Symbol reference · Galdrastafir
Yggdrasil
/ˈɪɡdrəsɪl/Old Norse Yggdrasill, masculine noun: Yggr (Odin) + drasill (steed)
The short answer
The immense ash tree at the centre of the Norse cosmos, binding together the nine worlds. Its three roots reach three wells; an eagle, a serpent and a squirrel live in its branches. It is described in the Poetic and Prose Edda: its name most likely means 'Odin's steed'.
Yggdrasil is the axis of the Norse universe. In the Eddic poems Völuspá and Grímnismál, and in Snorri's Gylfaginning, it is a vast ash whose limbs spread over the whole world and whose three roots reach to three realms: the well of Urðr where the gods hold court, Mímir's well of wisdom, and Hvergelmir in the cold below.
It teems with creatures: an eagle sits in its crown, the serpent Níðhǫggr gnaws its roots, the squirrel Ratatoskr runs slander between them, and four harts browse its leaves. The tree suffers constantly yet endures: a living image of a cosmos under strain.
Its name is the honest surprise. The accepted reading is 'Odin's steed': Yggr is a name of Odin ('the terrible one'), drasill means horse. The 'horse' is the gallows, in Hávamál Odin hangs himself on a windy tree nine nights, pierced by a spear, to seize the runes. To 'ride Odin's steed' is to hang; the world-tree is named for that ordeal, not for 'life'.
All of this is textual, from 13th-century Iceland. No surviving Viking-Age image is securely identified as Yggdrasil; the concept is preserved in poetry, not in a datable carving.
It teems with creatures: an eagle sits in its crown, the serpent Níðhǫggr gnaws its roots, the squirrel Ratatoskr runs slander between them, and four harts browse its leaves. The tree suffers constantly yet endures: a living image of a cosmos under strain.
Its name is the honest surprise. The accepted reading is 'Odin's steed': Yggr is a name of Odin ('the terrible one'), drasill means horse. The 'horse' is the gallows, in Hávamál Odin hangs himself on a windy tree nine nights, pierced by a spear, to seize the runes. To 'ride Odin's steed' is to hang; the world-tree is named for that ordeal, not for 'life'.
All of this is textual, from 13th-century Iceland. No surviving Viking-Age image is securely identified as Yggdrasil; the concept is preserved in poetry, not in a datable carving.
Primary source Verbatim
Askr Yggdrasils, hann er œztr viða.
The ash Yggdrasil, it is the greatest of trees.
GRÍMNISMÁL, st. 44 · translation editorial
Etymology
Yggr
Old Norse
'the terrible one' — a name of Odin
drasill
Old Norse
steed, horse
'Odin's steed': the tree named after the gallows Odin rode when he hung to win the runes.
Common misconceptions
Common claim
What the record says
“'Yggdrasil' means 'tree of life'”
The most accepted reading is 'Odin's steed' — Yggr (Odin) + drasill (horse). It refers to the gallows Odin 'rode' when he hung himself on the tree to win the runes; a grim image, not 'tree of life', which is a modern gloss.
“Viking-Age carvings depict Yggdrasil”
The tree is known from 13th-century Eddic poems and Snorri. No surviving Viking-Age image is securely identified as Yggdrasil; tree motifs sometimes cited (e.g. the Överhogdal tapestry) are debated identifications, not certain ones.
“It is definitely an ash tree”
The sources call it an ash (askr), but they also describe it as evergreen and ever-dripping, which has prompted scholarly debate (a yew?). The texts say ash; the botanical reality is a poetic image, not a species record.
Frequently asked questions
What does Yggdrasil mean?
Odin's steed. Yggr is a name of Odin, the terrible one, and drasill means horse - but the horse is the gallows. In Havamal Odin hangs on a windy tree nine nights, pierced by a spear, to seize the runes. To ride Odin's steed is to hang, so the world-tree is named for that ordeal, not for life.
What kind of tree is Yggdrasil?
An ash. Grimnismal calls it askr Yggdrasils, the ash Yggdrasil, and says it is the greatest of trees.
What are Yggdrasil's three roots?
They reach three realms: the well of Urdr where the gods hold court, Mimir's well of wisdom, and Hvergelmir in the cold below.
What creatures live in Yggdrasil?
An eagle sits in the crown, the serpent Nidhoggr gnaws the roots, the squirrel Ratatoskr carries slander between them, and four harts browse the leaves. The wider bestiary is covered in our guide to Norse mythology creatures.
Are there Viking-Age images of Yggdrasil?
No securely identified ones. The world-tree is preserved in 13th-century Icelandic poetry - Voluspa, Grimnismal and Snorri's Gylfaginning - not in a datable carving.
Bibliography
- 1. Völuspá and Grímnismál, in the Poetic Edda. Codex Regius, GKS 2365 4to, c. 1270.
- 2. Snorri Sturluson, Prose Edda: Gylfaginning (the ash Yggdrasill and its three roots). Iceland, c. 1220.
- 3. Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology, s.v. 'Yggdrasill'. D. S. Brewer, 1993.
Cite this entry
Bjarke Gunnar. “Yggdrasil.” VikingsBrand Library, reviewed 24 July 2026, vikingsbrand.co/pages/library/yggdrasil.