20 February 2011

Visualizing Yggdrasil


This is an image of Yggdrasil from the Mythology Wiki. Of course, there are a plethora of images, but let's begin also with some idea of what this tree looks like! The squirrel on Yggdrasil is Ratatosk, who runs up and down the tree, carrying insults from the eagle at the top of the tree to Nidhogg, the root-gnawing serpent in Niflheim at the bottom (info from The Illustrated Book of Myths). Yggdrasil, according to the Mythology Wiki, connects the nine worlds of Norse mythology.

For good measure, I should point out that there are many Trees of Life from diverse mythological traditions. I love the intricacy of the Norse version, but it is, by no means, unique. The belief in interconnectedness and traditions of nature worship are definitely time-honoured paths towards human wisdom!

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