YGGDRASIL

Yggdrasil is the immense ash tree at the center of Norse cosmology, commonly described as the world tree. It is believed to bind and sustain the nine realms, serving as the axis of the cosmos and a focus of divine life and fate.

Three roots extend to different realms: one reaches Asgard, another to Jötunheimr, and the third toward Niflheim. The root near Asgard is associated with Urðarbrunnr, the Well of Fate tended by the Norns. The root toward Niflheim reaches Hvergelmir, source of many springs and home to the dragon Níðhöggr, who gnaws at the root. In the tree's branches sits an eagle, and a red squirrel, Ratatoskr, carries messages between the eagle and the dragon. A stag with many antlers stands among the boughs.

In Norse myth, Yggdrasil also serves as a setting for divine action and knowledge. Odin, seeking wisdom, hung himself from Yggdrasil for nine nights to gain knowledge of the runes, a rite of sacrifice and revelation. The name Yggdrasil is Old Norse, often interpreted as "Odin's horse" though the exact meaning remains debated. The tree appears in both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, as a central image in Norse literature.

Yggdrasil has been used as a symbol of life, growth, and fate in Norse mythology and later popular culture, influencing modern fantasy and related works.