Paranormal Romance Blog

Sure you’ve heard of werewolves, but do you know what garm are? Author Lori Devoti is here today to give a short primer these mythical creatures that appear in her latest Unbound series novel from Silhouette Nocturne, DARK CRUSADE…

by Lori Devoti, author of Dark Crusade, Captured, Guardian’s Keep, Wild Hunt, and Undbound

Funny thing, when I decided to build my world for my Unbound series, I purposely meant not to have werewolves. Not because I don’t like them. I, in fact, LOVE wolves and to me the werewolf was the perfect shifter–sexy, alpha…what more could you want? But there were already so many authors doing them so well. So, I decided not to write a werewolf book. I chose hellhounds instead. Then I discovered Garm.

Garm is a wolf who is bound and howling during Ragnarok, the Norse end to the present or old world…death of the gods and the cosmos. There is some confusion as to whether Garm, this one particular wolf, might also be Fenrir, a very specific wolf (who was instrumental in the plot of Guardian’s Keep). Wolves are actually mentioned a lot more than hellhounds in my books on Norse mythology. So, it became obvious my world needed wolves…and, of course, they had to be shapeshifters. But since they weren’t “just” wolves and they aren’t werewolves I decided to call all my wolf-shifters garm. And the species/group/whatever was born.

Now garm are not, as I said, werewolves. Their shifts are not tied to the phases of the moon, and garm aren’t made–they are born. Their shifts also don’t hurt; they are magical. Garm are in fact magical beings, in that it is just a part of what they are and when they shift magic leaks off of them. They however, unlike my witches, can’t do anything with their magic except shift. (My witches, who can’t create their own magic, pull it when a garm or hellhound shifts and then alter it for their own use.) They also are telepathic, but only when in their wolf forms. And my garm are protectors. They are the guardians…a role they played in Norse myth too, guarding the entrance to Hel’s home and such.

So, there you have it a short primer on garm, both from Norse myth and how I tweaked those myths to fit my fictional world. I love my garm. They are alpha, but still protective. And they have a lot of honor. They are much more structured than my hellhounds (who I love too).

And, while they aren’t werewolves, I still think they deserve a little love.

Want to know more about DARK CRUSADE?Here’s the book description, and use the Browse the Book feature below to read the first chapter.

Exiled rogue shape-shifter Kerr Vik once saw being transported to Gunngar as a fresh start. Until the one person he most regretted leaving behind—captivating witch Heather Moore—stumbles through the portal…and finds herself right in the middle of a witch hunt. Heather has courageously come to Gunngar to redeem herself. But Kerr knows that if she braves it alone…she will die. He must somehow send her back through the portal. And it’s not long before a collision of truth, love and duty complicates Kerr’s mission by forcing him to choose sides: should he save this forbidden love or protect his honor?

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And don’t forget to stop by Lori’s blog for a whole month of werewolf-themed posts by some of your favorite paranormal authors.