Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil is the tree of life in Norse mythology. It is an eternal green Ash tree and its branched are said to be streching out over the worlds. It is without a doubt an important piece of Norse mythology.
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The Eagle, the Serpent and the Squirrel
At the top of the tree lived an eagle. By the roots lived its nemesis, the serpent called Nidhogg. In the tree lived also a squirrel called Ratatosk, who kept busy running up and down the tree. Ratatosk loved to gossip and kept the hostility alive. Whenever Nidhogg uttered a curse or an insult about the eagle, Ratatosk ran up to the top of the tree and informed the eagle about this. The eagle responded with equal rudeness, and of course Ratatosk passed these comments to Nidhogg with pleasure. This gossiping was mainly the reason why the eagle and the serpent remained constant foes.
Among the branches four stags had found their home. They represented beauty and harmony.
Three roots
Yggdrasil had three roots which all lead to different place and had a well by the root.
The First Root
The first root went to the home of the gods, Asgard. By this root was Urd's Well. At Urd's Well the gods held daily assemblies. There lived also three Norns (see Norse Mythology), the goddesess of fate. Norns names were Urd (Fate), Skuld (Present) and Verdani (Future). They decided the fate of every human and every god, and whenever a child was born, the Norns spun the fate of the child in their threads. In Viking times it was commonly believed that whenever a child was born, the Norns were nearby. That is the reason why the Vikings served a woman who had just given birth to a child some porridge called Norn-porridge.
The Second Root
The second root went to the land of the giants and trolls, Jotunheim. By this root was Mimir's Well. Mimir was the wisest of all living beings, and and to have a rare privilege to drink from Mimir's well (thus gain it's wisdom), Odin sacrificed an eye and becane the one-eyed god. In Norse mythology is described the murder of Mimir. In the mythology are two families of gods, older one called Vanir and the younger one, Aesir. They were at war with each other and to end the war, they exchanged hostages. The Aesir send Honir and Mimir to the Vanir, and the Vanir send them Njord and the twins Frey and Freyja. The Vanir made Honir their chief, but grew upset when they notice how he relied on Mimir to provide the answers. In a rage the Vanir beheaded Mimir and sent his head rolling into Asgard, which made Odin devastated. Odin anointed Mimir's head with special herbs and recited spells. Miraculously the head was restored back to life, and Odin kept this talking head so he could consult it whenever a difficult problem arose.
The Third Root
The third root went to Niflheim, where Hel ruled her gruesome underworld. By this root was the well called Hvergelmir. Hel, the ruler of Niflheim, was the daughter of the despiteful Loki. The underworld was a dark and gloomy place, and anyone who died of old age or disease was sent to Hel. Nidhogg, the serpent who lived by the roots of Yggdrasil, gnawed on this root. He was also known to suck the blood out of the dead bodies.
Odin and the Yggdrasil
Odin is known of the sacrifices he made to be wiser. He was also the chief god in Norse mythology. Once Odin made one of his self sacrifices and hung himself in Yggdrasil. He hung in the tree for nine days, and for this he gain power over the runes and all their secrets.
