Stars of the Sky-Wolves: Sunchaser and Moonchaser
In the tail of the Scorpion, right where the sting is thought to be, lie two bright star-clusters mistaken for single stars by the ancients. When I looked at these stars, the Gods who ran forth were Hati Moonchaser and Skoll Sunchaser, the sons of Fenrir. It is said that Odin was irritated by Sunna and Mani not always staying on track, so he made a bargain with Fenrir’s obstreperous sons, giving them the gift of flight but only along the track of the light-chariots. Their job is to chase the light-bearing sister and brother and keep them on track, nipping at their heels when they become distracted and try to swerve away. It is said that Sunna enjoys racing Skoll through the sky, but that Mani (the more wayward of the two) is less pleased with his keeper.
Aculeus and Acumen, which we will now refer to as Sunchaser and Moonchaser, are considered malefic stars of suffering and difficulty, and they are especially bound up with inflicting blindness and envious rumors. There is, of course, the question as to whether anything difficult is necessarily always a negative outcome, or a situation which can teach hard but useful lessons. This is what came to be from these twin wolf-gods. Bernadette Brady associates Sunchaser with unpleasant but constructive criticism which can forge someone into a stronger person, and Moonchaser with more serious attacks that can erode the soul and a life spent struggling against criticism, but it shows how challenges can fuel one’s drive.
While Sunchaser and Moonchaser are not comfortable stars to have in influential positions, if their lessons are approached with discipline and fortitude, they can be overcome. One has to see their “nipping” as keeping one on track—not the track of the voices that criticize, but the track of moving straight ahead on the road and not being distracted from the goal.