Yggdrasil, the World Tree By Simon E. Davies of Human Odyssey
In the beginning of the Norse cosmos, there existed an eternal Void, known as Ginnungagap. Out of this nothingness sprang Yggdrasil, a huge Ash tree. Its newly emerging branches held two primordial worlds; Niflheim, a world of ice & frost, and Muspellheim, a realm of molten fire.
When a spring erupted from Nifelheim (known as Hvergelmir), it created a river which crossed the void into Muspellheim. Here, the hot air scorched the freezing river creating a new world, known as Jotunheim, land of the giants.
From this bloodline of primordial beings came Odin, Vili and Ve, who despised the father of giants who ruled his people with malice and brutality. When the chance came, the brothers slew the frost giant, and from his body they created Midgard, a world of mortals. Surrounding this realm they placed a great ocean which nourished the roots of the great tree.
Yggdrasil grew ever higher, forming a new realm called Asgard, which is located on the highest branch of the world tree. This was where Odin, king of the Aesir would take his people to settle a new civilisation. It was said this race of gods brought culture and technology to the world of mortals via a great causeway called Bifrost.
Bifrost was a burning rainbow bridge, connecting Midgard (the world of mortals) with Asgard. This colourful overpass emerged from Himinbjörg, a mountain hall guarded over by the ever-vigilant Heimdall. This watchmen of the gods kept an eye on the mortals below, making sure no giants breached their homeland.
As Yggdrasil continued to grow, a new land emerged on one of its branches called Vanaheim. It was a land full of luscious forests and wild meadows. From this primal wilderness emerged a race of gods known as the Vanir. This tribal people lived near the coast, ruled by Njörðr, a seafaring god who loved wealth and magic, a trait common among his people.
A great tension broke out between the Vanir and the Aesir resulting in a long winded war. It eventually ended in a stalemate, so many of the gods sent their families as hostages to the opposing tribe to help bring them closer together. Njörðr’s son, Freyr, was placed in charge of Alfheim, homeland of the Elves. This class of god-like beings were said to be “more beautiful than the sun.”
These elves were also linked to another realm far below the Earth. Legend says a tribe from Alfheim were exiled from their homeland many eons ago, and eventually sought refuge with the dwarves of the underworld. These subterranean beings had build their homes around the roots of Yggdrasil, carving a network of labyrinths, mines and forges for their empire. They called it Niðavellir, and the elves, who skin eventually became black as night, called it Svartalfar.
All the beings of Yggdrasil, mortals, gods, dwarves and elves would eventually die, and their souls were destined for several realms. If the Aesir died valiantly in battle, they would find rest in Valhalla, for all others, Helheim was their inevitable destination. This dark and gloomy abode resided at the tip of Yggdrasil’s deepest root. This afterlife was ruled over by Loki’s daughter Hel, a strange being who was half black and half flesh-coloured, characterised by a gloomy, downcast appearance.
There are a number of sacred creatures which live within Yggdrasil. this includes the monstrous wyrm Níðhöggr who gnaws at the roots of Nifelheim, weakening the great tree of Yggdrasil. This frost dragon was also known for eating the corpses of the Nifelheim when found guilty of murder, adultery and oath-breaking.
Atop the highest branches of the world tree is perched a great eagle and his hawk companion Vedrfolnir, who sits between his eyes. The two stare deep into the Norse cosmos, perhaps representing insight and awareness.
Ratatosk is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree to carry messages between the unnamed eagle and Níðhöggr the wyrm. This mischievous critter is said to stir trouble between the all knowing eagle and the world hungry dragon.
Among the branches of the Great Ash tree live four stags known as Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. These ravenous beasts eat the branches of the World Tree, perhaps representing the four seasons. When they eat too much, winter ensues, when they are full, the leaves grow thick and lush in the midst of summer.
Perhaps the most important guardians of Yggdrasil are the three Norns (witches) who lives at the well Urd (below Midgard). Their names are Urd “past”, Verdani “present” and Skuld “future”. These three hags are the goddesses of fate, who spend most their time spinning the threads of life, deciding the fate of every human, animal and god. Every day the Norns will also carry water from Urd’s well, and pour it over Yggdrasil. The water from the well is of vital importance to keep the tree green and healthy.
It is the Norns who foretold Ragnarok, the twilight of the Gods and the fall of Yggdrasil. It is said that Ragnarok will begin when the wolf, Fenrir, son of Loki, breaks free of his imprisonment. This will lead to a chain reaction of events including the Midgard snake Jormungandr rising from the sea and a wolf (known as Skoll) devouring the sun, and his brother Hati, eating the moon, plunging the earth into darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky.
Everything will come to a head in a huge battle that draws in all the races of the nine worlds. It will conclude with Surter, king of the fire giants, setting fire to the great Yggdrasil. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish, culminating with the earth sinking deep into the abyss of the sea.
Johan Egerkrans (the Swedish artist who created Nordiska Väsen) has recently released his newest book entitled Nordiska Gudar (meaning “Norse Gods”) and it is exceptional! Please enjoy some of the artwork from within.
Thjassi, the Jotunn who had kidnapped Idunn, was killed by the Aesir while he was pursuing Loki, who had retrieved Idunn from his home. Hearing news of this, Thjassi’s daughter Skadi journeyed to Asgard. She demanded retribution for the death of her father, and threatened destruction if they did not appease her. Thjassi’s two brothers were just as mighty as he, and Skadi assured them that they would be happy to attack Asgard if the Aesir did not pay for Thjassi’s death.
The Aesir desired for peace, so they offered Skadi any amount of their gold. Skadi flatly refused, since she had more gold than all of Asgard could even comprehend. She demanded that the gods offer a more suitable gift, and because of her issue with the first offer, Skadi also demanded that they make her laugh. The gods were at a loss, when finally Loki came forward with an idea. They would give Skadi a husband from among them, and the results would be twofold; Skadi would be appeased, and she would also become an ally to Asgard. It was a brilliant plan, and the gods immediately offered Skadi a husband.
Skadi agreed readily, and announced that she chose Baldr, most handsome of all the Aesir and son of Odin. The gods quickly stipulated that this was not how her husband would be chosen. Each of the male gods was to stand behind a screen, and Skadi would choose her husband by his feet. If she chose Baldr’s feet, then the god would indeed be hers.
Skadi located the most beautiful feet among those assembled, assuming they belonged to Baldr, and declared that this was to be her husband. It was revealed that the feet belonged to the Vanir hostage Njordr, father of Freya and Freyr. Njordr was a god of the sea, and spent most of his time by the ocean. As a result, his feet were smooth and beautiful.
A wedding ceremony was held, and during the subsequent feast, Loki had a goat brought into the hall, along with a rope. One end of the rope was tied to the goat’s beard. Then Loki removed his clothes and tied the other end of the rope to his testicles. The goat proceeded to leap about, yanking Loki around the room howling in pain. Loki fell into Skadi’s lap, and Skadi laughed at his antics. Thus Loki had fulfilled the agreement to make Skadi laugh.
Odin also thrust Thjassi’s eyes into the sky, where they became two stars. Skadi was satisfied, because this was an honour to her father. Skadi gained status as one of the gods, and she was appealed to by those in Midgard as goddess of the hunt, for her skill with bow and arrow. She was also appealed to for help in winter with skis, sleighs, and snow shoes, and also with mountains.
The success in appeasing Skadi and gaining her as an ally was due mostly to Loki’s craftiness, and also his willingness to endure great pain for the benefit of Asgard.
The Jotunn were the chief enemies of the gods, but it was, for the most part, in a political sense. Jotunn are often characterised as vicious beasts on a rampage, whose destruction is celebrated as a noble deed. The distinction between god and Jotunn was not so black and white.
Jotunn were, in fact, very similar to the Aesir themselves. Some possessed great strength, some magical powers, and some intellect. Some favoured a more hostile approach to dealing with the gods, some simply kept to themselves, and others were hospitable and even helpful to the Aesir. Attitudes varied depending on the individual, and depending on how the gods had treated him in the past. The only real difference between Jotunn and god seemed to be in appearance. Some Jotunn looked just like the gods, and could be described as beautiful, but most often Jotunn were described as ugly, dirty, and monstrous in appearance. Some had extra limbs, or even multiple heads.
Appearance seemed to vary a great deal between one Jotunn and another, but a displeasing appearance was fairly common, and while a fair appearance would often endear a Jotunn to the gods, a monstrous one would invite hostility. Disagreements between Jotunn and Aesir as a whole seemed to be, most often, individuals squabbling over resources. There was a deeper underlying hatred though, that persisted throughout time despite dealings with completely pleasant Jotunn. There were indeed many wicked Jotunn, and unfortunately it may have been they that gained the hatred of the Aesir for their entire race.
Loki was a Jotunn who had been invited to live in Asgard, and he was described as one of the beautiful Jotunn, similar in appearance to the gods. But Loki was not the only Jotunn whom they valued. The Jotunn Skadi also became one of the Aesir, and married with the Vanir Njordr. Freyr fell hopelessly in love with the Jotunn Gerdr, and essentially blackmailed her into marrying him. Thor himself was born by Odin and the Jotunn called Jord. Odin produced many other children by various Jotunn mistresses. Thor also took a Jotunn mistress at one point, Jarnsaxa, and by her produced his son Magni, who famously rescued Thor when he had been trapped under a fallen Jotunn’s foot. The Jotunn Gridr, mother of Vidarr, housed Thor and Loki when they were travelling past her home, and helped equip Thor for a battle he had been tricked into attending without any weapons or armour.
Many considerations of Loki’s heritage as a Jotunn conclude that Loki is inherently evil because of his race. Such an assumption is often made because Loki’s motives behind his rampant mischievousness are often difficult to understand (this will be addressed in detail in a later post), and it is much easier to simply decide he is evil because he is Jotunn. This, however, makes very little sense. Thor, the champion of the gods, was also born of a Jotunn mother. It is better to realise that all individuals, be they Aesir, Vanir, Jotunn, Alf, Dvergue, or something in between, choose their own lives, and cannot be judged based on race.
So, I’d been thinking about getting an aquarium again for a while. Yesterday, an offer popped up on facebook that was too good to pass up. Naturally, I was like, “Hey Njordr, is this you again?”
I brought it home tonight. In the process of setting it up now. And look what I just noticed on this decoration:
Master of the seas, and father of Freyr and Freyja, Njörðr is fated to be one of the few older gods to survive Ragnarök, at which time he will return to his home among the Vanir. Njörðr is often characterized in the Lore as being one of the more gentle-hearted gods. Known for his wisdom and generosity, Njörðr is often given titles like “Fisherman’s friend”, “God of chariots”, “Prince of men”, “The giving god”, and “One Without Malice”.
I found it smeared on a window this morning by the macaques I work with -in order vertically downward: Tiwaz Uruz Laguz
Sowilo was alone on a different window and was actually the one I saw first.
It’s been puzzling me all day, so any insight would be welcome.
P.S. The monkeys do not typically scrawl runes on their windows.
Update: it MIGHT be refering to a type of fish curry… Suspicious of Njordr who previously wrote a norse word herring in the clouds. At least he’s clear about wanting attention and has a unique way of getting it. Guess I’ll have to learn to cook fish curry this weekend.
