In Norse mythology, two wolves pursue the sun and the moon across the sky: Sköll chases the sun, while Hati Hróðvitnisson pursues the moon. Their pursuit explains the movement of the heavenly bodies in myth, and the wolves are also linked to the destruction that accompanies Ragnarök.
Who are Sköll and Hati?
Sköll and Hati are supernatural wolves in the surviving Old Norse accounts of the sun and moon. Their names and roles are most clearly presented in the Prose Edda, a work by the Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, and in passages of the Poetic Edda, a collection of mythological and heroic poems preserved in medieval manuscripts.
Sköll is the wolf that follows the sun, whose personified name is Sól. Hati follows the moon, called Máni. Some versions and translations describe the wolves as pursuing or trying to catch their targets; they do not give every detail in exactly the same way. The basic pairing, however, is well established: Sköll with the sun, Hati with the moon.
Hati is sometimes called Hati Hróðvitnisson, meaning that he is the son of Hróðvitnir, a name associated with the great wolf Fenrir. This is not a reason to treat every wolf in Norse mythology as the same being. Sköll and Hati have distinct roles in the sky story, while Fenrir is a separate and particularly prominent figure in the events of Ragnarök.
How the pursuit explains the sky
The wolves’ chase gives the sun and moon a mythic explanation for their movement across the heavens. Rather than imagining them as stationary lights, the story describes them as beings in motion, with predators close behind. The chase is a cosmic pursuit, not simply a tale about ordinary animals running after prey.
In Snorri’s account, Sól and Máni are personified figures who guide the sun and moon on their courses. The wolves are part of that ordered but threatened cosmos: the heavenly bodies continue their journeys, yet the pursuers may eventually catch them. This makes the daily and monthly cycles feel dramatic and vulnerable.
- Sköll pursues Sól, the personification of the sun.
- Hati pursues Máni, the personification of the moon.
- The pursuit ends at Ragnarök, when the wolves catch and consume their targets in the account preserved by Snorri.
The story is mythological rather than an attempt at a scientific account of eclipses. It does not provide a consistent technical explanation for every phase of the moon or every change in daylight. Its purpose is to place the visible heavens within a narrative about the world’s order and eventual collapse.
The wolves and Ragnarök
Ragnarök is the foretold series of conflicts and disasters that brings the existing cosmic order to an end and is followed by renewal in some accounts. The wolves’ pursuit becomes part of this final crisis. In the Prose Edda, Sköll catches the sun, and Hati catches the moon; their capture contributes to the darkening and upheaval associated with the world’s destruction.
Accounts of Ragnarök appear in the Poetic Edda, especially in the poem Völuspá, as well as in Snorri’s Prose Edda. These sources are related but not identical in wording or detail. Snorri organizes and explains mythological material in prose, while the poems use compressed, often evocative language. It is therefore useful to distinguish what a particular text says from a simplified summary of the myth.
The wolves should not be confused with Fenrir’s role in Ragnarök. Fenrir is bound before the final events and later breaks free; he is foretold to fight Odin. Sköll and Hati belong to the story of the sun and moon. Their family associations connect them to a broader wolf motif, but their actions and narrative functions are different.
What the sources say—and what they do not
Most detailed modern summaries rely on Snorri’s Prose Edda, particularly its account of the sun and moon, alongside relevant poems in the Poetic Edda. These medieval sources preserve older mythological material, but they are not a single, uniform handbook of Norse belief. Differences in names, emphasis, and narrative detail should be expected.
Snorri identifies the wolf that pursues the sun as Sköll and the one that pursues the moon as Hati. In some poetic passages, a wolf is mentioned in connection with the sun without the same explanatory detail found in Snorri. As a result, readers may encounter retellings that emphasize different parts of the tradition or simplify the relationships.
Several common claims need qualification:
- “The wolves cause eclipses.” The myths describe pursuit and eventual capture, but the surviving accounts do not set out a detailed eclipse theory.
- “Sköll and Hati are just other names for Fenrir.” They are distinct figures, although Hati’s byname links him with Hróðvitnir and the wider wolf genealogy.
- “Every source gives the same family tree.” Norse mythological material survives in different texts, and not every relationship is equally clear or consistently presented.
Names, translations, and familiar retellings
Old Norse names appear in different spellings when written with modern alphabets or translated into English. Readers may see Hati or Hati Hróðvitnisson, and translations may render the name or its associations differently. The spelling “Skoll” without the accent mark is also common in English-language writing; the Old Norse form is generally printed as Sköll.
Retellings sometimes reverse the wolves’ targets, or use “Sköll” and “Hati” interchangeably. For the standard Snorri-based identification, remember the pairing this way: Sköll chases the sun; Hati chases the moon. If a modern story changes those roles, it is a variation or adaptation, not the usual account in the medieval sources.
The image of wolves pursuing celestial bodies has also become a popular symbol in modern art and fiction. Such use may draw on the myth, but symbolic interpretations—such as assigning a fixed meaning to each wolf—should not be mistaken for statements made by the medieval texts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which wolf chases the sun in Norse mythology?
Sköll chases Sól, the personified sun, in the account given by Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda.
Which wolf chases the moon?
Hati pursues Máni, the personified moon. He is also called Hati Hróðvitnisson in some accounts.
Are Sköll and Hati brothers?
They are often presented together as related wolves in retellings, but the sources do not provide one universally consistent family account. Hati’s byname associates him with Hróðvitnir, a name connected to Fenrir.
Do the wolves eat the sun and moon?
At Ragnarök, Snorri’s account says that the wolves catch their respective targets. Retellings often describe this as devouring them, though the wording and emphasis can differ across sources and translations.
Are Sköll and Hati the same as Fenrir?
No. Fenrir is a separate wolf, central to the story of Odin and Ragnarök. Sköll and Hati are associated specifically with the pursuit of the sun and moon.
Do the wolves represent eclipses?
They are sometimes used in modern explanations of eclipses, but the surviving Norse accounts do not clearly identify them as a detailed explanation of the astronomical event. Their best-attested role is the pursuit of the sun and moon, ending at Ragnarök.
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