Nidhogg is the fearsome dragon that gnaws on the Niflheim root of Yggdrasil and feeds on the souls of the dead. She dwells near the boiling spring Hvergelmir. With her are the serpent brothers Goin and Moin and their father Grafvitner the Gnawing Wolf. There, too, are Grabak the Gray-Back, Grafvollud the Field Gnawer, Ofnir the Entangler, Svafnir the Sleep-Bringer, and countless others.
Niddhogg is the mother of the Corpse Tearer linnorms in Niflheim which bedevil the dead, and perhaps also the Viper tree species.
The ratatosks like to cause trouble between Nidhogg and Egder.
As Nidhogg gnaws away the last root of Yggdrasil, the giants and their allies will rise up against the gods. In a terrible battle called Ragnarok, they will defeat Odin, the other gods, and all the great warriors who have been living in Odin’s hall of Valhalla. At this point, Yggdrasil will collapse and the cosmos will come to an end.
On Toril, Nidhogg is known as Dendar the Night Serpent, and said to have been created from nightmares the first time a mortal creature had a dream.
Sources:
Dragon Magazine #110 - "For Better or Norse: I"
Dragon Magazine #356 - "The Ecology of the Linnorm"
Legends & Lore, 2nd edition
Planes of Conflict, Liber Malevolentiae, page 45
Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (Corpse Tearer linnorms)
Monster Manual II, 3rd edition (Corpse Tearer linnorms)
Champions of Ruin, page 140-144 (Dendar the Night Serpent)
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