Thread by @of_mythology

THE STORY OF YGGDRASIL THE TREE OF LIFE, AND THE NINE REALMS.
Norse Mythology.

Yggdrasil was a mythical tree in norse mythology. It was known as the tree of life and it connected the nine realms/worlds in norse mythology.
Yggdrasil was the most perfect tree to exist. Its roots were so glorious that they extended to the three most distant worlds: Jotunheim,

Niflheim and Helheim. It was also supported by roots that extend to the well of Urdarbrunnr(as seen below)

The leaves and fruits of Yggdrasil had magical properties. It was known that when a person ate one of its fruits, any wound they had would be healed immediately.

On the top most branch of Yggdrasil sits an eagle and the beating of its wings causes the winds in the world of men.

On the other hand, the great serpent Nidhogg dwells at the foot of the tree. It was said that the eagle and the serpent hated each other immensely and would hurl insults at one another day and night

The squirrel Ratatoskr, who lived in the tree with them, would carry the insults from one party to the other. Sometimes, Ratatoskr would purposely exaggerate said insults just so he could see the eagle and the serpent angry at each other. It was a form of amusement for him.

Yggdrasil held together the nine realms of norse mythology till the day of Ragnorak the final battle.
The nine realms were:
Asgard
Alfheim
Muspelheim
Niflheim
Helheim
Nidavellir
Jotunheim
Midgard
Vanaheim

ASGARD; THE REALM OF THE AESIR
Connected to Midgard by the Bifrost bridge, Asgard was the home of the Aesir. It was surrounded by an unfinished wall and is the location of Valhalla, Odin's famous hall that houses his throne. It was ruled over by Odin and was the home of many gods

ALFHEIM; THE REALM OF THE BRIGHT ELVES
The bright elves were said to be brighter than the sun itself. They were magical beings and beautiful creatures. They inspired the arts, music, and all forms of creativity in general. This realm was ruled over by the Vanir god Freyr.

MUSPELHEIM; REALM OF THE FIRE GIANTS
This was the realm of fire and heat. The fire giant Surtr, the bringer of flames, lives in this realm and would only emerge at Ragnorak to destroy Asgard and everything else. The fire from Surtr would melt everything, including Yggdrasil.

NIFLHEIM; REALM OF ICE AND MIST
Direct opposite of Muspelheim, it was the oldest of the nine realms and is where all life began. It is here that Hvergelmir springs. Hvergrlmir(second image) is one of the pools that feeds the roots of Yggdrasil.

Some versions of norse mythology say Niflheim is where Odin threw Hela and gave her power over the dead and the lives of those in the nine realms

HELHEIM; REALM OF THE DEAD
Access to this realm was only through an old wooden bridge with a roof of gold. This was a realm long and dark, hidden by valleys of the darkest of nights. For some, it was the end destination of those who had lived a wicked life or died of old age...

..while to others, it was a strange imitation of life of those who were not swept up to Valhalla. The one thing that was for sure is there was no coming back from there.

NIDAVELLIR; REALM OF THE DWARVES
This was the home of the dwarves who were known to have made some of the most famous gifts for the gods of Asgard. Some of their gifts were Gungnir, the spear of Odin(2nd frame), Hildisvini the golden bull of Freya(3rd frame) and....

Mjolnir, the most famous gift of the dwarves, the hammer of Thor.

The dwarves were not always kind and generous. Some were quite wicked and greedy, sometimes even violent. One dwarf in particular named Fafnir killed his brother in exchange for riches. Later, he transformed into a dragon in order to protect his riches.

JOTUNHEIM; REALM OF THE GIANTS
Located between Asgard and Midgard, this was the home of the giants. This was also where Loki, the god of mischief, was born. Loki was known to have loved this realm immensely as he constantly lured Thor into the clutches of one giant or the other.

Jotunheim was also the home of Mimir's well of wisdom, a well Odin once travelled to to obtain some wisdom by drinking from the well. Before he was allowed to drink from the well, he was told to sacrifice an eye, which he did. This was how Odin lost an eye.

MIDGARD; REALM OF THE HUMANS
This is the realm of humans and was first populated by Ask and Embla. It was from them all other people descended. After Ymir, the first giant, was killed by Odin, Veil and Ve, Midgard was formed from his corpse. Around Midgard is a bounding....

ocean and around that ocean circles the great serpent Jormungandr. When Ragnorak takes place, Jormungandr will rise and poison the ocean and the sky. It will destroy Midgard before going to fight in the final battle where it will be the end of Thor.

VANAHEIM; REALM OF THE VANIR
This is the realm of the Vanir. They were the gods that came before the gods(Aesir). They are associated with fertility and magic. At a point, there would be a war between the Vanirs and the Aesirs. No specific reason for this war would be stated..

but it is assumed that it was because the Aesirs did not agree with many of the practices of the Vanirs, one of which was incest. After a long time, a peace treaty would emerge and it would be maintained by the gods exchanging hostages. The Vanir god Njord and his two children...

Freyr and Frejyr would move to Asgard to live.

End of thread.
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