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The Symbol of the World Tree - Part Three

© Linda Casselman

In these past three articles we have been exploring the symbol of the World Tree, Yggdrasill, in the eschatological myth of Ragnarok from Norse mythology. We looked at how it provides structure to the cosmos for the ancient Norse. And we have investigated possible meanings for the symbolic tree to the pagan people of the north. In this article, we will look at the connection between the fall of the Norse Gods and the World Tree.

The name of the Tree itself is related to the gods. Odin, the supreme father god, has a nickname - the Terrible One (Yggr). "Yggdrasill means 'the horse of Yggr'." Therefore, this implies that the Tree is the seat of Odin. Also, Odin sacrificed himself to himself by hanging in the Tree to discover the secret of runic wisdom; thus the Great Ash is also the Tree of Knowledge. For the ancient pagan Norseman, his gods were not all-knowing. But, they did have access to wisdom and it is the Tree that provided it. Furthermore, the gods did not have complete control over the happenings in the universe. They could only try to influence them, for the powers of nature will rise to defeat them during Ragnarok.

The Tree serves to remind the Norsemen that the gods are not omnipotent, nor are they omniscient. It builds a closer relationship between the humans and their gods for it is easier to accept death when one believes and accepts that the gods must perish to make way for a new pantheon who will rule over a reborn earth. Indeed, the Tree will tremble symbolically throwing Odin from his seat and it will shelter his sons for the new earth. The pagan Norseman's worldview then is one of uncontrollable change and uncertainty as they value the influence of their gods who try to counsel them in their unsettling world. The World Tree is an ancient Norseman's door to the gods.

What does the World Tree reveal about a pagan Norseman's perspective of history? No myths have been found to explain the origin of the Tree. Therefore, we must assume that the Norse people believed that is has somehow always existed. Perhaps, it has survived a previous universal catastrophe or maybe it came into being in the first cycle of life. The Tree connects all of the realms; thus it connects all forms of life - the divine or the sacred and the profane. It connects good as well as evil. The thread of life, therefore, passes through every living entity weaving a tapestry of the collective fate of all beings. As the World Tree is continuously gnawed at by Nidhoggr, it is always suffering and battling between good and evil. This constant deterioration seals the earth's fate to destruction. Though the earth will return, it first must be cleansed.