guy on the right. The "Son" is the large-ish wolf-creature that takes up most of the page. Loki fathered three children on the giantess Angrboda (spelling's off ), including the World Serpent [link] the goddess Hel, and this fellow here, called the Fenris Wolf.

The Fenris Wolf is quite an interesting creature and character of the Norse myths. When a puppy, he would sit beneath the feasting table of the gods and eat their scraps, but he began growing so large and strong that the gods feared they'd be unable to keep him in hand if they didn't fetter him with a strong chain soon enough. After trying chain after chain and having the wolf break free from them with ease, the gods fashioned a magical chain made of impossible substances. The wolf wouldn't let them place it on him, however, until the god Tyr allowed his hand to be placed as a hostage between the creature's jaws. When the chain was placed, and the Fenris Wolf found itself truly fettered, it ripped Tyr's hand off in rage. In the final battle of Ragnarok, when the dreaded ship Naglfar sails to the doom of the gods [link] , the Fenris Wolf will succeed in breaking his magical bonds and will devour Odin the All-Father in a single gulp.

Tough luck, huh?

I tried to give the wolf some "puppy-ish" and human-like qualities here to set it apart from other, normal wolves in appearance and to suggest that this is a portrait of Loki and his offspring before the wolf gets chained (an image I might draw later...). So, the face is a little bit shorter and flatter than a real wolf's face, and he's knocking trees down with abandon rather than hunting skillfully like a wolf does.

Enjoy!