EUROPE 137
World”) lay between Asgard and
the Underworld and was apparently
surrounded by an ocean. It is
unclear whether Jötunheim and
Svartálfaheim lay inside this
encircling ocean or were outside
it. In one eddic poem, the land of
the giants is separated from the
human realm only by a river.
As black elves and dwarves
lived underground, Svartálfaheim
was probably subterranean, though
not part of the Underworld, which
Niflheim and Hel both belonged to.
Hel was linked to Niflheim by
Gjallarbrú, a golden-roofed bridge
over the river Gjöll, which ran
between the two realms.Roots and skies
To complicate matters, Snorri
wrote that Yggdrasil was supported
by three enormous roots. One
reached into Asgard, another into
Jötunheim, and the third into
Niflheim. In Snorri’s account, there
was a well, or spring, beneath each
root: Urdarbrunn in Asgard; Mímir’s
Well in Jötunheim; and Hvergelmir
in Niflheim. Each well had different
properties. Urdarbrunn (the “Well of
Fate”) was where the gods met daily
to hold their law court and settle
disputes; the waters of Mímir’s
Well contained understanding and
wisdom; Hvergelmir was the source
of all the rivers of the nine worlds.
Things often came in multiples
of three in Norse myths; three and
nine, in particular, were sacred
numbers. Adding to the mystery
of the nine worlds, there were also
nine heavens. The lowest was
variously called Vindbláin (“Wind
Dark”), Heidthornir (“Cloud
Brightness), or Hréggmímir (“Storm
Mímir”). The second-lowest heaven
was Anlang (“Very Long”), and theSee also: Creation of the universe 130–33 ■ War of the gods 140–41 ■ The death
of Baldur 148–49 ■ The twilight of the gods 150–57third, Vídbláin (“Wide Dark”); these
were followed by Vídfedmir (“Wide
Embracer”), Hrjód (“Cloaker”),
Hlynir (“Double Lit”), Gimir
(“Jeweled”), and Vetmímir (“Winter-
Mímir”). Higher than all the clouds,
and beyond all the worlds, was
Skatyrnir (“Rich Wetter”). According
to Snorri Sturluson, the only
inhabitants of the heavens were the
light elves who, perhaps influenced
by his own Christian beliefs, he
saw essentially as angelic beings.
Although they came from Álfheim,
they also protected the heavens.Creatures of the tree
Yggdrasil was home to a number of
creatures that fed on it, causing the
tree constant suffering—it was
seen as being sentient in some
way. The serpent Nidhogg (“Vicious
Blow”), which lived by Hvergelmir,
constantly gnawed at Yggdrasil’s
roots. Four stags, called Dáinn,
Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Durathrór,
ran between its branches feeding
on its freshest leaves.
In the tree’s highest branches
sat a wise but unnamed eagle, ❯❯The Norns
Like the Fates of Greek
mythology, the Norns were
three female deities who
determined the fate of the
universe and every being in
it. Not even the gods could
challenge a verdict made by
the Norns, who thereby
represented the highest power
in the universe.
The Norns dwelled by
Urdarbrunn, the “Well of Fate”
that lay beneath the root of
Yggdrasil in Asgard, land of
the Aesir gods. “Völuspá,”
a poem from Snorri’s Prose
Edda, named the Norns as Urd
(“Past”), Verdandi (“Present”),
and Skuld (“Future”). They
would be present at the birth
of every child in order to shape
its life. Their art was described
as either spinning the threads
of life or engravings scored
into wood.
Belief in the Norns gave
the Norse a fatalistic outlook
that encouraged taking risks.
Nothing was to be gained by
playing it safe: you would die
at your appointed time, no
matter how far from danger
you stayed. It was far better to
die in a blaze of glory and earn
posthumous fame than to be
forgotten because of your lack
of achievements.The squirrel that
runneth on lofty
Yggdrasil, and down
to Nidhöggr bringeth
the eagle’s words,
is Ratatosk.
Poetic EddaUS_134-139_Odin.indd 137 30/11/17 4:56 pm