Mythology Book

136 ODIN AND THE WORLD TREE

T

he Norse believed that the

universe was made up of

nine worlds, or realms, with

Yggdrasil—a towering evergreen

ash tree—at its center. According

to the “Völuspá” (“The Seeress’s

Prophecy”), an eddic poem, this tree

linked the nine worlds forming the

universe. The poem did not name

the nine worlds, but it is generally

accepted that they were Asgard,

Vanaheim, Álfheim, Jötunheim,

Midgard, Svartálfheim, Niflheim,

Muspelheim, and Hel.

Each world was home to a

different type of being. Asgard was

IN BRIEF

THEME

The Norse cosmos

SOURCES

Poetic Edda, Anonymous,

8th–11th century ce; Prose

Edda, Snorri Sturluson,

1220 ce.

SETTING

The nine worlds.

KEY FIGURES

Odin The leader of the gods.

Yggdrasil The world tree.

Nidhogg A serpent.

Ratatosk A squirrel.

Norns Three deities with

power over fate.

Valkyries Choosers of

the Slain.

Einherjar Dead warriors.

Hugin and Mumin Tw o

ravens who attend Odin.

Geri and Freki Two wolves.

Known as the Skog Tapestry,

this 13th–14th century textile was

discovered at Skog Church, Sweden,

in 1912. It is thought to represent the

Norse gods Odin, Thor, and Freyr.

the realm of the Aesir family of

gods, led by Odin. Vanaheim was

home to the Vanir family of fertility

gods; Álfheim was the home of

the light elves; Jötunheim was the

realm of the frost giants. Midgard

was the world of humans;

Svartálfaheim was inhabited by

black elves and dwarves; and

Muspelheim was the world of the

fire giants. Niflheim was a realm of

ice, freezing mists, and dead souls.

Finally, Hel was the Underworld

realm of the goddess by the same

name, who ruled over those who

had died of sickness and old age.

Navigating the worlds

Norse sources often contradicted

one another, and it remains unclear

where each of these realms was in

relation to the others. It is likely

that the Norse themselves had no

settled understanding of this.

The description of the realms as

dwelling in Yggdrasil’s roots and

branches gives little indication as

to their actual spatial positioning.

Asgard is usually considered to be

a celestial world, linked to Midgard

by the rainbow bridge Bifröst.

Álfheim was also probably a higher

realm in close proximity to Asgard.

We have no clues from the extant

sources as to the location of

Vanaheim but, because the Vanir

were associated with growth and

fertility, it may have been part

of the Underworld. As its name

implies, Midgard (meaning “Middle

US_134-139_Odin.indd 136 30/11/17 4:56 pm

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 the

See also: Creation of the universe 130–33 ■ War of the gods 140–41 ■ The death

of Baldur 148–49 ■ The twilight of the gods 150–57

third, 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 Edda

US_134-139_Odin.indd 137 30/11/17 4:56 pm