Norns

For other uses, see Norns (disambiguation).
The Norns spin the threads of fate at the foot of Yggdrasil, the tree of the world. Beneath them is the well Urðarbrunnr with the two swans that have engendered all the swans in the world.
The Norns (1889) by Johannes Gehrts.

The Norns (Old Norse: norn [ˈnorn], plural: nornir [ˈnornɪr]) are deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies.[1]

In the Völuspá, the three primary Norns Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld draw water from Urðarbrunnr to nourish Yggdrasill, the tree at the center of the cosmos, and prevent it from rot.[2] These three Norns are described as powerful women whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods. The Norns are also described as maidens of Mögþrasir in Vafþrúðnismál.[2]

Beside the tending to Yggdrasill, Old Norse sources attest to Norns who visit a newborn child in order to determine the person's future.[3] These Norns could be malevolent or benevolent, bringing tragic or beneficial events respectively.[2]

  1. ^ Nordisk familjebok (1907)
  2. ^ a b c The article Nornor in Nordisk familjebok (1913).
  3. ^ Sturluson, Snorri (1995). "Gylfaginning". Edda. London, England: J.M. Dent. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-4608-7616-2.