Yggdrasil – the world tree that binds the universe

Yggdrasil was the mighty world tree in the Viking cosmos and was believed to bind together the nine worlds. These included:

• Asgard – the home of the gods, where Odin and the other asa gods lived.
• Middle-earth – the world of humans, where ordinary people lived their lives.
• Jotunheim – the realm of the giants, filled with creatures who were often in conflict with the gods.
• Vanaheim – the home of the Vana gods, connected to fertility and prosperity.
• Alfheim – the bright and magical world of the elves.
• Svartalfheim – home of dark elves and dwarves, place for blacksmithing and crafts.
• Muspelheim – the fiery land, home of the fire giants.
• Niflheim – ice and cold, place of fog and cold rivers.
• Helheim – the realm of the dead, where the dead who did not die in battle ended up.

The tree symbolized the cycles of life, balance, and the fate of all beings . Under its branches lived the Norns, who spin the fate of both gods and humans , and at its roots flowed the waters of life and the springs of wisdom. Stories of squirrels playing among the roots and the dragon Nidhöggr gnawing at the trunk remind us that the world is constantly threatened by chaos, yet is held together.

Vikings saw Yggdrasil as more than a cosmic tree – it was a symbol of the structure of the universe and man's place in the world. Sacred trees and springs often became places of meditation, sacrifices and festivals, where people sought advice, health or the blessing of the gods.