Nidhogg

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Wikipedia	Níðhǫggr
Forgotten Realms	Dendar

Nidhogg, also spelled Nidhug, Nidhoggr or Niðhoggr, is a massive unique dragon who gnaws at the root of the world tree Yggdrasil. It is called Corpse-Tearer, the Dread Biter, and Dragon of the Underworld.

It is identified as a linnorm, a type of serpentlike dragon. Nidhogg's unique strengths and godlike stature make it one of the most feared examples of that species in existence.

In the Forgotten Realms setting, the name Nidhogg is identified with Dendar the Night Serpent, an elder evil who consumes forgotten nightmares.

Appearance and personality

Nidhogg is a long, serpentlike dragon, eighty feet in length. It possesses sharp, poisonous claws. Its scales are glossy black, with a dull grey underbelly. Nidhogg's tail is spiked and deadly.

Sources alternately describe Nidhogg as being wingless, and as having large, membranous wings. Sources also variously describe Nidhogg as either male or female.

Nidhogg is neutral evil in alignment, and of genius-level intelligence.

Abilities

Nidhogg can breathe a toxic gas similar to that of a green dragon, and can also breathe fire. It fights with a pair poisonous claws. Its bite and spiked tail, while deadly, are not poisoned. It knows at least twelve spells, although few know what they are.

Lair

Nidhogg is said to inhabit Niflheim, a realm sometimes equated with the Gray Wastes of Hades, where it gnaws on the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil, which prophecy says will one day eventually kill the tree. Nidhogg also consumes the souls of the dead.

According to the Norse myth, Nidhogg's lair is said to be located on the river Hvergelmir, the source of the rivers that led to the world's creation. It is believed that Nidhogg and the entire linnorm progeny spawned from these boiling waters.

Linnorms in general are highly territorial. Like true dragons, the oldest and most powerful of their type hoard massive amounts of treasure. Niddhog's hoard is unknown, but may be substantial.

Relationships

Allies

"No fool has ever guessed how many serpents lie beneath Yggdrasil."

— Odin, Grimnismal

Nidhogg's task of gnawing the world tree is assisted by several other powerful linnorms. These include the dread linnorm Redfang, Grafvitner the Gnawing Wolf, Grafvitner's sons Goin and Moin, Grabak the Grey-Back, Grafvollud the Field Gnawer, Ofnir the Entangler, and Svafnir the Sleep-Bringer, among others.

Offspring

Nidhogg is the progenitor of a great many terrible dragons of Niflheim. It is said that if Nidhogg were ever slain, one of its many offspring would simply gnaw the root of in her stead. Given the inconsistent descriptions of Nidhogg, it is not unthinkable that this has already happened at least once.

Redfang, called also Stjernespise, is an ancient wingless dread linnorm, is the direct offspring of Nidhogg.

All corpse tearer linnorm are believed to be the direct offspring of Nidhogg. They consume rotting flesh, and exude an overpowering stench of death. Their brown, patchy hides allow them to camouflage among the roots of trees.

It is thought the viper tree, an intelligent tree with snakes for branches most commonly found in Graz'zt's three layers of the Abyss, may be one of the offspring of Nidhogg.

Publication history

Original D&D

"Nidhug" is first mentioned in Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976), p.34. Fafnir and Ofnir are also mentioned.

AD&D 1st edition

A statblock and description of Nidhogg appear in the article For better or Norse, Dragon #110 (Jun 1986), p.18.

AD&D 2nd edition

Nidhogg is identified as a linnorm of godlike proportions in the HR1 Vikings Campaign Sourcebook (1991), p.45 and referenced in The Vikings' Dragons, Dragon #182 (Jun 1992), p.18.

Nidhogg is mentioned several times in Planescape, beginning with Planescape Campaign Setting, A DM's Guide to the Planes (1994), p.59. It is mentioned and several times in Planes of Chaos (1994), pages 23 and 30 of the Monstrous Supplement and page 42 of the Travelogue, with a drawing on page 43. Nidhogg is described by the planars as "a fell dragon that'll put a berk in the dead-book and crack the bones he leaves behind". Planes of Conflict, Liber Malevolentiae (1995), p.45 describes Nidhogg as female and wingless, with a mention on page 4 of that book's Player's Guide asserting her spawn to be reptilian.

In the Forgotten Realms, Volo's Guide to All Things Magical (1996), p.121 asserts that Dendar the Night Serpent is the same entity known to the Rus as Nidhogg, and that its jaws can destroy the artifact Windwalker (amulet). Nidhogg is mentioned in For Duty & Deity (1998), p.63-64.

D&D 3rd edition

Nidhogg is mentioned alongside the Norse pantheon in Deities and Demigods (3e) (2002), p.165, and in Ecology of the Linnorm, Dragon #356 (Jun 2007), p.60-65 A brief mention is made in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006) with regards the viper tree.

Champions of Ruin (2005), p.142 repeats the connection between Dendar and Nidhogg in the Forgotten Realms.

Creative origins

The dragon Nidhogg appears in Norse myth. It is described in the prophecy of Voluspà appearing at the apocalypse at Ragnarok, in which most of the Norse pantheon will be killed:

"Then the dark dragon will come flying down from the dark mountains, that glistening serpent. Nithogg will bear corpses in his wings as he flies over that valley."

"Wings" here, "fjǫðrum" in Old Norse, literally translates as "feathers", although the modern image of a dragon is usually reptilian. "Dark mountains", "niðafjǫllum", bears the same "nið" as in the name of Niðhogg, with "nið" meaning "hatred".

A possible interpretation of this stanza is that Nidhogg will survive Ragnarok.

In the Norse myth Grímnismál, Nidhogg is also said to chew the corpses of the dishonorable in the afterlife.

Reception and influence

Nidhogg influenced the name of the white dragon Nidhogrym in Draconomicon (3e) (2003).