Yggdrasil

Basic Information

In Norse Mythology, Yggdrasil (aka Ygdrasil, Mimameithr, Laerthr, or Hoddmimis Holt, see below) is the giant world-spanning ash tree that connects the nine worlds. Those worlds are tangled in its roots and branches. Some deities and supernatural beings can travel between those worlds by climbing the tree, but the Aesir often use Bifrost (the Rainbow Bridge) instead.

The roots of Yggdrasil grow out of three wells or pools. These are Urðarbrunnr (in Asgard, this well is where the Norns live), Hvergelmir (in Niflheim, where Nidhoggr gnaws), and Mímisbrunnr (Mimir's well in Jotunheim, where Mimir dwells).

The Norse Gods frequently gathered at Yggdrasil to conduct their allthing government.

The name "Yggdrasil" literally translates as "Odin's Horse" or "Odin's Gallows". When Odin (also known as "Yggr") sought wisdom and the knowledge of runes, mead and poetry, he went to Mímisbrunnr and struck a deal with Mimir. To gain this knowledge, Odin had to sacrifice his own eye, and then hang upside down (hence the gallows) from the branches of Yggdrasil while gazing into Mimir's well.

Warden Trees such as the Sacred Tree at Uppsala (in Sweden) and the Irminsul (in Germany) may be earthly avatars of Yggdrasil. The description of Urðarbrunnr (one of the root-wells of Yggdrasil) sounds a lot like Adam of Breman's medieval description of the Sacred Tree at Uppsala, so there's justification for a link between the places (or at least some explanation by way of coded myth).

Inhabitants

At the top of Yggdrasil there's a giant eagle who is never named in any of the surviving myths. There is, however, a named hawk that lives right next to him. Literally on top of him. Veðrfölnir, as he's called, nests on the face of the larger Eagle, directly between his eyes. (The old myths don't really explain why this almost Russian-nesting-doll/fractal living condition exists. Why does the eagle tolerate it? How does the hawk earn his keep / pay his rent? Is this some sort of coded myth and we've just lost the key to understand it?)

At the opposite end of the tree, the vile and venomous dragon Nidhöggr sits gnawing on the roots. He is accompanied by many snakes.

The dragon and the eagle hate each other, so a gossipy squirrel named Ratatoskr runs up and down the branches carrying insults back and forth between them. Ratatoskr is sort of like their messenger, but he's also clearly some sort of agent provocateur stirring up trouble and making both the insults and the resulting feud that much worse.

There are also four stags that climb the branches of Yggdrasil and munch on its leaves. These are named Dainn, Dvallin, Duneyrr, and Durabror. (And yes, eagle-eyed viewers have already noted that J.R.R. Tolkien stole a couple of those names for dwarves.) Some scholars propose the four stags represent the four seasons, but we don't really know for sure as none of the serving myths go into much detail about them.

The Nine Worlds

While several surviving Old Norse poems mention that Yggdrasil connects to nine worlds, none of them clearly nor conveniently list all nine worlds. Which is no doubt vexxing for scholars and practitioners, but something of a blessing for GMs and authors who are looking to put their own personal stamp upon the setting. You can tweak the nine canonical worlds a bit here or there, and no one can truly say you're wrong.

Here is the most common list of the 9 worlds:

• Alfheim, world of the Light Elves
• Asgard, world of the Aesir gods, where the lodge Valhalla is located
• Jotunheim, world of the Giants
• Midgard, world of humans.
• Muspellheim, world of the Fire Demons (and Fire Giants)
• Nidavellir, world of the Dwarves
• Niflheim, world of the primordial element of ice and the dead, where the lodge Helheim is located
• Svartalfaheim, world of the Dark Elves
• Vanaheim, world of the Vanir gods

Some versions or interpretations of Norse myth identify the Dwarves and the Dark Elves as the same species. In such interpretations, Svartalfaheim and Nidavellir are two names for the same place, instead of being two different worlds. These versions generally cast Helheim as the ninth world (instead of just being a location within the world of Niflheim).

A Tree By Any Other Name

There are three other names for Yggdrasil. It's worth noting that none of the sources that use one of these three names ever expressly states that this name is a synonym for Yggdrasil. It's possible these are intended to be separate other trees, that also coincidentally span multiple worlds, but occam's razor suggests they are just alternate names. (But why let logic ruin the fun? If you can figure out a way to use multiple world trees, more power to you!)

One is Mímameiðr, or Mimameithr, a tree that also touches nine worlds (just like Yggdrasil does). Atop Mímameiðr there is a Rooster, which is not quite as epic as a giant eagle wearing a hawk as a hat. On the other hand, the fruit of Mimameithr is said to have restorative properties and ensure safe and healthy childbirth to a mother who eats it, so it may not have as epic a bird but it's still a powerful tree. Mímameiðr is mentioned in a single old norse poem.

The other is Hoddmímis Holt. During Fimbulvinter, the years-long winter that proceeds Ragnarok, Líf and Lífþrasir (sort of the second-draft of Adam and Eve in Norse mythology, the first draft being Ask and Embla) hide out in Hoddmímis holt near Mimir's well. There they survive the great cold and the great fires of Surtr. As the "holt" part implies, Hoddmímis Holt is described more like a woods than a single tree, but the "mimmis" part suggests it may be another name for Mímameiðr, and thus Yggdrasil. Alternately, you might view it as the forest the holds them both. Details are vague and in short supply.

The third is Læraðr, or Laerthr. Læraðr stands at the top of Valhalla. A goat and a hart, named Heiðrún and Eikþyrnir respectively, live in its branches and eat the leaves. Again, no first-hand sources directly says Laerathr and Yggdrasil are the same thing, but they're both trees at Valhalla large enough for large herbivores to live in the branches.

Sources

Bibliography

1. The Other Wiki

2. Crash Course Mythology on Norse Mythology

3. Crash Course Mythology on Mythical Trees

Game and Story Use

• In a fantasy game about Vikings or Norse Mythology, Yggdrasil is likely to be a literal as well as figurative tree.
  • Along with the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost, and certain magical horses like Sleipnir and the mounts of the Valkyries, it's one of the primary ways to dimension hop or travel between worlds in the Norse universe.
  • It also represents all the worlds collectively, and could be imperiled if any of them are threatened individually. A disease, blight or fire could spread through all its branches. A giant or big bad evil guy might try to break its branches, or accidentally damage them while marching a massive army from one world to the next.
  • Important scenes can also take place literally on the tree. It'd be a heck of a place for a fight scene, with lots of climbing checks, and interesting terrain features that are basically giant leaves and branches zoomed in like Honey I Shrunk The Kids.
• All those crazy animals in the branches and roots could be NPCs. If ratatoskr can carry insults between the Nidhoggr and the Eagle, they must all have personalities and intelligence.
  • In a Scion RPG campaign I ran once, I had a lot of fun using ratatosk as a sort of mentor or patron figure for one of the PCs (a daughter of Hel). He'd show up frequently with news and gossip of the many worlds, and of course a few insults and beots from the PCs various enemies.
  • Given that the beasts of battle motif shows up in lots of old Norse, Germanic and English myths and folklore, the presence of that Eagle and Hawk up there is somewhat suspicious and ripe for riffing. You could run consecutive scenes with Veðrfölnir and eagle, then Huginn and Muninn, and then either Garmr or Geri and Freke or Fenrir as a lead in to Ragnarok or some other big war or battle.
• As mentioned above, Yggdrasil also may be Mimameithr, Laerthr, and/or Hoddmimis Holt, or they may be different world trees of their own. This heavy bisocciation also means that other mythical trees could also be avatars of the same entity, or just different examples of the same magic tree species. So you might conflate them with any of the following sacred trees, either literally or symbolically/magically:
  • • Warden trees as mentioned above, including the one at the Temple at Uppsala,
    • the trees where the Norse goddess Idunn grows her Apples of Immortality
    • Ashvatta, or the Kalpavriksha, both found in Hindu Mythology,
    • Ağaç Ana of Turkic Mythology,
    • Égig érő fa of Hungarian Mythology,
    • the Ficus Ruminalis of Roman Mythology,
    • any of Gaokerena, the white Haoma, or Bas tokhmak of Persian Mythology,
    • Irminsul of Germanic Mythology,
    • Iroko of Yoruba Mythology,
    • Jianmu of Chinese Mythology,
    • the Mesoamerican World Tree,
    • Modun of Mongol Mythology,
    • the olive-bearing Moriai, or the trees of the golden apples, or even Apollo's favorite fetish the Laurel tree, all from Greek Mythology,
    • the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, as mentioned in the book Genesis
    • the tree of souls in the chamber of Guf (the treasury of souls) in Jewish mythology - and possibly the Cabbalistic tree of life as well.
    • various tree rituals, especially end-of-year traditions like the Yule log, Christmas tree, and hanging misletoe since those already have nordic roots, but also the Vietnamese New Year Tree since we're being pretty multicultural at this point.
  • And thanks to Yggdrasil literally translating as "Odin's Horse", you can conflate any of those trees with Sleipnir (Odin's eight-legged horse) or even Svaðilfari (Sleipnir's mother) and Loki (Sleipnir's father), or if you're willing to stretch even further afield to Bagri Maro the eight-legged four-headed horse of Gondi Mythology. Bisocciation and syncretism are fun! (They're also sort of the whole point of games like the Scion RPG.)
    • Yggdrasil showing up as an animated wooden horse sculpture, would subvert expectations and be a fun twist.
• Yggdrasil could lend its name to an FTL technology or white hole dimensional gate system, as as a classical reference.
  • Or in the case of literal ancient astronaut situation, where the Aesir and Vanir and Jotun are all competing alien races who use a handful of similar technologies to travel the galaxy.
  • It's a space elevator - a vast, tree like structure serving as a bridge between worlds. The four stags and the squirrel may or may not be ascenders running on the elevator, the eagle and hawk some kind of aviation facility at the top station and the dragon, perhaps a reactor power plant beneath the base station.