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Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil () is an immense and central sacred tree in Norse cosmology. 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. 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, the squirrel Ratatoskr, the hawk Veðrfölnir, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór. Scholars generally consider '' Hoddmímis holt'', '' Mímam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norse Cosmology
Norse cosmology is the account of the universe and its laws by the ancient North Germanic peoples. The topic encompasses concepts from Norse mythology and Old Norse religion such as notations of time and space, cosmogony, personifications, anthropogeny, and eschatology. Like other aspects of Norse mythology, these concepts are primarily recorded from earlier oral sources in the ''Poetic Edda'', a collection of poems compiled in the 13th century, and the ''Prose Edda'', attributed to the Icelander Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century. 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, ... [...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 'alt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urðarbrunnr
Urðarbrunnr (Old Norse "Wellspring of Urðr"; either referring to a Germanic mythology, Germanic concept of fate—''wyrd, urðr''—or the norns, norn named UrðrSimek (2007:342).) is a Spring_(hydrology), spring or Water well, 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 wellspring lies beneath the world tree Yggdrasil, and is associated with a trio of norns (Urðr, Verdandi, Verðandi, and Skuld (Norn), Skuld). In the ''Prose Edda'', Urðarbrunnr is cited as one of Numbers in Germanic paganism, three wellsprings existing beneath three roots of Yggdrasil that reach into three distant, different lands; the other two wellsprings being Hvergelmir, located beneath a root in Niflheim, and Mímisbrunnr, located beneath a root near the home of the frost jötunn, jötnar. Scholarly theory and speculatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mímisbrunnr
In Norse mythology, Mímisbrunnr (Old Norse "Mímir's wellspring"Simek (2007:216).) is a Spring_(hydrology), spring or Water well, 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 wellspring is located beneath one of Numbers in Germanic paganism, 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 wellspring contains much wisdom, and that Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to the wellspring in exchange for a drink. In the ''Prose Edda'', Mímisbrunnr is mentioned as one of three wellsprings existing beneath three roots of Yggdrasil, the other two being Hvergelmir, located beneath a root in Niflheim, and Urðarbrunnr. Attes ... [...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" (Tayl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratatoskr
In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr (Old Norse, 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 to carry messages between the eagles perched atop it and the serpent Níðhöggr who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree. Ratatoskr 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. Etymology The name ''Ratatoskr'' contains two elements: ''rata-'' and ''-toskr''. The element ''toskr'' is generally held to mean "tusk". Guðbrandur Vigfússon 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 theorized t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Læraðr
Læraðr (Laerad) is a tree in Norse mythology, often identified with Yggdrasil. 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 bites 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 hi ... [...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."La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mímameiðr
In Norse mythology, Mímameiðr (Old Norse " Mimi's tree"Simek (2007:216)) is a tree whose branches stretch over every land, is unharmed by fire or metal, bears fruit that assists pregnant women, and upon whose highest bough roosts the cock Víðópnir. Mímameiðr is solely attested in the Old Norse poem '' Fjölsvinnsmál''. Due to parallels between descriptions of the two, scholars generally consider ''Mímameiðr'' to be another name for the world tree Yggdrasil, along with the similarly named Hoddmímis holt, a wood within which Líf and Lífthrasir are foretold to take refuge during the events of Ragnarök. ''Mímameiðr'' is sometimes modernly anglicized as Mimameid or Mimameith.The anglicization ''Mimameid'' is used in such modern works as Lindow (2001:232), whereas ''Mimameith'' appears in Bellows (1923:242). ''Fjölsvinnsmál'' Mímameiðr is mentioned in stanzas of the eddic-meter poem ''Fjölsvinnsmál'', where the tree is described as having limbs that stretch over ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Níðhöggr
(, , , "Malice Biter/Striker"?), often anglicized Nidhogg, is a Germanic dragon in Norse mythology who is said to gnaw at the roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil, and is likewise associated with the dead in Hel and Niflheim. Etymology While the suffix of the name, ''-höggr'', literally "hewer", clearly means "biter, striker", etc, 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 "Striker in the Dark". 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 horrific monster in its action of chewing the corpses of the inhabitants of Niflheim: those guilty of murder, adultery, and oath-breaking, thus something akin to "Malice Biter". Orthography In the standardized Old Norse orthography, the name is spelled ', but the letter ' is frequently replaced with the Mod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hvergelmir
Hvergelmir (Old Norse "bubbling boiling spring"Orchard (1997:93)) is an important primal wellspring in Norse mythology. 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 men ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
