An obvious clue used in anime to point towards myth is the use of known mythological jargon—the names of deities, spirits, occult concepts et cetera used in the context of the anime in question. “Gleipnir” for instance refers to the Norse myth concerning the binding of the monstrous wolf Fenrir. The Norse gods had caught wind of prophecies concerning Fenrir and deemed it appropriate to bind him but on two occasions, Fenrir broke free from the chains. The dwarves were then tasked with the forging of a chain that is impossible to break, using six things deemed to be impossible like the breath of a fish or the roots of a mountain. This chain was named Gleipnir–“open one”.

The context of the Gleipnir myth is very interesting when considering Gleipnir the anime because co-protagonist Kagaya Shuichi transforms into a monster mascot costume greatly resembling a toon wolf. In episode 2, the nature of Shuichi’s transformation is also a nod to the Gleipnir myth as protagonist Aoki Claire literally unzips Shuichi in his transformed state to find that it is open space, like in an actual mascot costume. Episode 2 is titled “The Meaning of Emptiness”, nodding towards the Norse myth overtly and covertly, Gleipnir (the anime).

Other shows nod towards Norse mythology in the way that Gleipnir has, adopting the name of a mythological concept and tying the show’s premise, characters, and development to that myth in allegorical fashion. Another show that does this with Norse mythology specifically is Jormungand, an anime about an arms dealer and her child-soldier companion. The name translates to “huge monster” and when considering how the protagonist sells arms for an international shipping corporation, the image of a large serpent encircling the world makes sense. Other shows that do this include Ragnarok the Animation, named after the apocalypse in Norse mythology; Valkyria

Sometimes, the relationship an anime establishes with mythology is through characters. We’ve seen this in other media countless times; however, anime uses mythological references in diverse ways. Characters inspired by Norse myths in anime include the Nordic pantheon card series in Yu-Gi-Oh! which includes cards named after Thor and Odin; the Norse pantheon in Highschool DxD; 2019 saw the eruption of the anime Vinland Saga, which was set in Scandinavia and features the Viking character known as Askeladd, based on Norwegian folktales of a character of the same name who begins as an underachiever but eventually gains lots of respect and admiration when they succeed where all else have failed. The commitment to mirroring the lore or themes present in the relevant mythological construct varies by title, but there is an undeniable relationship that anime has with Norse lore.

Sometimes characters aren’t representations of the Norse myths themselves but borrow from them. In the case of Love, Chuunibyou and Other Delusions character Dekomori Sanae, her signature “attack” is the Mjolnir Hammer—two weighted bags tied to the long ponytails that she uses like flails named after Thor’s famous mallet.