YGGDRASIL: NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Norse Mythology - body of myths of the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Norse paganism
and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia. The mythology encompasses a wide range of
tales and characters, primarily from the Icelandic sagas and poetry, with significant sources including
the "Poetic Edda" and the "Prose Edda."

Yggdrasil

-central to Norse Mythology

-the World Tree

-a cosmic tree which connects the nine worlds

Ragnarok

-a prophesied apocalypse

-the battle of gods and giants

-often referred to as the “Twilight of the Gods”

-the foretold apocalyptic event in Norse Mythology

Ginnungagap – a dark vast emptiness; great void or chaos

Niflheim & Muspelheim – the first two realms

Ymir – a primordial giant grew from the melted ice of NIflheim

Audhumbla – a cow, just like Ymir grew from the melted ice

Buri – the first of the Aesir tribe of gods; grew from the salt-licks in the ice by the cow, Audhumbla

Bor – son of Buri

Bestla – wife of Bor. daughter of the giant, Bolthorn

Odin, Vili and Ve – sons of Bor & Bestla who killed Ymir and created the world; half-god & half-giant

Bergelmir & his wife – the giants who have survived after Ymir was being killed; all future giants are
descended from them

Ymir’s remains:

Blood – oceans, rivers & lakes Hair – grass & trees

Flesh – land Eyebrows – used to fence in Midgard

Bones – mountains Eyelashes – they made Midgard (home of the humans)

Brain – clouds Skull – sky

Teeth – rocks

Sparks shooting from Muspelheim – stars

Yggdrasil – believed to grew from the body of Ymir

Dwarves – created from the worms kept crawling out of the rotting remains of Ymir

The four dwarves: (was created to hold up the sky}

Nordi – North Vestri – West Sundri – South Austri – East

Creation of Sun & Moon

Mundilfari – father of Mani & Sol; from Midgard

Mani – the moon; pulled by one horse, Aldsvider

Bil & Yuki – two children that Mani stole from Midgard to help him drive his chariot

Sol – the sun; pulled by two horses

Svalin – the shield under Sol’s chariot that protects the earth from the flames

Creation of Day & Night

Nörvi – a giant; father of Nótt” Night”

Nótt - had a son Dagr “Day”; both are riding chariots pulled by horses followed by the two wolves,
Sköll and Hati, which makes this part a bit confusing since there are multiple and conflicting sagas
about this part in Norse mythology.

The first humans from the two logs

Ask – from an Ash tree

Embla – from an Elm tree

Yggdrasil - an ash tree known to be supported the universe; had three roots & six branches. The
three roots had three springs supplied it with water; Every day, the gods convene someplace by its
base to talk and discuss any important matters; generally accepted meaning of ‘Yggdrasil’ is “Odin’s
horse”

The Three Roots

Asgard – home of the Aesir gods

Jotunheim – home of the giants

Niflheim – realm of ice & mist

The Three Wells

1. Urdarbrunnr - ‘The Well of Urd’ connected to Asgard; meeting place of the Norns

The three Norns

Skuld – Future Verdandi – Present Urd – Past

2. Mimisbrunnr – “Well of Wisdom”; located in Jotunheim; ruled by Mimir (god of wisdom)

3. Hvergelmir - “Roaring Cauldron”; located in NIflheim; Nidhogg the dragon, dwells in here

The Six Branches

Vanaheim - The realm of the Vanir gods

Midgard - The realm of humans, often depicted as being in the middle of the cosmos.

Muspelheim - The realm of fire and heat; described as being located in the southern part of the
cosmos.

Alfheim – realm of bright elves

Svartalfheim – realm of the dwarves

Helheim – realm of those who died in sickness

Hoddmimis holt, Mimamidr, and Laeraor – other names given to Yggdrasil

Other inhabitants of Yggdrasil

Nidhoggr – a fearsone dragon; dwells at the very roots of Yggdrasil; gnaws the roots of the tree;
symbolizing decay and destruction

Ratatoskr - mischievous squirrel serves as a messenger and gossipmonger

Eagle - an unnamed eagle that keeps a watchful eye over the realms (a symbol of wisdom and
perspective}

Vedrfolnir – sits between the eagle’s eyes; a hawk that serves as a messenger and observer.

Eikthyrnir – a majestic stag; grazes at the upper branches of Yggdrasil

Heidrun -a mystical goat whose udders produce an endless supply of mead (this mead is destined for
the fallen warriors in Valhalla, providing them with sustenance in the afterlife)

Four other stags—Durathror, Dainn, Duneyrr, and Dvalinn—in the lower leaves of Yggdrasil

The Nine Realms

1.Asgard – Realm of the Aesir; ruled by Odin; located in the sky connected to Midgard through a
rainbow bridge “Bifrost”

Valhalla – hall of the slain; an enormous feasting hall ruled over by Odin for those who have died in
combat

2.Alfheim – Realm of the Bright Elves; ruled over by the Vanir goddess Freyr; not far from Asgard and
Vanaheim; bright, beautiful, and luminous beings inspired the arts, music, and creativity in general;
thought to be quite enchanting; magical elves were described as ‘more beautiful than the sun’; They
are loved, but at the same time, many fear their powers and magic.

3.Helheim - Realm of those who died of illness or old age and then of most people.; ruled by Hel
(queen of the dead); guarded by Garmr, a black hound – chained up in Gnipahellir (a cave at the
entrance to the land of the dead)

4.Jotunheim - Realm of the Giants and Frost Giants; jötunn—non-human, non-divine creatures such
as giants and trolls

5.Midgard - Realm of the Humans; also known as “Middle-earth,”; Midgard sat beneath Ásgard; An
enormous fence created by the gods protected Midgard
6.Muspelheim – Realm of Fire; defined by fire, lava, and volcanic landscapes; ruled by Surtr (fire
giant)

7. Svartalfheim - Realm of the Dwarves; located deep beneath Midgard; the home of the forge-
welding dwarves, skilled craftsmen who created some of the most powerful and famous items in
Norse mythology including; Thor’s hammer (Mjollnir) Odin’s spear (Gungnir) Odin’s magical gold ring
(Draupnir).

8. Niflheim - Realm of Ice, Snow, and Mist; was such a cold place that no one was said to live there.

9. Vanaheim - Realm of the Vanir; Its location and description remain a mystery; the Vanir gods were
associated with fertility, nature and magic, so one might presume the world might have been light
and fertile. After the Æsir-Vanir War concluded, three gods from Vanaheim (Njörðr, Freyr and Freya)
went to live in Ásgard as hostages.

The Æsir – associated with weapons and plain combat; the Æsir resided in Ásgard, a celestial fortified
realm surrounded by a great wall.

The Vanir - The Vanir called Vanaheim their home. In contrast to the more war-mongering Æsir, the
Vanir were closely associated with fertility, prosperity, wealth and commerce. They consisted of three
major gods. Njörðr, the god of the seas, lived in Vanaheim with his two children, Freya and Freyr.

Gods & Goddesses

1, Odin - was the King of the Æsir clan and known as 'the father of all gods'; who rode a flying eight-
legged horse called (Sleipnir) accompanied by two wolves and two ravens, wielding (Gungnir) his
long spear He was often depicted as a one-eyed, bearded old man wearing a hat and a cloak; married
to the goddess Frigg; ‘Wednesday’ as the word comes from ‘Woden’ a variation of Odin’s name.

2. Frigg - wife of Odin, the Queen of the Æsir; Worshipped as the goddess of the sky; Frigg was
associated with wisdom, marriage, family and fertility. She was also blessed with the power of
divination. The name of our final working day of the week ‘Friday’ stems from her name.

3. Thor - god of thunder and lightning; who wielded the Mjölnir (a devastatingly powerful hammer
that could slay giants and smash mountains); he was the son of Odin; often regarded as the
strongest of all the Norse deities since he was tasked with safeguarding Asgard. ‘Thursday’, as the
word stems from Old Norse meaning ‘Thor’s Day’.

4. Loki - he was considered a ‘blood brother’ of Odin who lived amongst the Æsir; known as the
trickster god, equipped with the ability to shapeshift into a multitude of different forms; depicted as
more mischievous than pure evil. He was the chief engineer behind the death of the god Balder,
carving an arrow out of his only weakness, mistletoe.

5. Freya - goddess of fate, love, beauty, gold, war and fertility; a member of the Vanir and ruled over
the heavenly meadow of Fólkvangr (where half of all those who died in combat would go); owned a
torc or necklace known as the Brísingamen, as well as a cloak made of falcon feathers; practised
Seidr (a form of magic that gifted her with the ability to control and manipulate the desires and
prosperity of others)
6. Balder - son of Odin and half-brother to Thor; god of light and purity; described as a fair, kind and
handsome god; Often praised by others for his mercifulness, Balder was the epitome of all things
wise and good. However, he is most famous for his demise. Although it was believed he was
immortal, he had been prophesied to die. To prevent this from happening his mother Frigg visited
every entity in the cosmos to secure an oath from them that they wouldn't harm her son.

7. Hel - daughter of Loki; presided over the Norse underworld, a place where all those Vikings who
didn’t die in battle went. Half of her body was flesh and blood, the other half was just bones. It was
said that within the underworld she was more powerful than Odin himself, a belief that was
reinforced when she held the final say on what happened to Balder’s soul after he was slain.

8. Týr - One of the oldest deities in Norse mythology; Týr was the god of war and bloodshed.
Represented as a heroic and brave fighter, Týr was the patron of warriors and mythical heroes, also
the god of justice and order; belonged to the Æsir. It’s believed Týr was the son of either Odin or a
giant named Hymir. Our knowledge about him is somewhat limited and he’s most remembered for
having one of his hands bitten off by the fearsome giant wolf called Fenrir; the word ‘Tuesday’ (‘Týr’s
day’).

9. Njörðr - belonged to the Vanir; Njörðr was the ruler of the Vanir, however, he’s often presented in
a leadership role; was the god of the seas and everything associated with it – fishing, wind, coasts,
seafaring, as well as wealth. Njörðr lived with his two children, Freya and Freyr, both born from a
relationship he had with his sister, Nerthus. It was Njörðr who brokered the peace that ended the
animosity between the Æsir and the Vanir. Njörðr went to Ásgard to secure a truce.

10. Freyr - Son of Njörðr and brother to Freya, Freyr was closely linked with peace and good harvests;
often linked with bountiful harvests and years of peace. Freyr was also the god of fertility and growth
and symbolically tied to the image of the phallus. He too died in battle during the events of
Ragnarök.

11. Heimdall - A child of Odin, Heimdall kept watch over the Nine Realms of Norse mythology. With a
keen sense of sight and hearing, Heimdall resided in a castle in the sky that sat on the Bifrost, the
magical rainbow bridge that connected Ásgard with Midgard, the world of humans. Wielding a horn
known as the Gjallarhorn, Heimdall blew it before the events of Ragnarök, calling all the gods
together for the final epic battle.

12. Hermóðr - Another son of Odin, Hermóðr was known as a messenger of the gods, gifted with
speed; Upon the surprise death of his brother Balder, brought about by Loki’s mischievous antics,
Hermóðr was the chosen god to ride Odin’s eight-legged horse down to the underworld and plead
with the goddess Hel for Balder’s return. Although Hel agreed, she did so on one condition. Every
creature, dead or alive, should weep for Balder. Hermóðr returned to the Æsir with the message.
Everyone wept, except one giant (possibly Loki in disguise) thereby forever sealing Balder’s fate to
the underworld.