In
Norse mythology,
Víðarr (
Old Norse, possibly "wide ruler", sometimes
anglicized as
Vidar,
Vithar,
Vidarr, and
Vitharr) is a god among the
Æsir associated with
vengeance. Víðarr is described as the
son of Odin and the
jötunn Gríðr, and is foretold to avenge his father's death by killing the wolf
Fenrir at
Ragnarök, a conflict which he is described as surviving. Víðarr is attested in the
Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, the
Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by
Snorri Sturluson, and is interpreted as depicted with Fenrir on the
Gosforth Cross. A number of theories surround the figure, including theories around potential ritual silence and a
Proto-Indo-European basis.