In the middle of Asgard grows the ashtree  Yggdrasil. It has branches that stretch out all over the world. Under the Yggdrasil the aesir meet every dag for negotioations. To get there they have to ride over the rainbowbridge called Bifrost.
 Ygg (The Terrible) is one of the names of Odin. Once he was hanging on Yggdrasil for nine days and nights. He was pierced by his own spear, sacrificed to himself. While he was hanging on the tree, tormented by hunger, thirst and pain, he had the vision of the runes.
Many animals live on Yggdrasil. The goat Heidrun eats the leaves while the four deer named Daalin, Dvalin, Dunoeyr and Duratro are chewing the buds. In the treetop sits a wise eagle and between his eyes sits a hawk named Verfolne. The squirrel Ratatosk runs up and down along the tree and brings gossip and ill will between the eagle and the serpent Nidhogg in Nivlheim.
Yggdrasil has three roots and by each root there is a well: Hvergjelme (the well of Hel) in Nivlheim, the well of Mime by Jotunheimen and the well of Urd in Asgard.
The dew from the tree is called honeydew and it is food for the bees.
I brønnen Hvergjelme kryr det av ormer. En av dem er Nidhogg. Den ligger og gnager på Yggdrasils rot og forsøker ustanselig å gnage den i stykker, slik at Yggdrasil skal råtne og dø. Men hver kveld øser nornene Urd, Verdande og Skuld vann fra Urdebrønnen over sårene på røttene, slik at treet ikke råtner. Hvis treet råtner eller felles, går verden under. Vannet er så hellig at alt som dyppes i brønnen blir hvitt som innsiden av et eggeskall.
Når vi har jordskjelv her oppe på jorden, så er det fordi Nidhogg hugger til på Yggdrasils rot. Men til tross for Nidhoggs stadige gnaging og bitt, og til tross for at vær og vind river i bark og grener og blader, har Yggdrasil en egen livskraft som gjør at treet gjennom all tid står oppreist og sterkt.
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