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In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil (Old Norse Yggdrasill, IPA: [ˈyɡˌdrasilː]; the extra -l is a nominative case marker) is the World Tree, a great ash tree located at the center of the universe and joining the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age The nominative case is a Grammatical case for a Noun, which generally marks the subject of a Verb, as opposed to its object or other The World Tree is a Motif present in several religions and mythologies particularly Indo-European religions The world tree is represented as a colossal An ash can be any of four different tree genera from four very distinct families; most commonly in a combined form (e In Norse Cosmology the World Tree Yggdrasil unifies nine worlds ( Old Norse: níu heimar) that represent all that exists The trunk of the tree may be thought of as forming a vertical axis around which these worlds are situated, with Ásgard, realm of the gods, at the top and the Hel, located in Niflheim, at the bottom. This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel, the location shares a name with Hel, a female figure associated with the location Niflheimr or Niflheim (" Mist Home" the "Abode of Mist" or "Mist World" Nifl being cognate with the Old English Midgard, our world that is inhabited by humans, is located in the middle and surrounded by Jötunheim, land of Jötunn, both of which are separated by the ocean. Midgard (an Anglicized form of Old Norse Miðgarðr) is an old Germanic name for our World, the places inhabited by humans, Jötunheimr (often anglicized Jotunheim) is the world ( Heim 'home homeland' of the Jötunn (two types rock (or hill giants and frost (or A jötunn, sometimes anglicized as jotun (pronounced yotun is a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength Yggdrasil is also sometimes referred to as Mimameid or Laerad.
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Etymology and alternative names
The most commonly accepted etymology of the name is ygg "terrible" + drasil "steed". While the name means the "terrible steed", it is usually taken to mean the "steed of the terrible one", with Yggr the epithet of the god Odin. Odin ( Old Norse Óðinn the chief god of Norse mythology, was referred to by more than 200 names in the Skaldic and Eddic traditions Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In other words, Odin's horse, referring to the nine nights he is said to have spent hanging from the tree, or "riding the gallows", in order to acquire knowledge of the runes.
The gallows are sometimes described in Old Norse poetry as the "horse of the hanged. Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century (see Eggjum stone) to as late as the far " In the case of "terrible steed", the association with Odin may be secondary, and any number of riders possible. A third interpretation, with etymological difficulties, is "yew-column", associating the tree with the Eihwaz rune ᛇ. Eiwaz or Eihaz (reconstructed *īhaz / *ēhaz or *īwaz / *ēwaz) was a Proto-Germanic word for " yew "
Fjölsvinnsmál, a poem in the Poetic Edda, refers to the World Tree as Mimameid (Old Norse: Mímameiðr, "Mímir's tree" ). Fjölsvinnsmál or The Sayings of Fjölsvinnr is the second of two Old Norse poems commonly published under the title Svipdagsmál The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Mímir ( Old Norse "The rememberer the wise one" or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology renowned for his knowledge and wisdom who is beheaded The tree is also probably identical to Laerad (Old Norse: Læraðr) a tree whose leaves and branches reach down to the roof of Valhalla and provide food for the goat Heidrun (Old Norse: Heiðrún) and the stag Eikthyrnir (Old Norse: Eikþyrnir). Læraðr is a tree in Norse mythology, often identified with Yggdrasill. See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the slain" is a majestic enormous Heiðrún is a Goat in Norse mythology, which produces Mead for the Einherjar. Eikþyrnir ( Old Norse "oak-thorny" is a stag which stands upon Valhalla in Norse mythology.
Attestation
Poetic Edda
Völuspá
Yggdrasil features prominently in Völuspá, the first poem of the Poetic Edda. Völuspá ( Prophecy of the Völva) is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. In stanza 2, the völva (or seeress) who advises Odin, recalls her own ancient past when the universe was young. A Völva (also Vala, Spákona) is a priestess in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology. Yggdrasil 'the glorious Mjötviðr' was still a seedling 'before the ground below' existed. The name mjöt-viðr means the 'wood of proper measure', describing the harmony of the living universe, where every feature has its proper amount.
In stanza 19, the völva provides a description of the tree:
- "I know that an ash-tree stands called Yggdrasill,
- a high tree, soaked with shining loam;
- from there come the dews which fall in the valley,
- ever green, it stands over the well of fate. Loam is Soil composed of Sand, Silt, and Clay in relatively even concentration (about 40-40-20% concentration respectively considered Wyrd is a concept in Old English and Old Norse culture roughly corresponding to fate or Karma. "[1]
In stanza 20 she recounts the appearance of the three Norns. The Norns ( Old Norse: norn, plural nornir) are a kind of Dísir, numerous female beings who rule the fates of the various races of Norse
Stanza 27 is more obscure, with the first two lines of the verse indicating a connection with Heimdall:
- "She knows that Heimdall's hearing is hidden
- under the radiant, sacred tree;"[1]
Scholars including John Lindow[2] and Carolyne Larrington[1] have suggested that Heimdall may have sacrificed one of his ears in return for his heightened power of hearing (according to Gylfaginning he can hear grass growing on the earth or wool on the backs of sheep), depositing it in the well in much the same manner that Odin pledged an eye to the Well of Mimir in return for knowledge and wisdom. Heimdall ( Old Norse Heimdallr, the prefix Heim- means home, the affix -dallr is of uncertain origin is one of the Æsir Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi (c 20000 words is the first part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda after Mímir's Well ( Old Norse Mímisbrunnr) is one of three wells at the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil in Norse mythology Indeed, the völva refers to this Odinic sacrifice in the second half of the stanza and in stanza 28.
Finally, in stanza 47 the seeress foretells that Yggdrasil will tremble and groan during Ragnarök, the final conflict between the gods and giants. In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold Although we are not specifically told if the tree survives the fiery conflagration of Surtr, the rebirth of the world and a new generation of gods and men are positive indications. For the moon of Saturn named after Surtr see Surtur (moon. In Norse mythology, Surtr ( Old Norse "black"
John Lindow explains how Gro Steinsland's analysis of Völuspá and the emphasis on Yggdrasil throughout the poem shows that the tree brought not only spatial unity but also chronological unity, from its presence in seed in the past (stanza 2), as a place of sacrifice and assembly in the present (27), as a symbol of the demise of the cosmos (47), and finally as a symbol of the new world represented in the wooden lots chosen by the god Hoenir for runic divination with a prophetic eye to the future (63). In Norse mythology, Hœnir is one of the Æsir. In Ynglinga saga, along with Mímir, he went to the Vanir as a hostage Divination (from Latin divinare "to be inspired by a god" related to Divine, Diva and Deus) is the attempt of ascertaining [2]
Hávamál
According to the poem Hávamál, Óðinn paradoxically hangs himself from a tree (usually taken to be Yggdrasil although it is not explicitly identified as such) as a human sacrifice to himself, who remains alive as a divinity. Hávamál (" Sayings of the high one " is presented as a single poem in the Poetic Edda. He suffers the pain and hardship of this transcendent consciousness for nine nights, in order to acquire knowledge of the runes.
- 138.
- "I know that I hung on a windy tree
- nine long nights,
- wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
- myself to myself,
- on that tree of which no man knows
- from where its roots run. "
- 139.
- "No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn,
- downwards I peered;
- I took up the runes, screaming I took them,
- then I fell back from there. "[1]
Here name for the World Tree, Ygg-drasill, means the 'terrible steed'. Relating to the shamans of the Saami, a person can send out their Hugr ('soul', 'mindforce', or 'consciousness') to travel via the Tree from one world to another. To contemplate the entirety of all worlds and transcend them to peer out across the infinite nothingness of Ginnungagap, awakens existential power. Óðinn 'rides' the Tree to reach a trance-like experience that transcends the worlds of life and death, to achieve the power over reality in the form of written language.
Grímnismál
The poem Grímnismál has much to say concerning Yggdrasil. Grímnismál ( Sayings of Grímnir) is one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda. According to stanzas 25 and 26, the goat Heidrun stands atop the roof of Valhalla and feeds from the leaves and branches of the tree. Heiðrún is a Goat in Norse mythology, which produces Mead for the Einherjar. See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the slain" is a majestic enormous From her udder flows an endless supply of mead for the einherjar. Mead (ˈmiːd is a fermented Alcoholic beverage made of Honey, Water, and Yeast. In Norse religion, the Einherjar ( Old Norse "lone fighters" are spirits of warriors who had died bravely in battle. Likewise, the stag Eikthyrnir also feeds from the tree atop the roof of the hall, and from his antlers water drips into the wellspring Hvergelmir, located in Niflheim and from which all rivers flow. Eikþyrnir ( Old Norse "oak-thorny" is a stag which stands upon Valhalla in Norse mythology. Hvergelmir ( Old Norse "bubbling boiling spring" is the wellspring of cold in Niflheim in Norse mythology. Niflheimr or Niflheim (" Mist Home" the "Abode of Mist" or "Mist World" Nifl being cognate with the Old English In both stanzas the tree is called Laerad but is often identified with the World Tree. Læraðr is a tree in Norse mythology, often identified with Yggdrasill. Both share similar locations relative to the hall of Odin, both are associated with animals who derive nourishment from its foliage, and Hvergelmir as well shares a connection with both trees. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis.
Stanzas 29 to 35 provide further details. Each day the gods ride to Yggdrasil to hold court and pronounce judgments. A court is a forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour administrative and criminal Justice under its The three roots of the tree grow in three separate directions, the first into Hel, the second among the frost giants (whose realm is not named but presumably is Jotunheim), and the third among humans or Midgard. See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel, the location shares a name with Hel, a female figure associated with the location Jötunheimr (often anglicized Jotunheim) is the world ( Heim 'home homeland' of the Jötunn (two types rock (or hill giants and frost (or Midgard (an Anglicized form of Old Norse Miðgarðr) is an old Germanic name for our World, the places inhabited by humans, In the Gylfaginning section of the Prose Edda, the third root (among mortals) is instead placed by Snorri in Asgard among the gods. Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi (c 20000 words is the first part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda after The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal The stanzas also mention yet more creatures that populate the tree, including four stags that gnaw the highest boughs, named Dain, Dvalin, Duneyr and Durathror, as well as a horde of serpents:
- 34. In Norse mythology, four stags or harts (male Red Deer) eat among the branches of the World Tree Yggdrasill.
- "More serpents lie under the ash of Yggdrasill
- than any fool can imagine:
- Goin and Moin, they are Grafvitnir's sons,
- Grabak and Grafvollud,
- Ofnir and Svafnir I think forever will
- bite on the tree's branches. "[1]
In addition, an eagle sits perched above while the dragon Nidhogg rends the tree from beneath, and serving the role of a messenger bearing spiteful words between the two is a squirrel named Ratatosk who must run up and down the length of the trunk which is gradually rotting. In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr ( Malice Striker, often anglicized Nidhogg) is a dragon who eats the roots of the World Tree In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr ( drilling tooth, sometimes anglicized Ratatosk) is a Red squirrel who runs up and down with messages in the "The ash of Yggdrasil suffers agony more than men know", and yet according to stanza 44 it is still the "noblest of trees. "
Fjölsvinnsmál
Fjölsvinnsmál, forming the second part of the poem Svipdagsmál, twice mentions a tree called Mimameid ("Mimir's Tree") which is usually considered identical to Yggdrasil due to Mímir's connection with the World Tree as the keeper of one of its wellsprings. Fjölsvinnsmál or The Sayings of Fjölsvinnr is the second of two Old Norse poems commonly published under the title Svipdagsmál Svipdagsmál or The Lay of Svipdagr is an Old Norse poem a part of the Poetic Edda, comprised of two poems Mímir ( Old Norse "The rememberer the wise one" or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology renowned for his knowledge and wisdom who is beheaded According to the poem, it has mysterious roots, casts its limbs abroad over every land and is impervious to fire and iron. Its fruit when eaten by women has the power to ensure safe childbirth, and at the top of the highest bough perches a golden rooster named Víðópnir (Vidopnir). According to Fjölsvinnsmál, Víðópnir or Víðófnir is a rooster that sits at the top of Mímameiðr a tree often taken to be identical with the World
Prose Edda
Gylfaginning
In the Gylfaginning section of his Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson repeats much of the information found in the Poetic Edda but also expands upon certain ideas and uses the earlier material as the basis for his own conceptions of Yggdrasil. Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi (c 20000 words is the first part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda after The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. According to Snorri, one of its roots extends into Niflheim at the wellspring of Hvergelmir which is infested with serpents. Here the root is gnawed upon by the dragon Nidhogg. A second root extends among the frost giants "where Ginnungagap once was" at the Well of Mimir, a source of knowledge and wisdom. In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap ("magical (and creative power-filled space" was the vast primordial void that was omnipresent and omnipotent and pervaded all existence Mímir's Well ( Old Norse Mímisbrunnr) is one of three wells at the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil in Norse mythology The third reaches into Asgard among the gods (in the Poetic Edda this root instead extends into Midgard among mortals), and here is located the Well of Urd, a holy place where the gods hold their court. Wyrd is a concept in Old English and Old Norse culture roughly corresponding to fate or Karma. Each day they ride there across Bifröst the rainbow bridge with the exception of Thor who walks. Bifröst ( Old Norse bifrǫst, literally the "tremulous way" from bifask "to tremble" and rǫst "a distance" in
Also located under the ash by Urd's well is the hall of the Norns who sustain the tree using water from the well. The Norns ( Old Norse: norn, plural nornir) are a kind of Dísir, numerous female beings who rule the fates of the various races of Norse They mix the water with the mud that lies around the well (forming a curative poultice) and pour it over the tree so that its branches may not decay or rot, and to regenerate it from the wounds caused by the various animals and monsters that feed from it. A poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass often heated and medicated that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching inflamed, or Painful There are also two swans that drink from the well, and this water is so pure that all things that touch it are turned white, including this first pair of swans and all those descended from them, as well as the "white mud" or "shining loam" used by the Norns. Yggdrasil is also said to be the source of honeydew that falls to the earth and from which bees feed. Honeydew is a Sugar -rich sticky substance secreted by Aphids and some Scale insects as they feed on Plant sap.
Other ideas borrowed by Snorri from the Poetic Edda include the eagle which sits perched at the top of the tree, which he expands on. This eagle, who is not named, is said to have knowledge of many things, and on its head sits a hawk called Vedrfolnir. In Norse mythology, Veðrfölnir ("the one bleached by the weather" or Veðrlaufnir is the name of a hawk sitting between the eyes of an eagle in the crown The significance of this hawk is unclear but John Lindow suggests that it may represent a higher faculty of wisdom, possibly sent out to acquire knowledge in a similar manner as Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin. Huginn and Muninn, sometimes anglicised Hugin and Munin, are a pair of Ravens associated with the Norse god Odin. [2]
Ragnarök
Yggdrasil is also central in the myth of Ragnarök, the end of the world. In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold Eschatology (from the Greek, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of" is a part of Theology The only two humans to survive Ragnarök (there are some survivors among the gods), Lif and Lifthrasir, are able to escape by sheltering in the branches of Yggdrasil, where they feed on the dew and are protected by the tree. Divided between the Æsir and the Vanir, and sometimes including the jötnar (giants the dividing line between these groups is less In Norse mythology, Líf and Lífthrasir ( ON: Líf ok Lífþrasir) (both relating to the word "Life" are the last human man and woman
Germanic veneration of trees
Yggdrasil apparently had smaller counterparts as the Sacred tree at Uppsala, the enormous evergreen of unknown species that stood at the Temple at Uppsala and Irminsul, which was an oak venerated by the pagan Saxons and which was said to connect heaven and earth. The Sacred tree at Uppsala was a sacred tree located at the Temple at Uppsala, Sweden, in the second half of the 11th century. The Temple at Uppsala was a religious site in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala near modern Uppsala, Sweden, that was created to worship the Norse gods An Irminsul ( Old Saxon, probably "great/mighty pillar" or "arising pillar" was a kind of Pillar which is attested as playing an important role The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Genus Quercus (from Latin The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. The Old Norse form of Irmin was Jörmun and just like Ygg, it was one of Odin's names. Irminsul may have been representing a world tree corresponding to Yggdrasil among the pagan Saxons.
Germanic cultural fondness for tree symbolism appears to have been widespread, with other patron trees such as Thor's Oak appearing in surviving accounts (8th century) and Ahmad ibn Fadlan's account of his encounter with the Scandinavian Rus tribe in the early 10th century, describing them as tattooed from "fingernails to neck" with dark blue "tree patterns. Thor's Oak was an ancient tree sacred to the Germanic tribe of the Chatti, ancestors of the Hessians and one of the most important sacred sites of the Pagan The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Ahmad Ibn Fadlān ibn al-Abbās ibn Rašīd ibn Hammād (أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن رشيد بن حماد was a 10th century Arab Muslim Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Rus’ (Русь rusʲ Русичи Русы are an ancient people whose name survives in the cognates Russians, Rusyns, and Ruthenians "
Germanic sacrifices
The Germanic custom of hanging sacrificial victims from trees was probably in reference to this myth (see also Human sacrifice, Tyr, Blót). Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing The blót ( Old Norse plural same as singular refers to Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and Elves. In 1950, the preserved corpse of the so-called "Tollund Man" was found in a peat bog in Jutland. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Tollund Man is the naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the time period characterised in Scandinavia as the A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also This article is about the region of Denmark. For the World War I naval battle see Battle of Jutland. The excellent level of preservation made it possible to deduce that he had been ritually hanged and respectfully consigned to the bog, not more than a hundred yards from where a ritually hanged woman had been found some decades previously.
References
See also
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