I believe that many friends have only come into contact with the term "World Tree" through the two games of Dungeon Warriors or World of Warcraft.
In fact, in most of the Nordic literature, the "world tree" plays a very important role. Even film and television drama scripts such as "The Lord of the Rings", "Thor", "Game of Thrones" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" are inseparable from the literary framework of the "World Tree".
So what exactly is the "World Tree"? Why does it have such an impact? This issue may be able to help you answer these questions.
<h1>Precious historical documents</h1>
In 1643, a bishop named Bernzufa Schundhen received a book made of 45 pieces of soft velvet printed with poetry and prose from the oldest culture in Northern Europe.
The book, called the King's Book (Codex Regius in Latin), is said to have been written around 1270 and contains the entire contents of the "Tree of the World."
Between 1270 and 1643 AD, in order to protect them from the neo-religious destruction of Rome, the manuscripts were deliberately hidden from public view.
Bern zufa Svenschen
Of course, we don't know whose family protected the manuscript for more than 300 years, or what their specific intentions were. But we can be sure that this was definitely a top-secret and arduous task throughout the medieval period.
However, Bishop Bernzufa himself did not keep the manuscripts, but gave them as gifts to the King of Denmark. So, in Copenhagen, the manuscript was preserved for 3 centuries until it was returned to Iceland in 1971.
Interestingly, on this return mission, the Icelandic Navy also sent warships to transport it, because the Icelanders did not want to take any more risks to obtain this precious Nordic historical document.
<h1>The Tree of the World</h1>
When we open these ancient texts again, we are surprised to find that at the heart of Norwegian mythology often contains a literary symbol as old as a campfire: "Yggdrasil" Igdrasil – the Tree of the World.
I know of a ash tree called Yggdrasil;
A tall tree, soaked in shiny soil;
The dew from there fell in the valley,
Always green;
It stands above the Well of Destiny.
- Prophetic prophecies
1. Yggdrasil and the god Odin
Originally, the most satisfactory translation of the name "Yggdrasil" was actually "Odin's horse". Because "Ygg" is an alias for Odin, and "drasill" means "horse".
In addition, drasill also means "walker" walker or "pioneer" pioneer. So some scholars believe that the translation of the name should be "Odin's Walker" or "Odin's Pioneer". However, in some parts of the manuscript, yggdrasil and Odin mean the same thing, both representing the god Odin himself.
But Yggdrasil is not really taken literally, because in Norse mythology it is a sacred tree, the origin of all things, and it has a very close relationship with the god Odin.
We all know that the gods of Norse mythology are not perfect, like Odin sacrificing his left eye for knowledge, or hanging from the Tree of The World for nine days and nine nights in order to obtain a spear.
During the nine days when Odin hung on the tree of the world, he once uttered oracles such as "Sacrifice Yourself."
This actually reflects the unified relationship between divinity and tree in Norse mythology.
To emphasize this connection, we can also find the word "treow" in Old English, which means "tree and truth." So, etymologically and theologically, truth and the tree grow from the same root.
The first man and woman in Norse mythology
In Norse mythology, both men and women originate from trees – humans are children of ash and elm trees. The first born man, Ask, came out of the ash tree; the first woman, Embla, was born from the elm tree.
This scene is recorded in many ancient books, where "Ask and Embla sprout from the acorns given by the Tree of The World, then are collected by two storks and brought to the gods who aspire to be their mothers." ”
But in Scandinavian folklore, it is believed that children were born from knot holes in the trunks of pine trees, another version of the same myth.
Artur Lundkvist
And the writer Artur Lundkvist, one of the greatest tree admirers in the history of Swedish literature, after contemplating trees and forests, also wrote:
"There is a tree in every person, there is a person in every tree, and I feel that this tree will create miracles in people's hearts, and people are trapped in trees... The Sea of Forests is the second ocean on Earth, the ocean in which humans can roam. "The forest works silently, accomplishing the great works of nature; it works with the wind, purifies the air, eases the climate, forms the soil, protects us all the necessities without destroying them."
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree in modern culture actually originated from the "Yggdrasil" world tree.
Nordics usually plant a plant called a "conservation tree" or "guardian tree" in the center of the homestead. They are considered miniature versions of Yggdrasil and are also a stately landmark in the courtyard.
The "guardian tree" is thought to be a symbolic expression of the interdependence of the world around us, and it has a soul that follows the lives of those who grow up in its shade. And, if the Guardian Tree witnesses the growth of the family, then the relationship between the tree and the family will be strengthened.
Later, this emotional culture established with trees was brought to Europe by the Nordics during the Viking Age. They gradually evolved into what is now the "Christmas tree" after merging Christian doctrines.
The fragility of the World Tree
In addition, we also know from the ancient Piran script that the tree of the world in Norse mythology is not an entity that transcends time and space, but is alive, organic, fragile but powerful. It is constrained by the three dimensions of time : past, present, and future.
In literature, the fragility of the World Tree has always been a concern of the gods. Several "attacks" have been recorded in the books: a dragon called "the Bane Biter" burrowed into the very bottom of the World Tree to nibble on the core; and four deer named Dain, Dvalin, Duneyr, and Duratro took leaves from the World Tree to survive. But in the end they were all described as "as if dead," or "living in indifference, living in the fog."
So, in order to maintain the balance between animals and trees, on the roof of Wahara (the dwelling place of the gods), there are special goat gods "Heidrun" and deer gods "Heidrun" to nourish the World Tree – although they also feed from the branches of the World Tree, they will give back gifts: the goat provides it with honey, and the deer irrigate the roots of the World Tree with water from their antlers.
In Miyazaki's book "Princess Mononoke", the white deer god and the sacred tree appear, which borrows this allusion.
The patron saint of the World Tree "Past", "Present", "Future"
Unlike Shan and the Giant Wolf in Princess Mononoke, the protectors who guard the Tree of The World in Norse mythology are made up of three women.
All three of these intelligent women, all known as "the Norns," represent three different phases of time. They symbolize the past of Urd, the present of Verdandi, and the future of Skuld.
Every morning, from the leaves of the World Tree, a sweet dew drop is produced, flickering in the valley, which is our memory of yesterday.
Before the sun evaporates the dew, your, who represents the "past," collects this water of memory and injects it into the Well of Memory.
It is worth mentioning that there are also two sacred swans in the center of this well, which will face each other and form a heart shape with their long necks to catch the dew, thus creating the god Frey (the god of love and fertility), so true love also originates from this holy well.
"If the past is abandoned, memories are forgotten and roots dry up." This is the evaluation of Urd in ancient books.
And Verdadi, who symbolizes "now", will take care of the flowers that are blooming, where life is said to appear. Skuder, who represents the "future", will help the flower to move into the future and never wither.
Now that we know the background of the World Tree, let's talk about why it appears in so many literary works.
In addition to the above-mentioned "Princess Mononoke", film and television dramas and novels such as "The Lord of the Rings", "World of Warcraft", "Diablo" and "A Song of Ice and Fire" are inseparable from the control of the World Tree.
Because it is the foundation of Norse mythology, it is the originator of all myths.
1. Origins
Norse mythology is a polytheistic system that can be roughly divided into four systems: giants, gods, elves, and gnomes. Among them, the giants created the world and gave birth to the gods, but at the same time they are the greatest enemies of the gods, which can be understood as a personified natural force. The gods are divided into two tribes, the Asir tribe, headed by the main god Odin, and the Vanier tribe, headed by Niord, the god of the sea, of which there are twelve main gods. Elves and dwarves belong to the demigods, they serve the gods, but their specific origins are still very vague, belonging to the special creation of Germanic culture.
Moreover, in Norse mythology, there were originally only two regions in the world, one cold and one hot. There is a large, wide and deep crack between these two areas called the Kinnonga Crack. When hot and cold meet, that is, when flames and ice collide, smoke and water vapor rise, and then a giant Amir is born, which is the origin of the gods and the literary framework of Game of Thrones, aka A Song of Ice and Fire.
Therefore, the continent of Westeros in A Song of Ice and Fire can be either the real "Britain" or the mythical world of the Land of Ice and Fire.
What makes George Martin unique is that he perfectly fits Norse mythology with the "Plantagenet Dynasty" of Britain and France: the combination of myth and history, there are virtual and real, which is why this drama is so popular with people.
2. Nine worlds
In Norse mythology, the World Tree also created several branches to connect different races and civilizations. These branches eventually make up 9 worlds: Asgard, Alfheim, Nederweil, Midgard, Jotunheim, Warnerheim, Nivehrheim, Musparheim, and Hella.
The root system of the World Tree is rooted in the "spring water" of three different worlds. They are Asgard, inhabited by the Asa gods, the dark world of Nyfolheim and the world of the Frost Giants, Jotunheim.
In the film series Thor, Thor's planet is Asgard (the Divine Realm), and his sister Hela is out of Nyverheim (underworld) to take revenge. In addition, in "Thor 1", there are also Frost Giants who have appeared. (Of course, the film also features Thor's father, the God of Odin.) ）
The movie "The Lord of the Rings" is also based on the Nine Worlds, and the area inhabited by elves, humans and half-orcs in the film is actually the "Midgard" in the Nine Worlds, which means "Middle-earth".
Of course, there are many similar works of literature, all of which have deep roots in the World Tree and Norse mythology.
In Nordic literature, the Tree of the World is closely linked to our creation, preservation and destruction. It tells us about the relationship of trees to the fate of the world, it cares about our past, it records what we have lost, and it looks ahead to the season of blossoms.
That's why it's so important.
Wen 丨huo Yan
Literature for this article
1.Perman, Mikael. Mimer's Source (2014). Why is a tree used to symbolize the order of the world? Årgang, 17, No. 31 Page 6.
2.Hallgren, Henrik. The tree of the odin walker. Mimer's Source (2014). Årgang, 17, no. 31, page 8.
3.Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda, Tales from Norse Mythology, Dover Publications.
4.Mackenzie, Donald A. (1918) Teutonic Myth and Legend, The Gresham Publishing Company.
5.Metzner, Ralph (1994), The Well of Remembrance, Rediscovering the Earth Wisdom Myths of Northern Europe, Shambala Publications.