Hello all! To begin the countdown towards the release of Sovereign Soul Book 2: Embers of Orden, I’m going to be featuring character posts every few weeks about prominent characters in Embers of Orden, as well as something about the world revolving around that character. To begin, we have the son of Loki and the god of wolves, Fenrir!
Keep in mind that the following character entry bears some spoilers for Sovereign Soul Book One: Akin Minds. If you haven’t read it already, check it out here!
Fenrir, the wolf god, actually makes his debut in the end of Akin Minds with a timely interference after being approached by the Timeless One. Following the death of his father, Fenrir interferes in the first confrontation at Orden, ensuring Ryoku’s escape and confronting the deadly Lars Ordenstraum alongside the Timeless One, Cleria, Relus, and Rex.
Following the battle, Fenrir makes a new attempt to find Ryoku Dragontalen after fleeing Orden, now tasked with deciding if he should pledge his support to the Defender his father gave his life for. The most likely place to know Ryoku’s whereabouts, of course, is the chivalric world of Syaoto. Finding the medieval world in dire straits since the events of Book One, Fenrir is hard-pressed to help them out in exchange for information on Ryoku.
Fenrir’s character is a stark contrast to Loki. Where Loki was fun-loving, impractical, and a bit high-strung, Fenrir is a rather giant wolf who is often unreadable, pragmatic, untrusting, and highly intellectual. Fenrir’s first appearances show he has an extremely superior dialect that sails far over the heads of most characters, something that he quickly dials down to ensure clarity among his newfound allies. Though Loki easily called these people his friends, Fenrir hesitates to categorize them under such an umbrella so readily.
It should come as no surprise that Fenrir does decide to become Ryoku’s Guardian, albeit in a different fashion than his father was. Fenrir doesn’t coddle Ryoku, quick to teach him the merciless nature of fighting and the necessity of when to take a life. He is quick and brutal, using fangs, claws, and the lightning he controls to finish his battles with brutal ease. He quickly learns that Ryoku’s value in the prophecy is not misplaced, but he comes to that conclusion with his own eyes rather than trusting the ancient scriptures. In time, he comes into his own endearing moments as he learns to trust Ryoku and those around him, but he is also an easy source of intimidation and can snap with no notice.
Fenrir is, true to his name, a very large wolf. On all fours, he is about waist-height to many characters; sitting on his hind legs, he is near their shoulders. His overcoat is mostly dark blue, with his legs and belly an off-white. He has two horns situated on his head that he can use to control lightning and electricity. His eyes are coal-black, and perhaps because he is a wolf, he is infamously hard to read unless he’s angry.
In the big picture, Fenrir has a seat among the Norse gods reigning in Immortalia, including names such as Thor, Odin, Baldr, and others. Sovereign Soul, especially in this new realm, utilizes many different gods from many different sects of faith that all control aspects of daily life. Seldom do they get involved so readily in human affairs. It seems to be a trait unique to Loki and Fenrir that they choose to get involved at all, although Loki’s reasons for his initial interference are still unknown.
It is rare for the gods to leave Immortalia and travel the realms, but it is possible. When they do, they are placed under certain limitations and cannot access their true wealth of power. As they are absent from Immortalia, their power and faith gradually weakens until they can return to restore it, ensuring their interference in ‘lesser’ realms is kept somewhat minimal.
Power among the gods is a factor of faith. Gods who are more well-known among humanity and spirits alike are stronger. Before the narrative of Sovereign Soul began, each sect of gods used to reign from their own realms and never interacted. Now, with the world in such a state, all gods are thrown together in the untouchable realm of Immortalia. Each sect of gods – such as Norse, Greek, Japanese, Egyptian, etc. – has a governing set, often a trio of gods who act as the voice for them. Loki, Thor, and Odin are Norse mythology’s big three. With Loki’s death in Akin Minds, the state of their religion is currently unknown. As his son, Fenrir could potentially be a candidate to stand in for him.
Especially regarding the spirit realm and its denizens, Norse gods are known as mighty deities among the other gods, which means their power – at least their big three – is tough to match. While we haven’t seen the other gods yet as of Akin Minds, perhaps that will change in the coming narrative. Through the narrative of Embers of Orden, perhaps we’ll discover Ryoku’s connection to these powerful gods and why Loki and Fenrir pledged their protection to him. Could it have to do with Loki’s last words before his downfall…?
Let me know what you think of Fenrir and the Norse Gods in the comments! With the uprising of Norse mythology in media over the last decade – partially due to Marvel – what are some of your favorite legends and folklore about them? What do you strive to see or depict in a narrative about Norse gods today? Lastly, stay tuned for more character blogs as we count down to the release of Embers of Orden this winter! Some characters who have been previously explored have underwent changes in the last draft of Embers of Orden, so new information might surface in the coming weeks – stay tuned!
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