In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

, generally considered to mean "drill-tooth"Orchard (1997:129), Simek (2007:261), and Byock (2005:173). or "bore-tooth"Lindow (2001:259).) is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree

Yggdrasil 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 ...

to carry messages between the eagles perched atop Yggdrasil, and the serpent

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 ...

, who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree. Ratatoskr is attested in the ''

Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic med ...

'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''

Prose Edda The ''Prose Edda'', also known as the ''Younger Edda'', ''Snorri's Edda'' ( is, Snorra Edda) or, historically, simply as ''Edda'', is an Old Norse textbook written in Iceland during the early 13th century. The work is often assumed to have been t ...

'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson.

Etymology

The name ''Ratatoskr'' contains two elements: ''rata-'' and ''-toskr''. The element ''toskr'' is generally held to mean "tusk".

Guðbrandur Vigfússon Guðbrandur Vigfússon, known in English as Gudbrand Vigfusson, (13 March 1827 – 31 January 1889Jón þorkelsson, "Nekrolog över Guðbrandur Vigfússon" in ''Arkiv för nordisk filologi'', Sjätte bandet (ny följd: andra bandet), Lund, 18 ...

theorized that the ''rati-'' element means "the traveller". He says that the name of the legendary drill Rati may feature the same term. According to Vigfússon, ''Ratatoskr'' means "tusk the traveller" or "the climber tusk."Guðbrandur (1874:483).

Sophus Bugge Elseus Sophus Bugge (5 January 1833 – 8 July 1907) was a Norwegian philologist and linguist. His scholarly work was directed to the study of runic inscriptions and Norse philology. Bugge is best known for his theories and his work on the runic ...

theorized that the name ''Ratatoskr'' is a

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because t ...

from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

meaning " Rat-tooth." Bugge's basis hinges on the fact that the ''-toskr'' element of the compound does not appear anywhere else in Old Norse. Bugge proposed that the ''-toskr'' element is a reformation of the Old English word ''tūsc'' (

Old Frisian Old Frisian was a West Germanic language spoken between the 8th and 16th centuries along the North Sea coast, roughly between the mouths of the Rhine and Weser rivers. The Frisian settlers on the coast of South Jutland (today's Northern Fri ...

''tusk'') and, in turn, that the element ''Rata-'' represents Old English ''ræt'' ("rat").Sturtevant (1956:111). According to Albert Sturtevant, " sfar as the element ''Rata-'' is concerned, Bugge's hypothesis has no valid foundation in view of the fact that the ld Norseword ''Rata'' (gen. form of ''Rati''*) is used in '' Háv mál' (106, 1) to signify the instrument which Odin employed for ''boring'' his way through the rocks in quest of the poet's mead .. and that "''Rati*'' must then be considered a native ld Norseword meaning "The Borer, Gnawer" ... Sturtevant says that Bugge's theory regarding the element ''-toskr'' may appear to be supported by the fact that the word does not appear elsewhere in Old Norse. However, Sturtevant says that the Old Norse proper name ''Tunne'' (derived from

Proto-Norse Proto-Norse (also called Ancient Nordic, Ancient Scandinavian, Ancient Norse, Primitive Norse, Proto-Nordic, Proto-Scandinavian and Proto-North Germanic) was an Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia that is thought to have evolved as a ...

''*Tunþē'') refers to "a person who is characterized as having some peculiar sort of ''tooth''" and theorizes a

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...

form of ''-toskr''. Sturtevant concludes that "the fact that the ld Norseword occurs only in the name ''Rata-toskr'' is no valid evidence against this assumption, for there are many ld Norse'' hapax legomena'' of native origin, as is attested by the equivalents in the Mod rnScandinavian dialects."Sturtevant (1956:111–112). Modern scholars have accepted this etymology, listing the name ''Ratatoskr'' as meaning "drill-tooth" (Jesse Byock, Andy Orchard,

Rudolf Simek Rudolf Simek (born 21 February 1954) is an Austrian philologist and religious studies scholar who is Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn. Simek specializes in Germanic studies, and is the author o ...

) or "bore-tooth" (

John Lindow John Frederick Lindow (born July 23, 1946) is an American philologist who is Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley. He is a well known authority on Old Norse religion and literature. Biography John Lin ...

Attestations

In the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''

Grímnismál ''Grímnismál'' (Old Norse: ; 'The Lay of Grímnir') is one of the mythological poems of the ''Poetic Edda''. It is preserved in the Codex Regius manuscript and the AM 748 I 4to fragment. It is spoken through the voice of ''Grímnir'', one of ...

'', the god Odin (disguised as '' Grímnir'') says that Ratatoskr runs up and down Yggdrasil bringing messages between the eagle perched atop it and Níðhöggr below it:

Ratatoskr is described in the ''Prose Edda''s ''

Gylfaginning ''Gylfaginning'' (Old Norse: 'The Beguiling of Gylfi' or 'The Deluding of Gylfi'; c. 20,000 words; 13th century Old Norse pronunciation ) is the first part of the 13th century ''Prose Edda'' after the Prologue. The ''Gylfaginning'' deals with t ...

'' chapter 16, in which High states that

An eagle sits at the top of the ash, and it has knowledge of many things. Between its eyes sits the hawk called Vedrfolnir .. The squirrel called Ratatosk ..runs up and down the ash. He tells slanderous gossip, provoking the eagle and Nidhogg.Byock (2005:26).

Theories

According to

, "the squirrel probably only represents an embellishing detail to the mythological picture of the world-ash in ''Grímnismál''.Simek (2007:261).

Hilda Ellis Davidson Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson (born Hilda Roderick Ellis; 1 October 1914 – 12 January 2006) was an English folklorist. She was a scholar at the University of Cambridge and The Folklore Society, and specialized in the study of Celtic and G ...

, describing the world tree, states the squirrel is said to gnaw at it—furthering a continual destruction and re-growth cycle, and posits the tree symbolizes ever-changing existence.Davidson (1993:68–69).

points out that Yggdrasil is described as rotting on one side and as being chewed on by four harts and Níðhöggr, and that, according to the account in ''

'', it also bears verbal hostility in the fauna it supports. Lindow adds that "in the sagas, a person who helps stir up or keep feuds alive by ferrying words of malice between the participants is seldom one of high status, which may explain the assignment of this role in the mythology to a relatively insignificant animal". Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell theorize that "the role of Ratatosk probably derived from the habit of European tree squirrels (''

Sciurus vulgaris The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

'') to give a scolding alarm call in response to danger. It takes little imagination for you to think that the squirrel is saying nasty things about you."Thorington Jr. and Ferrel (2006:142).

In popular culture

Ratatoskr appears in his natural habitat in '' American Gods'' by Neil Gaiman. A fragment of Ratatoskr, nicknamed “Bitter” and voiced by

Troy Baker Troy Baker (born April 1, 1976) is an American voice actor and musician. Baker is known for his video game roles, including Joel Miller in ''The Last of Us'' (2013) and its sequel (2020), Booker DeWitt in ''BioShock Infinite'' (2013), Samuel ...

, appears in the 2018 video game ''

God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been p ...

'', where he has the ability to provide the player with healing items. The actual Ratatoskr appears in the 2022 sequel, ''

God of War Ragnarök ''God of War Ragnarök'' is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, marking the first cros ...

'' (alongside Bitter), tending to the world tree

; this version of the character is voiced by SungWon Cho. He also appears as a playable character in the game ''

Smite ''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.Young Thor'', Ratatoskr is depicted as an ally of Hel, who serves as the game's antagonist. Ratatoskr also appears in the 2020 video game ''

Assassin's Creed Valhalla ''Assassin's Creed Valhalla'' is a 2020 action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the twelfth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the successor to 2018's ''Assassin's Cre ...

'', where he engages the player in flyting, a poetic duel, in the mythical realm of

Jötunheimr The terms Jötunheimr (in Old Norse orthography: Jǫtunheimr ; often anglicised as Jotunheim) or Jötunheimar refer to either a land or multiple lands in Nordic mythology inhabited by the jötnar. are typically, but not exclusively, presente ...

. In the comic book series ''

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl ''The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl'' was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring Squirrel Girl. The solo series debuted in January 2015 and ran for 8 issues, and was relaunched in October 2015 as part of Marvel's All-New, A ...

'', Ratatoskr is featured as a villainous female squirrel god from

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...

who wants to destroy all of humanity. She was defeated by

Squirrel Girl Squirrel Girl (Doreen Allene Green) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Will Murray and writer/artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' vol. 2 #8, a.k.a. ' ...

after she teamed up with

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

and Loki. However, she later teamed up with Squirrel Girl to fight the

Frost Giants Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

. Ratatoskr appears in the trading card game ''

Magic: The Gathering ''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a Tabletop game, tabletop and Digital collectible card game, digital Collectible card game, collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards ...

'' as 'Toski, Bearer of Secrets'; a homage to the mythical creature. The card’s effects connote Toski's tenacity to exchange information between the many realms of Kaldheim. Ratatoskr can be cast as the spell "Ratatoskr's Spin," as of 2019, in the video game

Wizard101 ''Wizard101'' is a 2008 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by KingsIsle Entertainment. Players take on the role of student wizards who must save the Spiral, the fictional universe in which the game is s ...

, where he climbs down the world tree, digging up a giant acorn and damaging all enemies with it. Ratatosk appears in the novel ''

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossover ...

: The Bones of Giants'' (2001) by Christopher Golden. In the novel '' Hammered'', Atticus rides Ratatoskr to the top of

on his quest to steal the golden apples of

Iðunn In Norse mythology, Iðunn is a goddess associated with apples and youth. Iðunn 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 St ...

. Ratatosk is referenced in Larry Niven's novel ''

Rainbow Mars ''Rainbow Mars'' is a 1999 science fiction short story collection by American writer Larry Niven. It contains six stories of Hanville Svetz, five previously published and the longest, "Rainbow Mars", written for the collection. The setting of th ...

''. Plans were made to capture a giant squirrel that ran up and down the World Tree (Yggdrasil). Although called "Batatosk" in the story, it is clearly referring to the mythical creature Ratatosk. Ratatosk is the name of the Summon Spirit of Monsters in '' Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World'', though his role is quite a bit different from Norse myth. He is responsible for managing the distribution of mana through the world (via monsters). He resides in Ginnungagap, and also acts as the guardian of the gate to Niflheim. Much of the story of the game is centered around him. The Ratatosk Express is the name given to the train in The Mechanisms' album, 'The Bifrost Incident', which is the setting for the majority of the events in the album.

Notes

References

* Bellows, Henry Adams (Trans.) (1936). ''The Poetic Edda''.

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...

. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. * Byock, Jesse (Trans.) (2005). ''The Prose Edda''.

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean among other languages. Literary critics see books in this series as important members of the West ...

. * Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis (1993).
The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe
'.

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

. *

(1874). ''An Icelandic-English Dictionary: Based on the Ms. Collections of the Late Richard Cleasby''.

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. * Lindow, John (2001).
Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
'.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. * Orchard, Andy (1997). ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''. Cassell. * Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. D.S. Brewer * Sturtevant, Albert Morey (1956). "Three Old Norse Words: Gamban, Ratatoskr, and Gymir" as collected in Sturtevant, Albert Morey (Editor) (1956). ''Scandinavian Studies, August 1956, volume 28, number 3. * Thorington Jr. Richard W. and Ferrell, Katie (2006). ''Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide''. Johns Hopkins University Press. * Thorpe, Benjamin (Trans.) (1907). ''The Elder Edda of Saemund Sigfusson''. Norrœna Society.

External links

* {{good article Creatures in Norse mythology Mythological rodents Talking animals in mythology Squirrels in human culture