The World Tree: The Cosmic Tree That Holds the Universe Together - Norse Mythology

Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to discuss Yggdrasil, the World Tree: all the animals and monsters who live in it, how it's kept alive, how it fits into the grand structure of the universe, what it is, and what it represents.

Let’s get into it.

Yggdrasil, the name of the World Tree, is a compound word. ‘Ygg’, means something like ‘terrible one’, one of Odin’s epithets, and ‘drasill’ is an ancient word for horse; so putting them together, you get ‘Odin’s Horse’ or ‘Odin’s Steed’. This etymology connects to the myth in which Odin impaled himself with a spear and, thus transfixed, hanged himself from the World Tree for nine days, the result of this torturous experience being his attainment of runic magic. As described in the appendix of the Prose Edda, the interpretation of the name Yggdrasil as ‘Odin’s Horse’ in conjunction with the myth in which Odin hanged himself from the World Tree possibly implies that ancient scandinavians perceived a similarity between how a hanged person writhed and how a person bobbed while riding a horse.

The World tree is an ash tree of cosmic size located in the centre of the universe, and its branches, trunk, and roots connect all the realms of creation. Three roots support the World tree: one in Asgard, where the gods dwell, one in Jotunheim, the rugged wilderness of the giants, and one in Niflheim, the realm of ice where Hel has dominion. Each root has a well next to it: the well of Urd, where the three principal Norns are, is located in Asgard; the well of Mimir, where Odin sacrificed his eye in exchange for its mystic knowledge, is located in Jotunheim, and the well Hvergelmir, which is the source of a multitude of rivers, is located in Niflheim. The wellbeing of the World tree is under constant threat, the cause of which is a veritable menagerie of animals and monsters that gnaw at its roots and eat its leaves, as well as the decay of time.

Watch the video for the rest!

[billc.]

What a great clip. Thank you. I'd heard of Ygdrasil, of course, and the trouble making squirrel and the cranky serpent and proud eagle. I had no idea about the other animals and their meanings. Thanks again. Peace.

[Soliace]

Who else came from Loki's S2 finale?

[thenew]

I wasn't aware that the universe renewed itself after the apocalypse of Ragnarok and a new hierarchy of gods would be established, that's very interesting. It reminds me of the great cosmic fire Ekpyrosis which the ancient Stoic philosophers believed would periodically destroy and reset the universe, and we also see similar things in the cosmologies of eastern religions such as Buddhism.

[ghostgate]

One portion of Yggdrasil is the Laniakea Supercluster. The Kabbalistic concept of Tzimtzum is helpful in visualizing this.

[flareinc]

Are all thee creatures mentioned in the Edda's or do you have other sources as well? It's is possible I have forgotten much since it's been a while since I last read it.

[simi]

honestly i ended up doing this for my story i had no clue this was a real thing untill one of my readers pointed it out

[Falk-kf]

It's funny how many people have the wrong impression about Norse Mythology. They believe the Jotnar are giants, they believe the Nine Realms are seperate dimensions and they believe the world tree is a big cosmic tree that hold it all together.
Yggdrasil is just a regular huge tree that stands in the center of the world, somewhere in Asgard, to be precise, nothing more. It is a sacred tree and might have magical properties, but is just a tree. It is enormous and extends to the other realms, but that is only because the Nine Realms are not seperate dimensions, they are all part of the same world.
Now I think it's pretty cool but it's mythological inaccurate.

[nikodarbo]

Why Yggdrasil is an ash tree? I've searched a bit but couldn't find any information. Can someone explain it?

[jeffatwood]

You report the basic details, but explaining the words/names takes us into a loooong comparative analysis.

In short, the tree IS the macrocosm/microcosm relationship. Using kenning tradition, the tree is a person; feminine trees, like willows, being women and masculine ones like oak for men. Therefore, a birch is commonly seen in the North as its bark is described as the medicinal mud from the Norns. Yet, Askr, the ash tree, is the first man, thereby also having been identified as Yggdrasill.

Óðinn must be understood literally to truly understand this. Hugr (mind) is to Huginn (thought) as Óðr is to Óðinn. Hugr as the mind refers to the observational mind and Huginn, the raven of Óðinn’s thought, the Action of Hugr. Óðr means Sense, as in the faculty of the senses. Therefore, Óðinn should mean “sensation” or the act of the Senses like thought derives from the mind.

Now we get to see how Man (Humanity) IS the tree upon which Sensation hangs, full of suffering, through which the runes (hidden mysteries) may be manifested. Using kennings, however, a man can also be a rock as an eagle’s nest is upon the tree or a rocky crag…the forehead or bald head! This link is even found in the Bible when comparing Nebuchadnezzar’s statue to the Lithuanian world tree. The golden head, upon silver arms and shoulders, with a bronze trunk, iron thighs (and hips?), with iron mixed with clay for lower legs and feet. A rock smashed the brittle feet of imperial vigor. The golden sun sits upon the tree like a crown, with silver boughs, a copper trunk (bronze=copper+tin), with iron roots that hold upon the rock egg that floats in the primordial ocean.

All the animals and trials Yggdrasill endures relate to human physiology. Heiðrún is literally “mystery of the Heather, ” or countryside called Heið, who is Freya in the Völuspá, or Gefjon (“given” as a gift) in Snorri’s Gylfáginning. Gefjon is the perfect Norse version of Sofia in Greek philosophy. A philosopher is a lover of wisdom (philo-Sofia), who was said to have “whored herself out to men seeking wisdom.” She is raw nature, and the philosopher king is the one who left the cave of urban ignorance to become intimate with nature by which to glean her mysteries for humanity.

This is why Snorri began Gylfáginning (“Gylfi’s beginning” of enlightenment by the Æsir) with Gylfi’s love tryst for a “prostitution” price. Yes, this “ginn” is the same as Ginnungagap, which is “beginning gap.” I argued with Diana Paxson once about this. Ginn means yawn/gape as in “expanded” but is literally our English word “begin.” When you look that up, you see it means “to split and spread, ” just like a seed sprouting. One can see Brahmā in Hiranyagarbha and Pangu in China for comparisons to this Norse version.

Yes, the unmentioned totality of material space begins as an egg then it splits and spreads two polar opposing forces. Yet, although Snorri’s narrative details Muspelheimr first, the dialogue actually follows with “but first there was ginnungagap.” So, the gap, then fire, then water creates the alchemical substances for creating living conditions. It was so important that the oldest rituals pour libations along with praises into fire to share with the spirits/gods who exist in the fume state of smoke/steam in the air. Spirit is breath is air. Heiðrún’s milk is that “Soma” poured in the fire of Vedic rituals. Soma is Semen in Sanskrit but body in Greek, which reflects how fire (desire/sex) creates watery essence during internal alchemy (external alchemy being more like the act of sex). The Upanishads detail, “as a man gets hot, he sweats, ” which is exactly what happened to Ymir.

Niðhöggr is the “nether mound” of the pubic arch, associated with the burial mound as well. It is the place where those attached to the world exist, describing lust as the root of death that gives life in children…immortality for mortals. The mead pot of the hips is called Son. His Eagle arch-enemy, however, is the golden sun bird in the crown, like Thiazi in the oak when he helps the Æsir heat their fire. Thiassi in Greek is a religious wisdom cult, and the “Thiassoi of Theos Hypsistos” was a cavalier cult representing the “Iranianization” of the Bosporus. The mythical theme goes back to legendary king, Etana, seeking an heir in Mesopotamia. His story reflects that of Loki and Thiazi. Ratatoskr, however, is the squirrel of the heart (his name flows like a beating heart). The heart keeps the fight between the mind (Eagle) and body (serpent) going as suffering sensation is the first noble truth in Buddhism. Greeks called it pathos and the word “pathetic” refers to emotional suffering. These sicknesses are the innumerable snakes in the roots…all birthed by Niðhöggr.

The 4 harts are dwarf names, and dwarfs were known to shape shift into deer when found by humans. They represent the 4 directions, as kennings allow name swapping as a viable tool to keep the mystery.

There’s more about the gap and the other two regions that go along perfectly with Chinese Medicine. Yet, I believe Chinese Medicine came from Neolithic Europe, because Ützi, the iceman, had 62 acupoints tattooed on him that treat medical conditions we know he suffered. His date of death was at least 600 years PRIOR to dating the beginning of Chinese Medicine by Chinese tradition! Not only that, the founder was called “Huang Dí” or “Yellow Emperor.” Snorri said in his prologue that priests were set up along with kings by Óðinn and they were collectively called “Díar” which would make “Dí” be singular. This recons back to priest-king Neolithic society becoming the first imperial force in a temple-based economy. Dí derives from Dingir, the Sumerian cuneiform word fir “god.” It also gives rise to Dís/Disir as feminine counterparts. Tengri in Siberia is Dingir, as T’ien in Chinese; Tyr-Tiw/Zeus/Dyaus…and so forth.

There is much lacking in modern understanding about the Tree.

[amansdreamwillneverdie]

Without Norse mythology, we wouldn’t have modern-day fantasy. God bless the Scandinavian people.

[LordBackuro]

Interestingly the world tree is not a norse-Germanic exclusive believe

The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European religions, Siberian religions, and Native American religions.

Many of these societies all originated in the steppe.

[vickinger]

The Christmas tree of life. Is the tree that holds all the 9 realms. The 7 planets plus the sun and the moon. Odin is prolly speared to the tree at the north pole right now laughing like a bowl ful of jelly himself. The little bear and the big bear circle him. His eight legs of this horrible hobby horse guide him through the night sky today.