Verdandi

Verdandi is a figure from Norse mythology, one of the three Norns who oversee fate. Along with Urd, the past, and Skuld, the future, Verdandi embodies the present moment. The Norns are traditionally depicted as supernatural beings who determine the destinies of gods and mortals, weaving the threads of fate at the well Urðarbrunnr beneath the world tree Yggdrasil.

The name Verdandi comes from Old Norse verdandi, meaning "becoming" or "that which is happening now." As the present, she represents the ongoing course of events and the state of becoming in the tapestry of fate. While Urd is associated with the past and Skuld with the future, Verdandi links the sequence of fate to the present moment.

In Norse literature, the Norns appear in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, but Verdandi is less elaborated than her sisters. Their power is great but not absolute; the myths often emphasize that even rulers and heroes are subject to fate, albeit with limited human agency within a larger order.

In modern times, Verdandi has appeared in various adaptations in literature, games, and neo-pagan practice. In these contexts, she is sometimes treated as a goddess or personification of the present, though interpretations vary and there is no single canonical representation.