Many Norns exist in time,
Elf-born, dwarf-born, and divine.
But the great three sisters tend the well
Where Yggdrasil's roots still dwell.
Below the World Tree, roots run deep;
The Norns guard fate while mortals sleep.
Ever knowing, sisters three,
What has been, and what will be.
Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld—
They know what must be culled.
Ever weaving fate's own thread,
All is known—alive and dead.
Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld—
They know what must be culled.
At the Well they tend the Tree;
Even gods must bend the knee.
Norna dómr—judgments cast,
Made King Halfdan breathe his last.
Dragon Fafnir knew them well;
Truths to Sigurd he did tell.
Ever weaving the web of fate,
They're ne'er too early nor too late.
When babes first take to mother's breast,
The Norns decree if cursed or blessed.
Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld—
They know what must be culled.
Ever weaving fate's own thread,
All is known—alive and dead.
Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld—
They know what must be culled.
At the Well they tend the Tree;
Even gods must bend the knee.
Odin sought forbidden lore,
Gave his eye to know far more.
What was told could not undo;
None could change the fate they knew.
When Fenrir breaks the binding chain,
Fire and frost, then Asgard's bane.
Still the sisters mind their thread,
Counting gods among the dead.
Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld—
They know what must be culled.
Ever weaving fate's own thread,
All is known—alive and dead.
Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld—
They know what must be culled.
At the Well they tend the Tree;
Even gods must bend the knee.
About the Myth
Beneath the roots of Yggdrasil, three sisters tend an ancient well. Urðr (”What Has Been”), Verðandi (”What Is Becoming”), and Skuld (”What Must Be”) are the most famous of the Norns, though the medieval sources describe many others—beings of divine, elven, and dwarven origin, each shaping fate in their own domain.
The three sisters dwell beside Urðarbrunnr, the Well of Urðr, where each day they draw water and sacred white clay to nourish Yggdrasil’s roots and preserve the cosmic order itself. According to the Prose Edda, the clay is so pure that it whitens the bark of the World Tree. They are also said to visit every newborn child, shaping the course of each life from its very beginning.
Even the gods cannot escape what the Norns decree. Their judgments (Norna dómr) are invoked throughout the sagas to explain the deaths of kings, while the dragon Fáfnir speaks of their power to Sigurd. Odin himself sacrifices an eye in his endless pursuit of wisdom, yet even he cannot alter the doom that awaits the gods at Ragnarök.
This ballad draws from the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Icelandic sagas, celebrating one of the central ideas of Norse mythology: that fate is older than kings, older than gods, and endures even beyond the end of the world.
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I love this. Myth and legend travelling across the eons. Wonderfully written. It was a real pleasure to experience. Thank You.
I have a soft spot for Norse Mythology. Thank you for this.