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Yggdrasil – The world tree

According to the Edda, a collection of Norse songs about gods and heroes compiled in Iceland towards the end of the 13th century, Yggdrasil is the world tree of Norse mythology. It embodies creation as a whole: spatially, temporally, and in terms of content. With its branches reaching up to the sky and its roots extending in three directions, Yggdrasil supports all worlds, such as Asgard (Aesir), Vanaheim (Vanir), Midgard (humans), Jotunheim (giants), Muspellsheim (world of fire), Svartalfaheim (black elves), Niflhel (world of mist, cold, and ice), and Hel (realm of the dead).   

The exact location of the worlds, such as Asgard, home of the gods, is not directly described. Asgard appears to lie above Midgard, the world of humans, as does Vanaheim, which was probably also home to a family of gods. 

Yggdrasil was probably intended to be an ash tree, but is also described as evergreen, which is why it has also been thought to be a yew tree. At the foot of Yggdrasil is the Well of Fate or Urd's Well, whose name comes from the Old Norse word urðr, meaning “fate.” Here, under the branches of the tree, the gods hold their deliberations, and nearby live the three Norns, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, who spin fate. There is also Mimir's Well, the well of the giant Mimir, where Odin sacrificed his eye as a pledge for the wisdom obtained from this source.