Elgfróði

One figure I have become immensely fond of is Elgfróði ("Elk-Fróði"), I feel also a pull to incorporate him into my practice as a heathen though he is not a deity or even mythological (his name however is used as a term for a centaur-like creature).

Elgfróði is a character in the late legendary saga of King Hrólfr Kraki. He is the oldest of three brothers and the most therianthropic, having the lower half of a moose (the middle brother Þórir has the feet of a dog and the youngest Böðvar seems on the surface entirely human).

Elgfróði encounters problems early in his life, by twelve years old he was already stronger than all other men and forbidden to participate in their games due to his strength and ferocity. He and his mother Bera agree he can no longer live amongst people, seeing as he could barely touch anyone without hurting them. He receives a shortsword inherited from his father (the least of the three weapons left to the brothers) and ends up building a hut at a mountain pass. There he survives by murdering and stealing from travelers that pass through.

Despite his violent nature, Elgfróði cares deeply for his younger brothers and provides them with life-changing help when they each go to visit him. He offers half his accrued wealth to first his brother Þórir, then Böðvar (they each refuse due to it's source) In the case of Böðvar, Elgfróði gives his own blood to drink which increases Böðvar's strength immensely. He also vows to avenge Böðvar in the event of his death and does so when the time comes.

Idk I just really like him. Not exactly a role model but I feel for him. He resorts to a life of solitude and violence because he is hardly capable of anything else. You can really feel how fiercly he loves his brothers and how glad he is to see them, doing as much as he can to ensure their success in life. There is something so powerful and sad about his character and role in the saga, and I feel like I can call to him for strength.

Btw I highly recommend reading the saga itself. If you like shapeshifters, beast men, dragons, evil half-elf queens, supernatural boars, berserkers and sorcerery, give it a gander!