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Yggdrasill
Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in the ''Prose Edda'' compiled in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree that is central to the cosmos and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble at their traditional governing assemblies, called things. The branches of Yggdrasil extend far into the heavens, and the tree is supported by three roots that extend far away into other locations; one to the well Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. Creatures live within Yggdrasil, including the dragon Níðhöggr, an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. Scholars generally consider ''Hoddmímis holt'', ''Mímameiðr'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Læraðr
Læraðr is a tree in Norse mythology, often identified with Yggdrasill. It stands at the top of the Valhöll. Two animals, the goat Heiðrún and the hart Eikþyrnir, graze its foliage. Etymology The meaning of Læraðr / Léraðr is unclear. One of the meanings of ''læ'' is "harm", "betrayal". A possible translation of Læraðr could therefore be "arranger of betrayal", which would relate to Yggdrasill as the place of Odin's self-sacrifice. Another reading is sometimes suggested, *hléradr, whose first component means "shelter" and which could thus be rendered as "giver of protection". Attestations ''Poetic Edda'' Læraðr is mentioned in two stanzas of the ''Grímnismál'': :Heidrûn the goat is called, :that stands o’er Odin’s hall, :and bits from Lærâd’s branches. :He a bowl shall fill :with the bright mead; :that drink shall never fail. :Eikthyrnir the hart is called, :that stands o’er Odin’s hall, :and bites from Lærâd’s branches; :from his horns fall :dr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr And Duraþrór
In Norse mythology, four stags or harts (male red deer) eat among the branches of the World Tree Yggdrasill. According to the Poetic Edda, the stags crane their necks upward to chomp at the branches. The morning dew gathers in their horns and forms the rivers of the world. Their names are given as Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. An amount of speculation exists regarding the deer and their potential symbolic value. Primary sources The poem ''Grímnismál'', a part of the Poetic Edda, is the only extant piece of Old Norse poetry to mention the stags. 1967 W. H. Auden & P. B. Taylor in ''The Elder Edda'': The second line is enigmatic. The word ''á'' is hard to explain in context and is sometimes omitted from editions. The word ''hæfingar'' is of uncertain meaning. Finnur Jónsson conjecturally translated it as "shoots". English translators have translated it as "the highest shoots" (Hollander), "summits" (Thorpe), "the highest twigs" (Bellows), "the high boughs" (Taylor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Níðhöggr
In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr (''Malice Striker'', in Old Norse traditionally also spelled Níðhǫggr , often anglicized NidhoggWhile the suffix of the name, ''-höggr'', clearly means "striker" the prefix is not as clear. In particular, the length of the first vowel is not determined in the original sources. Some scholars prefer the reading Niðhöggr (''Striker in the Dark'').) is a dragon who gnaws at a root of the world tree, Yggdrasil. In historical Viking society, níð was a term for a social stigma, implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. Thus, its name might refer to its role as a terrible monster in its action of chewing the corpses of the inhabitants of Náströnd: those guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking. Orthography In the standardized Old Norse orthography, the name is spelled ', but the letter ' is frequently replaced with the Modern Icelandic ' for reasons of familiarity or technical expediency. The name can be represented in E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norns (1832) From Die Helden Und Götter Des Nordens, Oder Das Buch Der Sagen
The Norns ( non, norn , plural: ) are deities in Norse mythology responsible for Fates, shaping the course of human destinies.''Nordisk familjebok'' (1907) In the ''Völuspá'', the three primary Norns Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld draw water from Urðarbrunnr, their sacred well to nourish the Yggdrasill, tree at the center of the cosmos and prevent it from rot.The article Nornor' in ''Nordisk familjebok'' (1913). These three Norns are described as powerful maiden giantesses (Jötunn, Jotuns) whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods. The Norns are also described as maidens of Mögþrasir in the ''Vafþrúðnismál''. Beside the three Norns tending Yggdrasill, Christianization of Scandinavia, pre-Christian Scandinavians attested to Norns who visit a newborn child in order to determine the person's future. These Norns could be malevolent or benevolent: the former causing tragic events in the world while the latter were kind and protective. Etymology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hoddmímis Holt
In Norse mythology, Hoddmímis holt (Old Norse "Hoard-Mímir's"Simek (2007:154). holt) is a location where Líf and Lífþrasir are foretold to survive the long winters of Fimbulvetr. Hoddmímis holt is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Like the very similarly named Mímameiðr, scholars generally consider ''Hoddmímis holt'' to be another name for Yggdrasil and connect it to folklore recorded from continental Germanic folklore. Attestations In the poem ''Vafþrúðnismál'', collected in the ''Poetic Edda'', the god Odin poses a question to the jötunn Vafþrúðnir, asking who among mankind will survive when the winter Fimbulvetr occurs. Vafþrúðnir responds that they will be Líf and Lífþrasir, that the two will have hidden in the wood of Hoddmímis holt, they will consume the morning dew as food, and "from them generations will spring."Larri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urðarbrunnr
Urðarbrunnr (Old Norse "Well of Urðr"; either referring to a Germanic concept of fate—''urðr''—or the norn named UrðrSimek (2007:342).) is a well in Norse mythology. Urðarbrunnr is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, the well lies beneath the world tree Yggdrasil, and is associated with a trio of norns (Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld). In the ''Prose Edda'', Urðarbrunnr is cited as one of three wells existing beneath three roots of Yggdrasil that reach into three distant, different lands; the other two wells being Hvergelmir, located beneath a root in Niflheim, and Mímisbrunnr, located beneath a root near the home of the frost jötnar. Scholarly theory and speculation surrounds the well. Attestations Urðarbrunnr is attested in the following works: ''Poetic Edda'' In the ''Poetic Edda'', Urðarbrunnr is mentioned in stanz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veðrfölnir And Eagle
In Norse mythology, Veðrfölnir (Old Norse "storm pale,"Lindow (2001:312). "wind bleached",Byock (2005:26). or "wind-witherer"Orchard (1997:174).) is a hawk sitting between the eyes of an unnamed eagle that is perched on top of the world tree Yggdrasil. ''Veðrfölnir'' is sometimes modernly anglicized as Vedrfolnir, Vedurfolnir or Vetrfolnir. The unnamed eagle is attested in both the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, while Veðrfölnir is solely attested in the ''Prose Edda''. In both the ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'', the squirrel Ratatoskr carries messages between the unnamed eagle and Nidhöggr, the worm that resides below the world tree. Scholars have proposed theories about the implications of the birds. Attestations In the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''Grímnismál'', the god Odin (disguised as '' Grimnir'') says that: The eagle is again attested i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mímisbrunnr
In Norse mythology, Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse "Mímir's well"Simek (2007:216).) is a well associated with the being Mímir, located beneath the world tree Yggdrasil. Mímisbrunnr is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. The well is located beneath one of three roots of the world tree Yggdrasil, a root that passes into the Jötunheimr where the primordial plane of Ginnungagap once existed. In addition, the ''Prose Edda'' relates that the water of the well contains much wisdom, and that Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to the well in exchange for a drink. In the ''Prose Edda'', Mímisbrunnr is mentioned as one of three wells existing beneath three roots of Yggdrasil, the other two being Hvergelmir, located beneath a root in Niflheim, and Urðarbrunnr. Attestations ''Poetic Edda'' In the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''Völuspá'', a völva recounts to Odin that she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hvergelmir
In Norse mythology, Hvergelmir (Old Norse: ; "bubbling boiling spring"Orchard (1997:93)) is a major spring. Hvergelmir is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In the ''Poetic Edda'', Hvergelmir is mentioned in a single stanza, which details that it is the location where liquid from the antlers of the stag Eikþyrnir flow, and that the spring, "whence all waters rise", is the source of numerous rivers.Thorpe (1866:23). The ''Prose Edda'' repeats this information and adds that the spring is located in Niflheim, that it is one of the three major springs at the primary roots of the cosmic tree Yggdrasil (the other two are Urðarbrunnr and Mímisbrunnr), and that within the spring are a vast amount of snakes and the dragon Níðhöggr. Attestations Hvergelmir is attested in the following works: ''Poetic Edda'' Hvergelmir receives a single mention in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacred Trees And Groves In Germanic Paganism And Mythology
Trees hold a particular role in Germanic paganism and Germanic mythology, both as individuals (sacred trees) and in groups (sacred groves). The central role of trees in Germanic religion is noted in the earliest written reports about the Germanic peoples, with the Roman historian Tacitus stating that Germanic cult practices took place exclusively in groves rather than temples. Scholars consider that reverence for and rites performed at individual trees are derived from the mythological role of the world tree, Yggdrasil; onomastic and some historical evidence also connects individual deities to both groves and individual trees. After Christianisation, trees continue to play a significant role in the folk beliefs of the Germanic peoples. Terminology The pagan Germanic peoples referred to holy places by a variety of terms and many of these terms variously referred to stones, groves, and temple structures. From Proto-Germanic , a masculine noun, developed Old Norse meaning 'temple, id ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nine Worlds
Norse cosmology is the study of the cosmos (cosmology) as perceived by the ancient North Germanic peoples. The topic encompasses concepts from Norse mythology, such as notions of time and space, cosmogony, personifications, anthropogeny, and eschatology. Like other aspects of Norse mythology, these concepts are primarily recorded in the ''Poetic Edda'', a collection of poems compiled in the 13th century, and the ''Prose Edda'', authored by Icelander Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, who drew from earlier traditional sources. Together these sources depict an image of Nine Worlds around a cosmic tree, Yggdrasil. Time and space Concepts of time and space play a major role in the Old Norse corpus's presentation of Norse cosmology. While events in Norse mythology describe a somewhat linear progression, various scholars in ancient Germanic studies note that Old Norse texts may imply or directly describe a fundamental belief in cyclic time. According to scholar John Lindow, "th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacred Trees And Groves In Germanic Paganism And Mythology
Trees hold a particular role in Germanic paganism and Germanic mythology, both as individuals (sacred trees) and in groups (sacred groves). The central role of trees in Germanic religion is noted in the earliest written reports about the Germanic peoples, with the Roman historian Tacitus stating that Germanic cult practices took place exclusively in groves rather than temples. Scholars consider that reverence for and rites performed at individual trees are derived from the mythological role of the world tree, Yggdrasil; onomastic and some historical evidence also connects individual deities to both groves and individual trees. After Christianisation, trees continue to play a significant role in the folk beliefs of the Germanic peoples. Terminology The pagan Germanic peoples referred to holy places by a variety of terms and many of these terms variously referred to stones, groves, and temple structures. From Proto-Germanic , a masculine noun, developed Old Norse meaning 'temple, id ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
