Yggdrasil is a huge ash-tree with branches so long they go into the sky and three long roots that end in three different worlds.
One root ends up in Åsgård and the norner are living by a well close to that root. The three norner, called Urd, Verdande and Skuld, are the goddesses of the past, present and future. When a child is born the norner will be there and measure up the time this child will have to live. The three norner are also keeping the Yggdrasil alive by giving it water from the well.
Another root ends up with the rimtusser or jotner – the giants. Here is Mime`s Well which is looked after by the very clever Mime. This well is the source of wisdom and this is where Odin almost died to get that wisdom.
The third root is in Nilvheim or Hel – the land of the dead. There is a well there as well but it`s filled with snakes and worms, among them the terrible Nidhogg who is chewing on the root of Yggdrasil.
The Yggdrasil is the most holy of all places.
Yggdrasil is also the name of a Swedish folk-metal band. Here is one of their songs:
As Rasul will die a dishonorable death (in my opinion anyway) will he go to Hel or Niflheim rather than Valhalla. Would Andre also miss out on Valhalla because his death was not in battle and he was doing a bad thing, or will they both go anyway because they were warriors?
What do you think?
Loved Suki’s joke, maybe we could set Odin on the racists, terrorists and other bigots? He’d have plenty of work in the U.K. 🙁
I was really interested in Ratatoskr’s role, taking malicious gossip and rumor between the Eagle and Nidhoog that I looked into it more…this is what one scholar believes.
Lindow adds that “in the sagas, a person who helps stir up or keep feuds alive by ferrying words of malice between the participants is seldom one of high status, which may explain the assignment of this role in the mythology to a relatively insignificant animal.”
Rasul is going to be a flea or something 🙂
I suppose Rasul`s after-life place of residence will depend on whether he is killed in battle or not. And whether the valkyries will bother to pick him up 😉
I agree with you – that little squirrel is very interesting and a nice picture on how it is among humans as well. There will always be some who will run back and forth and pour gasoline on fires.
Indeed. Rasul is a flea.