Great roots delve deep where secrets sleep,
Beneath the Norns’ white clay,
While branches high in starlit sky
Hold nine worlds in their sway.
The dragon gnaws at frozen claws,
The eagle watches keen,
Through winter's bite and endless night,
The Ash stands ever green.
A bridge of wood, where Odin stood
To catch the falling stave,
The ancient spine of all design,
From cradle to the grave.
Yggdrasil (pronounced IG-druh-sil) is the immense, sacred "World Tree" that serves as the central axis of the Norse cosmos. It is an evergreen ash tree that connects and holds together the Nine Worlds.
The tree is so massive that its branches overhang the entire world and reach up into the heavens. It is supported by three great roots that extend into different primordial realms:
To Asgard: The home of the Aesir gods, where the Well of Urðr (and the Norns) are located.
To Jötunheimr: The land of the giants, where Mímir’s Well of wisdom is found.
To Niflheim: The realm of ice and mist, reaching down toward the spring Hvergelmir and the dragon Níðhöggr.
Yggdrasil is a living ecosystem populated by several symbolic creatures that are constantly in motion:
Veðrfölnir & The Eagle: An unnamed eagle sits at the top, with a hawk named Veðrfölnir perched between its eyes.
Níðhöggr: A monstrous dragon that gnaws at the roots from below, attempting to topple the tree.
Ratatoskr: A squirrel that runs up and down the trunk, carrying insults and gossip between the eagle at the top and the dragon at the bottom.
The Four Stags: Four deer (Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, and Duraþrór) that graze on the tree's foliage.
The name Yggdrasil translates to "Odin’s Horse" (Yggr is one of Odin's names; drasill means horse). This refers to the myth where Odin "rode" the tree by hanging himself from its branches for nine nights to discover the secrets of the runes.
Ultimately, Yggdrasil represents the interconnectedness of all things. It is a fragile yet resilient system that suffers constant damage from the creatures living within it, yet is continuously healed by the holy water of the Norns.