Study › Runes & Norse › Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil is the World Tree of Norse mythology, the great ash at the centre of the nine worlds. Its name is usually read as "Odin's horse", because Odin hung on it for nine nights to win the runes. Here are its roots, its wells, and the beings that live in it.
What is Yggdrasil?
At the centre of the Norse cosmos stands Yggdrasil, an immense ash tree whose branches reach above the heavens and whose three roots hold the nine worlds together. It is the axis on which everything turns, ever-green and ever-suffering, gnawed at from below even as it grows.
The three roots and their wells
Each root drinks from a well. One reaches the Well of Urd, where the gods hold council and the Norns tend the tree; one reaches Mimir's Well of wisdom beneath Jotunheim; and one reaches Hvergelmir, the roaring spring in icy Niflheim.
Who lives in the tree
In its boughs live an eagle and a hawk, the squirrel Ratatoskr runs up and down carrying insults, four harts crop its leaves, and the dragon Nidhogg chews its root from below. On this tree Odin hung himself to win the runes, and it is said that when Yggdrasil trembles, Ragnarok is near.
It is on this tree that Odin won the runes, beginning with Fehu.
Questions
What are the nine worlds of Yggdrasil?
Asgard, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Midgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim and Helheim.
How do you pronounce Yggdrasil?
Say it "IG-druh-sil".
What kind of tree is Yggdrasil?
An ash tree, always green.