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Yggdrasil : Scandinavian tree mythology
Yggdrasil: the tree of the Universe in Scandinavian mythology
Yggdrasil is the tree of the Universe and center of the divine world in Scandinavian mythology. The roots of that big ash grow in the three underworlds: the world of the death, the world of the frost giants and the world of men. The branches spread over the world.The tree unites earth and heaven and the underworld.
If Ragnarok draws near, Yggdrasil will tremble and a man Lif and women Lifthrasir will survive the holocaust and flood. From these two people the earth will be repeopled and mankind will start a new cycle of time. Yggdrasil is the source of all new life and will always survive Ragnarok...
Yggdrasil as the source of life
The Edda describe the stars as the fruit of the Yggdrasil.
The tree was watered by the sacred fountains of Urd and Mimer, which contain the elixir of life, wisdom and poetry. Therefore the sap of Yggdrasil is live-saving.
The morning dew from Yggdrasil was very sweet and nourishing. Bees used it for making honey
The dragon Nidhogg eats the roots.
Creatures that live in Yggdrasil, are the wyrm (dragon) NÃðhöggr (eating its roots), an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór.
Books on Yggdrasil at Amazon
Odin and his quest for wisdom
Odin, the major god in Scandinavian mythology, hanged himself on Yggdrasil in his quest for wisdom.
He hung in the tree for nine days in order to learn the wisdom and the power of the nine worlds (nine was a magical number in the Norse magical practice)
Ygg(r) is an alternative name of Odin. Yggdrasil could mean "the horse of Yggr".
and who is Mimir?
Mimir or Mimr is a giant whose abode is a spring flowing from the root of the worldash Yggdrasil. Drinking the waters of the spring, he knows all the past and the future. He was the water-spirit, into whose waters Odin had put his eye in pledge, in order to win wisdom. The poor man is beheaded during the Ãsir-Vanir War. Afterward, the god Odin carries around MÃmir's head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him.
Books on Scandinavian Mythology at Amazon
Yggdrasil as a source of inspiration
Painters
Die Nornen (painting, 1888) by K. Ehrenberg
Yggdrasil (fresco, 1933) by Axel Revold, located in the University of Oslo library auditorium in Oslo, Norway
Hjortene beiter i løvet på Yggdrasil asken (wood relief carving, 1938) on the Oslo City Hall by Dagfin Werenskjold
Bronze relief on the doors of the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities (around 1950) by B. Marklund in Stockholm, Sweden.
Poets
Vårdträdet by Viktor Rydberg
Yggdrasill by J. Linke
... or as jewelry
Do you like Norse mythology?
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A good introduction to Yggdrasil.
Thank you this is great info!
Very interesting and engaging; a most accessible introduction to Scandinavian mythology
Very interesting post on a subject I knew little about!
I have always been interested in myths you have a lot of excellent information that I was unaware of about Scandinavian culture.
Beautiful lens. One of my all time favorite childrens' books (I'm a children's librarian) is Summerland by Michael Chabon. The characters can cross from one world to the next by the joints of the branches of The Tree, and the end is about preventing Coyote from poisoning the Tree. The strength of the mythology really buoys up the whole tale. Unforgettable stuff.
Fascinating information about these myths. They show that ancient Scandinavians knew the importance of trees in our lives, even if they weren't quite sure why they are so important!
Our ancestors knew the hidden truths and it remains preserved in these mythological stories. They are universal stories, but the Scandinavians seem to have made them all the more potent!
Mythology is so interesting, especially when you consider that people actually believed in this!
Very interesting. I was interested in mythology in the sixth grade and remember reading about the yggdasil tree --never knew how to pronounce it though.
This was an interesting and unusual lens. Well done!
Very interesting lens :) Nice job!
I didn't know about this mythology, thanks for sharing. Interesting how many major beliefs/myths have some sort of Tree of Life.
Fantastic lens, Scandinavians have such rich mythology heritage. The stories are sometimes maybe a little bit dark, but still so amazing.
The Scandinavian myths are very difficult to believe! As though the Greek ones make a whole lot more sense. Very cool lens!
- Author
@LuizAvila: Thanks Luiz
Nice!
Well done. I know of Yggdrasil because of the fool in one of my tarot decks hanging upside down from the tree. Now I understand even more about it. Thanks
i love mythology of all types and this has a good overview, great work!
i love mythology of all types and this has a good overview, great work!
A mix of two of my favorites: Mythology and Scandinavia. Lovely!
great lens! i like the picture in your intro
- Author
@ZombieOne: Hey Zoon ;o)
Hey pa! :D
Very interesting topic! Great lens! ^_^
Highly interesting topic - completely new for me.
Good info. Liked it.
Love the tree mythology and graphics. You may enjoy the book "Amazonia" by James Rollins.
Beautiful myth, I don't know much about Norse mythology and I have never heard of this one, but I like it!
This is an interesting topic. It is always curious to me if Yggdrasil the tree of live really exist.
There is something new in this beautiful yggdrasil myth that I have never heard about.
ohhh... yggdrasil has always been a mystery for me
This is new for me. I'm very impressed by beauty of Scandinavian mythology,
I'm glad I found this lens. I find that through mythology my mind seems to become more creative than ever when writing fiction.
Fascinating info. Thank you for your lens.
Nice one! :)
Very interesting! Fascinating read!
Interesting window you open into another world.
What a fascinating lens!
Very interesting stuff. I remember studying a little about Scandinavian mythology in 5th grade. I remembered the tree of life. It has become very popular in recent years.Good work!
Wow, great lens! I love Scandinavian mythology but have only just started to look into it so I don't know too much about it as yet.
Interesting! A very complex mythology.
Nice lens here! thanks for stopping by my own lenses.
Fascinating... another world, for sure! ;-)
thanks for the variety! its always good to see things from a different perspective. also thanks for liking my lens. what would you want me to write about next? i aim to please :) what sun sign are you? :) have a great day! thanks again!
Yggdrasil has always been a fascinating thing for me. Thanks for making the lens, I enjoyed reading it.
Wonderful lens! It is interesting how almost all cultures have some things in common, and it is the same with trees. Each culture has its own tree which symbolises something very imortant in that culture.
Wow! This is beautiful. The tree is a fascinating symbol in so many cultures.
The game Tales of Symphonia for Gamecube is about this very story pretty much. Yggdrasil is the main antagonist.
Just saying hi on Woden's day
Very cool lens! Thanks for sharing!
Liked the Yggdrasil, tree of the Universe, the analogy and concept in Scandinavian mythology.
VERY interesting lens!
i was not aware of this norse tree mythology but i know about odin (highest god like zeus), freya and thor. friday comes from freya (goddess of love and marriage). in german, it is called freitag (pronounced freytag). thursday comes from thor (god of thunder). in german, it is called donnerstag. thank you for sharing this beautiful lens.
The tree in your second module looks amazingly like the spheres in Kabbalah. Interesting, no?
Very interesting read!
Lovely lens which was great for me to read as I know very little about Scandinavian mythology. Thank you.
Interesting lens!
Very interesting! There are a couple great modern novels that tell versions of the story of Yggdrasil: Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" and also Michael Chabon's "Summerland."
Great stuff, very topical. I'm sure some of the Yule Tree mythology cources back to this. Lovely presentation here
Mythology is magic, and the Yggdrasil is the most misterious.
Magic! :) I love those yggdrasil illustrations!
AWESOME i love mythology!
Yggdrasil - I always thought it was a Welsh word. Looks Welsh anyway. And unpronounceable!
Interesting, like the illustrations!
Very cool! Had no idea!
I have read lots of mythology through the years, but somehow have never been acquainted with Scandinavian...found something new to explore. Thanks for the great lens and for visiting mine.
Love this! Scandinavian mythology is my favorite!
Thank you for liking my lens! Going through and liking yours now!! Smiles!!
Very interesting read, so unusual but a lovely topic!
What an amazing niche you have here...very impressive!
What an interesting lens! I´ve just been in Odense blomsterfestival, and this year the theme was Scandinavian mythology... there was a big tree, with a lot of orchids, supposed to symbolize Yggdrasil :)
In 6th grade I was into Greek, Roman and Scandinavian mythology. I always loved the stories about the Yggdrasil tree. Thanks for a great article.
All new to me and very interesting. Trees are so essential for our planet and everything living in it. Thanks for the education. Sincerely, Rose
After finally catching up with the Angel School Bus, I am fluttering around Myth-ville to
drop off some Blessings. Just wanted you to know I am here because your page caught my attention. Leaving you with a *Blessing* for doing such a great job on this page.
Very cool lens!
I enjoy the mythology - especially the stories with a positive message (like the tree that always survives to start a new cycle of life)- an never heard of this Scandinavian yggdrasil tree. Nice lens!! :)
You're off to one heck of a good start on Squidoo. Keep up the good work!
This is a fascinating topic! You've done a great job integrating different aspects of both the topic and Squidoo! It was both informative AND interesting!
This is an interesting well written topic. Thank you!
Wonderful topic- well written- Thank you!
Great lens, thanks a lot!
that is truly interesting... thanks for sharing .. I learned something new and thank you for making that happen :)
I have not heard of this before. It is really interesting.
Your lens is quite interesting! Also, thank you for liking my lens!
very interesting... I'l be back soon to read other lenses too.
I did not know this mythology. I should read more - my last name means "half danish" and the myth of our family is that we descend from Haelfedane, the Norse King.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I think the name Yggdrasil is beautiful. I like consonant heavy names.
Fascinating!!!
I saw a TV movie recently that featured this tree, but your lens provided much more information.
Norse mythology provides lots of options for Squidoo lenses.
Quite informative. Thanks for creating the lens.
thanks for sharing about tree mythology... really informative..
i love the concept of this lens...and i would prefer some moooore content...instead of having to buy books.....
add some content and a few images...and this lens will be even better
I learned something new today. Thanks for sharing about these legends.
I love reading about other culture's mythology and legends. Nice little lens!
Fascinating read. Nice to learn a little about Scandinavian mythology. Thank you. :)
Very interesting!
not too far from the truth...have you heard about the chinese stealing our water from lake superior?
Fascinating! Thank you very much for sharing this lens. I had never heard this story. I learned something from you today :)
- Author
@anonymous: Thank you very much for the nice compliment, Tipi.I indeed got a lot of positive response on the subject. OK then, i'll go for another mythological tree,...but... which one to choose ;o)
I love your writing style, very concise and with fabulous information. Yes, more mythology please!
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