In the Age of the Ancients, Arrax would travel upon the face of the Material Plane. He was the tallest and strongest of all beings, eager to face any who would challenge him in a contest of arms. Only the Elemental Primordials were truly able to match him, and for this he would fall in love with them. From this union, nine children were born of Arrax and the primordials, who would become the progenitor for each of the kinds of true giant.

Once all his children were grown, Arrax chose for them a place in the Mortal Realm where he built them an enormous city in the far north. Before their were granted access to it however, Arrax decreed that his children must create and Ordning between them. A fair contest of arms should be held between each of the giants to determine who held power over the other. This ranking would become known as the First Ordning and determined that the Jotun stood strongest, the Hill Giant weakest, and the Ettin who cheated would be banished. The city that Arrax created would span from the cavernous depths of the world to plains, hills, and mountains, and reaching both into the sea and into the clouds. Each of his children were given a portion of the city to rule as their own and to populate with their children in turn. Thus the storm giants ruled the seas, the hills giants ruled the hills, the frost giants ruled the frozen tundra, the mountain giants ruled the mountains, the fire giants ruled the volcanoes, the stone giants ruled the caverns, the cloud giants ruled the sky, and the jotnar ruled the open plains. From this city, the giants would in time form the largest kingdom to have ever existed in the Material Plane.

The giants would not be the only race to make their mark on the world. Just as the kingdom of the giants reached its peak, it was met by the first Draconic Empire. At a time following the Splintering, while Bahamut and Tiamat were occupied fighting eachother, a Conclave had united many of the world's dragons into an empire. They now met the giants and war began. The war lasted for a thousand years and devastated both the giants and the dragons. It only grew into a stalemate as both sides were diminished and both kingdoms lie in ruins. As the dragons were drawn into the conflict between Bahamut and Tiamat, which would divide the metallic and chromatic dragons, the giants retreated to their only remaining city, the capital built by Arrax.

With the Giant-Dragon war having ende in a stalemate, there was an eagerness in the giants to reaffirm their strength to Arrax the All-Father. Many giants would seek this through feats of arms or craft, but one would take it further. Ymir, the First Jotun, was the strongest and largest of the giants, a titan among them. Yet even he could not defeat the dragons. To deal a finishing blow, Ymir instead hatched a plot to defeat them. In the war he had learnt the secret magics of the ice dragons and the fire dragons. Together with his sons Surtr and Thrym, Ymir now planned to create a powerful spell that first freeze the world, killing half its dragons, then burn it to finish the rest, leaving the giants as the victor with him to rule them.

Arrax would learn of this dishonourable plot however, a plan that stood in stark violation of his rules of war. Unwilling to let this stand, Arrax sought out Ymir in the capital of the giants and confronted him about his plans. There, in the great city, a fight broke out between Arrax and Ymir and his sons. Ymir was severely wounded by Arrax in what would have been a killing blow. Instead, however, Ymir unleashed the first part of his spell in an effort to shield himself. Ice mixed with his blood on the ground and began to spread. Further and further. In the confusion, Ymir then fled, pursued by Arrax all the way into Acheron. There, Arrax the All-Father would slay his oldest son and from his body create his domain. Meanwhile, Surtr and Thrym fled the Material Plane, reaching Ysgard and creating their own realms, those of Muspelheim and Jotunheim. The sons of Ymir would swear their vengeance on Arrax and vowed to burn the world and to freeze it.

The ice that Ymir had unleashed did not stop to spread and began to cover the capital of the giants. Arrax had gone to pursue Ymir and would not return to contain the ice, and so the other giant progenitors gathered to find a way to stop it. For a long time they quarrelled over any plan, none seeing eye-to-eye. Some wished to combat it with force, others to seek out magic. Some hoped to seek the aid of Arrax, while others cursed him for abandoning them. In the end, it is believed the Children of Arrax quarrelled so long they were in time all encased in the ice. While this happened, the other giants fought amongst themselves, seeing betrayal in the others, as ever more of the city was lost to the ice. After a century of this constant infighting, Arrax had had enough. He banished the giants from the city, forcing them south as he destroyed the lands behind them, turning it into the White Sea. Arrax the All-Father then disowned the giants, saying he would not grant them his favour again until one of their kin had reunited all giants and called his name.

In the ages since, the giants have lived without the grace of the All-Father. While the first of their number had been immortal, each new generation now lived shorter lives. Many giants now curse the All-Father, while others live in hope that one day his favour will grace them once more.

One story tells that when Arrax broke his own codes of war, he was cursed by Manirse, goddess of peace, to be transformed into the lycan form he now holds.

After Ymir had betrayed Arrax and his curse of ice began to encase the capital of the giants, Arrax slew the fleeing Ymir and drove the giants from their homeland. In so doing, he broke his own codes of war. He did not allow the surrender of Ymir and his sons. He did not allow the giants to live in peace after their war with the dragons reached a stalemate. For this, Manirse took pity and saw fit to intervene. She cursed Arrax to transform into a gigantic wolf the light of the full moon. For those that break the bonds of ware are cursed by wrath under the light of peace. For years to come, the god of war was wild and savage, ferocious were he had once been honourable. Under the light of peace, Manirse's full moon, he was forced to time again break his own code.

It is said that for centuries to come war across the cosmos became savage and destructive, until Arrax at last accepted the nature of his curse. Until then he had fought it, and so it continued to ravage him. But when the Hound of War saw this form for what it was, when he understood the savagery that lurked beneath war, he learnt control. Committing himself fully once more to his codes of war, they became a divine chain that would contain the savagery of war.

Though now in control of his curse, some believe that the first mortal werewolves were created by Arrax, raiders and murderers cursed by the Chained One for breaking the codes of war.

Many followers of the Eír Gods and deities of Ysgard tell a different story, calling Arrax by the name Fenrir the Chained Wolf.

After slaying Ymir and disowning the giants, Fenrir was cursed by the sons of Ymir, changing him into a gigantic wolf. For years after, Fenrir raged round the lands of Ysgard, killing countless heroes that came to face him. For each he slew, the rage and size of Fenrir only grew. At last, the time came that the gods themselves saw fir to intervene. The gods went to the rampaging Fenrir and were able to talk with him. Beseeching the god that Fenrir had once been, they challenged him to feats of strength, to which the Hound was eager. First, they had him wrestle the strongest among them, who Fenrir easily beat. Then, they raced around the cosmos, Fenrir leaping and bounding over the upper planes and the lower. Lastly, they challenged Fenrir to be bound and escape his chains. Now, at last, he grew suspicious. Not wanting to be tricked into captivity, Fenrir would only allow this if one of the gods placed his arm in his jaws so he may bite it off if displeased. The gods all refused, except Tyr, who saw that this request was only just. Fenrir was bound in the chains of Gleipnir and when Fenrir found he could not break free, he bit off the hand of Tyr. The Hound of War pulled and heaved against his chains in a great rage, until at last he calmed. Becoming himself once more, Fenrir saw the savagery that he had wreaked and would gladly contain the Hound in its chains. Gleipnir then moved, allowing Fenrir to rise while it kept around him. For his chains are not there to bind him in place, but to restrain the savage beast of war.

After this, Fenrir would stay in Ysgard no longer. He looked into the cosmos and there saw the chaos of war raging in Acheron. Leaving the heroic Ysgard behind, Fenrir would instead reign over war. He would contain its beasts and enforce the codes of honour. It is said that when Ragnarok approaches, the chains of Fenrir will hold no longer and the savage beast of war will unleash chaos and destruction once more.