What is yggdrasil

We see time and time again, that knowledge is not gained without some form of personal sacrifice in Norse mythology. Yggdrasil is carried by three enormous roots, with a well located next to each of them.

The first root is located deep under the thick ice in Niflheim. It is deep below Niflheim, where the realm of Helheim is located. This is where the first root with the well called Hvergelmir is located, not much is known about this well and it could have some undiscovered benefits that only the shadows of this realm know.

Hvergelmir is sometimes referred to as the well of poison, but this well is also the source of life. It was from this well that the liquid came that created the first living being in Norse mythology. He will fly down and land on the ground next to them, and suck the blood out of all the corpses so they turn completely pale. More snakes lie under the ash Yggdrasil than any old fool imagines.

Ratatoskr is an annoying squirrel who has nothing better to do than to run up and down the tree between the dragon and the eagle on the top.

Not much is known about the eagle, but it has been described in the Prose Edda to possess knowledge of many things. Although, it is only according to Snorri Sturluson that there are both a hawk and an eagle at the top of the world tree, so this part is uncertain.

Other creatures also dwell among the branches of Yggdrasil. The stag spends its day eating the new cuttings from the tree, and the goat eats the leaves. From the udders of the goat flows endless streams of mead into a big tub in Valhalla.

They are busy throughout the day devouring the leaves from the tree. This is the well of wisdom, and it belongs to Mimir. Everyday Mimir drinks from this well by using his drinking horn called Gjallarhorn. This horn has the same name as the horn used by Heimdallr, therefore, it is possible they have one each. Mimir does not keep the well for himself, he does allow others to drink from it, but for a heavy price.

Odin once drank from the well of wisdom, but he had to sacrifice his right eye as payment. But the many rivers are filled with freshwater that seeps down to nourish the roots of the many trees. Next to this well is a hall, where three female beings called Norns live, they are perceived as the personification of time.

Each morning these Norns draw water from the well, and collect the moist earth or clay around it, and pour it over the tree Yggdrasil. This is being done to keep the world tree, green and healthy.

If they fail this task, the tree will begin to rot. It is from this well the swans original from in Norse mythology. The white color is a symbol of cleanliness, pride, beauty, greatness, light, and death. It is also at this spot that the gods and goddesses have their daily meetings, and where they cast judgment.

In the late 19th century, Germans and Scandinavians acknowledged the sacred presence of trees by planting Guardian Trees in their homes. Perhaps replicating a smaller version of Yggdrasil, birch trees stood grandly on spacious yards, lots and mounds in order to bring good luck.

While we may never know if their roots connect to worlds different than ours, we can be certain that they make our world a better place, thanks to their ethereal beauty and abundant natural gifts. Read to Plant 3 award-winning inspirational fables. Each purchase plants 7 trees. Over 30, trees planted already! Follow Us Learn more about forests and climate change. Get Our Newsletter Forests, net positivity and special offers.

However, Snorri Sturluson , in his Prose Edda , holds that there are actually three wells beneath the tree, one for each of its roots. The Well of Urd is where the gods hold their daily council meetings. This is the root that Nidhogg chews. The third well is that of the wise being Mimir , and it and its root lie in the realm of the giants. However, some of the elements he includes may have been drawn from legitimate sources that are now lost to us.

But what about the Nine Worlds themselves? How are they arranged around Yggdrasil? The Old Norse sources never tell us — and, for that matter, they never tell us which worlds comprise the Nine in the first place. Nevertheless, there are some clues in the sources that might enable us to construct a tentative and partial schema of where some of the Nine Worlds would have been generally thought to be located. They seem to have been arranged along two axes, one vertical, the other horizontal.