The Yggdrasil Tree Worlds. Part 1.
The Yggdrasil tree is the structure of the system, the description of the Universe of gods and humans in the Scandinavian tradition.
The Yggdrasil tree system will exist as long as it has nourishment.
But the viability of the entire system depends not only on the sources of nourishment. The Yggdrasil ash is constantly subjected to the influence of external forces, intending to kill it, destroy the creation of the gods, and thwart their plan.
The nine worlds and 24 runes. There are reversible runes and irreversible runes. There are exactly 9 irreversible runes, one for each World.
In the system of the Nine Worlds, the place of humans is defined in the middle world of Midgard. If you look at the location of Midgard on the tree, it is easy to notice that many connections extend to the human middle world, but these connections are not with all worlds, but only with certain ones. What are these worlds, and why do they influence our world directly, while all others do that indirectly through them? The answer to this question is hidden in the cosmological myths of the northern tradition.
Now, let’s discuss each world in more detail.
Muspelheimr. World of Primordial Fire
Muspelheimr is an unimaginable world of energy that provides the impulse for any development and the initiation of any system. It is a force capable of bringing about change and creation. This is the fire in the forge, the fire of the Titans, the fire of Prometheus, the primal substance of creation, the Grail of the rejected.
The fire of Muspell is precisely that primordial force capable of dividing everything into the smallest parts and allowing them to manifest independently, infusing each separated part with a particle of primordial life. The power of the giant Surt, his fiery resource, is the only thing capable of melting the ice of Niflheimr, altering and transforming the immutable basic constants, giving them the opportunity to change.
However, in the “Gylfaginning,” it is said about Muspell:
“And no one can go there who is not from there or does not have kin there.”
Niflheimr. The World of Ice
Literally “the world of darkness,” “the world of gloom,” or “dark lands.” The poisonous river Elivagar, which flows there, turns everything it touches into ice. It is a world of constants and immutability. Here, in the world of eternal ice, under the watchful eyes of the frost giants (Jotnar), the primordial information of creation is stored—the meaning and essence of what is happening.
Here is where things must not change under any circumstances. The constants upon which all the worlds of Yggdrasil’s Tree rely. Here, in the world of frost giants, lies one of the tree’s roots, its foundation and source of nourishment.
Of the runes of the gods and the giants’ race
The truth indeed can I tell,
(For to every world have I won;)
To nine worlds came I, to Niflhel beneath,
The home where dead men dwell.
(The Poetic Edda. Vafthruthnismol)
Asgard. The World of Law
This world did not form immediately but rather when the young gods, led by Odin, decided to embark on their own project.
Asgard is an informational structure and exists both here and not here, in another space, in another time. But our reality is encompassed within it, like the yolk in an egg, like a seed in an apple, like the brain in a human body.
It is everywhere and nowhere. It is a world that permeates all worlds and can influence every one of them.
Asgard is the place where the gods reside. Each god who has influence over events in all Nine Worlds has their own hall in Asgard. Having a hall symbolizes the right to rule and participate in governance.
In modern terms, Asgard is the control centre of the system, representing power and law. Here, foundational principles (not rules, but principles) are established upon which the entire system of created reality is built and operates.
They shine with gold, and eternal happiness is destined for their inhabitants. Valhalla is surrounded by a river, separating the living from the dead, and the entrance to the halls is through special gates. In front of the gates is a grove called Glasir. All the leaves on its trees are made of red gold, shining and sparkling so brightly that it hurts the eyes to look. It is the most beautiful forest among gods and men.
Textbook to the 2nd course (Runes and Gods) of the Runes Department.
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