Also called Yggdrasill, the World Tree, Mímameiðr, Læraðr.
Their story
Yggdrasil is the greatest of trees, an evergreen ash whose branches spread over all the worlds and whose three roots reach to the gods, the frost giants and Niflheim. Under the roots lie the well of Urðr, where the gods hold court, Mímir's well and the spring Hvergelmir. An eagle sits at the top, a dragon gnaws below, and four harts eat its leaves; the Norns water it with clay from their well. Grímnismál says it suffers more than anyone knows, yet it stands; at Ragnarök it shakes and groans.
Best times to give to them
- at any tree you feel close to
- before rune work
- at the spring and autumn equinoxes in modern practice
What they like being given
- water poured at the roots of a tree
- care for trees: planting or tending one
- a song or poem
How to honour them
- Adopt a tree near you, visit it through the year and water it in dry weather.
- Before drawing runes, picture Yggdrasil and the wells at its roots.
- Think of the Norns caring for the tree daily with water and clay, and care for something daily yourself.
How they can help you
- feeling connected
- grounding
- understanding the Norse cosmos
- endurance through suffering
Symbols
- an ash tree
- three roots and three wells
- an eagle and a hawk
- harts grazing its branches
- white clay
Its name probably means "Odin's horse", referring to his hanging on the tree to win the runes.
Sources
- Poetic Edda, Grímnismál 29–35
- Poetic Edda, Völuspá 19–20 and 47
- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 15–16