The roots were constantly attacked by Nidhogg, the Awesome Dragon/Serpent, which represented the evil forces of the universe. Beneath the root of Jotunheim, the spring or well of Mimir was located and below that there was the well of Hvergelmir, the source of the rivers, the earthly stream of time. Beneath the root of Asgard there was the sacred Well of Urd, inhabited by the three Norns, over whom the gods had no power and who watered the tree daily from the primary source. One of these three roots crossed Asgard, one Jotunheim and one Helheim. Its three roots reached as far as Helheim, Niflheim and Muspelheim.

Its trunk was the axis of the world passing through the center of Midgard, around which was Jotunheim and under which was Svartalfheim.

Its branches consisted of the sky and shaded Valhalla.Īsgard, Alfheim and Vanaheim were on the branches of Yggdrasil. Its roots are in the depths of the Underworld, its trunk passes vertically through the waters, the earth and the human world, thus uniting these three regions. The gods meet under the branches of Yggdrasil. The magic of the runes and the power of the fountain granted Odin power, reborning him immortal and dubbing him the leader of all the gods. So, he sacrificed his right eye to the Dragon of Mimir's well so that he could drink from it, so since then he remained one-eyed, but also omniscient while the power of the well gave strong vision to his only eye.Īnother similar sacrifice of Odin was that he hung from the World Tree, Yggdrasil, for nine days and nine nights, in order to be able to read the magic runes he had carved on his cane and which he had left at the lower part of the Tree. Odin, while the Aesir and the Vanir were still fighting, was looking for power and his quest for wisdom was endless. The Aesir also included Baldr, the god of beauty, Frigga, the goddess of family and marriage, Heimdallr, the god of guardianship (who also possessed the resounding horn Gjallarhorn), Hod, the goddess of winter, Ydun, the goddess of youth, Loki, the trickster god, Odin, god of wisdom and the Allfather, Sif, the goddess of fertile land, Thor, the god of lightning, Tyr, the god of bravery, Ullr, the god of hunting.

The Aesir are the gods of power who possessed the gift of eternal youth but this does not imply their immortality. The Vanir included Njor, the god of fertile coastal land, Freyr, the god of male fertility and love, Freya, the goddess of fertility and love, Scadi, the goddess of winter and mountains, as well as Lytir and Odr. They are able to foresee and do know what’s in store. The Vanir are the gods of fertility and prosperity and possess great knowledge of magical arts.

Niflheim (North world of fog, ice and cold, home of the frozen giants).Įven the Gods are divided into two groups, the Vanir and the Aesir.

Muspelheim (South world of fire and home of the demons and fire giants).

Helheim (World of Hell, goddess of the underworld, and thus home of the dead).

Svartalfheim (Home and world of the Dwarves or the Dark Elves).

Midgard (Middle-earth, home and world of humans, originally named as Manheim).

Jutunheim (Home and world of the giants).

Asgard (Home and world of the Aesir, originally named Godheim).

Alfheim (Home and world of the Light Elves).So, Yggdrasil (also containing three magic wells) itself is divided into three levels: According to the Scandinavian, the universe consists of three levels: Hell, Home of the Dead, Midgard, Home of Men, and Asgard, Home of the Gods.Įach of these levels is divided into three, resulting in a total of nine worlds, each of which remains in place, holding on to the branches of the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

The eight worlds (except Midgard) are:Īll nine worlds are connected to Yggdrasil, the world tree (obviously similar to the tree of life and parallel universes). All the warriors who fought heroically go to Valhalla. It is the primordial Chaos, the womb conceiving a new life. Muspelheim is a realm of fire it is the primitive, wild and unruly energy. Beyond Midgard ('Middle Earth', or the world as we know it) the other eight worlds can be grouped into pairs of opposite principles. Scandinavian cosmology is based on the existence of nine worlds, identified by the suffix -heimr (house, kingdom or world) or by the suffix -garðr (home, courtyard or land) in some cases. Yggdrasil, The Sacred Tree Of Norse Mythology

Nine worlds yggdrasil