Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil (Old Norse: Yggdrasill), also known as King Drasil (Old Norse: Konungr Drasill), is the name of the immense cosmic tree that serves as the connection between the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology. Referred to as the World Tree, Yggdrasil was said to lie at the very center of the universe, supported by three roots which extend far away into varying locations. Various creatures dwell within Yggdrasil. Upon the onset of Ragnarök, Yggdrasil will shudder and groan, ultimately crumbling as the universe meets its end.[1]
Yggdrasil and Its Structure
Yggdrasil's roots extend into three locations: Urðarbrunnr (Old Norse: “Well of Urðr”), Hvergelmir (Old Norse: “bubbling" or "boiling spring"), and Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse: “Well of Mímir"). As seen in the Poetic Edda poem, Grímnismál (Old Norse: "Sayings of Grímnir"), various creatures dwell within the World Tree, including:
Níðhöggr (Old Norse: Níðhǫggr - “Malice striker”), a massive dragon/serpent-like being that gnaws at its root(s), an unnamed eagle, and the hawk Veðrfölnir (Old Norse: “wind bleached” or “wind-witherer”), who sits between its eyes, along with the four stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Duraþrór.
The Three Norns (Old Norse: Nornir) - Urðr (Old Norse: “fate”), Verðandi (Old Norse: possibly “happening” or “present”), and Skuld (Old Norse: possibly “debt” or “future”) - attend to Yggdrasil, weaving the fates of both gods and men.
Yggdrasil Media
- Om Yggdrasil by Frølich.jpg
Yggdrasil (1895) by Lorenz Frølich
- The Sacrifice of Odin by Frølich (vector).svg
Odin sacrificing himself upon Yggdrasil (1895) by Lorenz Frølich
- The Tree of Yggdrasil.jpg
The title page of Olive Bray's 1908 translation of the Poetic Edda by W. G. Collingwood
- Die Nornen Urd, Werdanda, Skuld, unter der Welteiche Yggdrasil by Ludwig Burger.jpg
The norns Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld beneath the world tree Yggdrasil (1882) by Ludwig Burger
- Líf and Lífthrasir by Lorenz Frølich.svg
Lífþrasir and Líf after emerging from Hoddmímis holt (1895) by Lorenz Frølich
- Mysselhoj da 070407.jpg
A tree grows atop Mysselhøj, a Nordic Bronze Age burial mound in Roskilde, Denmark
