Yggdrasil is the Tree of Life in Norse Mythology The name Yggdrasil is derived from the word yggr meaning terror and the word drasil meaning horse and is translated to “the tree of terror”. It serves as the connector of the 9 different realms in Norse Mythology with one of its roots connecting to each realm including Asgard: the home of the gods, Midgard or Earth, Vanaheim: home to the Vanir, Jotunheim: home of the giants, Alfheim: realm of the elves, Svartalfheim: realm of the dark elves, Niflheim: the realm of ice, Muspelheim: the realm of fire, and Helheim the land of the dead. The tree was also seen as a great importance to Norse myth as it was said that the gods would meet at the tree each day and that the gods would go to Yggdrasil to gain knowledge and wisdom. Living in the tree is said to be an eagle and a serpent. The eagle represents the sky and knowledge, and the serpent represents death and decay.
The 9 Realms
Asgard
Asgard is the home of the Aesir gods and a resting place for the dead. The name Asgard is derived from the Norse language ass meaning God and gard meaning enclosure, garden, or yard. Asgard also was home to the halls of Valhalla. Asgard was as close to prefect civilization as was possible in the 9 realms. Asgard was connected to Midgard by the Bifrost which was a rainbow bridge guarded by a person named Heimdall. Asgard was a place of beauty, grandeur and unearthly size. Asgard was one realm upon Yggdrasil and was entirely dependent on Yggdrasil for its structure and vitality.
Midgard
Midgard in Norse myth was the home for the humans or what some called the “middle enclosure”. The name Midgard is derived from the Norse language as mid which means mid or middle and gard meaning enclosure, yard, or garden. It was in the middle of Yggdrasil. The middle position on Yggdrasil was a symbol of Midgard’s position between the civilized Asgard and the uncivilized Jotunheim. Midgard was created from the body of Ymir. Midgard was in the middle of an unpassable ocean that held the serpent Jörmungandr. Jörmungandr held his tail in his mouth which encircled Midgard entirely. The realm of Midgard was connected to the realm of Asgard via the Bifrost.
Vanaheim
Vanaheim was one of the realms that was home of the Vanir deities. Vanaheim was derived from the Norse language as vana referring to the Norse tribe of Vanir and heim meaning home. Vanaheim is most popular for being the birthplace of Njord who was the patriarch of the Vanir. Nothing is explicitly explained about the land or what it looks like from older texts or poems. Vanaheim was a realm that had a lot to do with farming and fishing. The people of Vanaheim called upon the gods often to help them have good harvests and good weather for fishing.
Jotunheim
Jotunheim was the land of the Jotunn, the non-divine, or the non-human. The name was derived from Old Norse as jotunn means Jotunn and heim means home. The people of Jotunheim were almost always at war with the people of Asgard. Jotunheim was usually associated with conflict as almost every time it is mentioned the is usually some kind of conflict going on. It was also quite common for Thor to go to Jotunheim as in Norse myth he had lost his hammer Mjolnir there and would often go there to relief conflict. Jotunheim was also a popular place to be banished as Loki lured Idun into the forests of Asgard and banished her to Jotunheim.
Alfheim
Alfheim was the home of the elves in Norse myth. There we two kinds of elves; the Dark Elves and the Light Elves. There aren’t any actual descriptions of Alfheim, but it is thought to have been extremely light and extremely dark for the characteristics of its elves. The name was derived from Old Norse as alf meaning elf and heim meaning home or home of the elves. Alfheim is described as in the heavens on the world tree Yggdrasil. It was also thought to be a very enchanted place. The light elves were very powerful and wielded magic and were often associated with gods and the dark elves were not really described as having any powers but lived below the surface of Alfheim
Svartalfheim or Nidavellir
Svartalfheim or Nidavellir is a realm that is home to the dwarves or dark elves. Svartalfheim is Old Norse as svartalf means dark or black elves and heim meaning home. Nidavellir (the other pronunciation) is Old Norse, and it is translated as “Low Fields” or “Dark Fields”. The realm had a population of dwarves or dark elves that worked underground as craftsmen or blacksmiths. It was also thought to be the place that most magic or powerful tools in Norse myth were made such as Mjolnir, Odin’s magic ring, and spear. It was thought that the dark elves or dwarves were made from Ymir’s rotting flesh and that they had specials powers that may include shapeshifting.
Niflheim
Niflheim was the realm of elemental cold and ice. It was thought to have been the birthplace of Ymir, the giant who was slain by Odin to create Midgard (Earth) and Buri who was the first of the Aesir gods. The name Niflheim is Old Norse and can be translated as nifl being mist and heim being home and would be translated to “home of the mist” put all together. Niflheim and Muspelheim slowly grew over the Ginnungagap or the “Yawning Void” and slowly with Niflheim’s ice and Muspelheim’s heat created Ymir who was eventually slain by Odin to create Midgard. Odin was also the one who appointed Niflheims leader, Hel. She was expelled from Jotunheim and was brought to Niflheim to rule over the dead.
Muspelheim
Muspelheim was the realm of elemental heat and fire. It was one of the realms that helped create the giant Ymir. The name Muspelheim is Old Norse as muspell means “the fiery end” and heim meaning home. The word muspell might have referred to the fire giant Surt who was fated to lead a group of fire warriors from the realm Muspelheim during Ragnarok to fight the gods which would ultimately end up ending the world, just as the prophecies or Ragnarok had stated. Just like Niflheim, Muspelheim helped create the giant Ymir, who was slain by Odin to create Midgard. Muspelheim is typically represented as being at the bottom of the world tree Yggdrasil.
Helheim
Helheim, also known as Hel, is a place where some of the dead dwell. It was ruled by the goddess Hel and was an underworld. In Norse myth the underworld isn’t considered a negative place but more as a neutral or positive place where the person can have another life. Hel was a place that they would basically live another life, they would fight eat, drink, sleep etc. It wasn’t considered a place of torment as it was just a continuation of life. When someone went to Hel, they had to go on a journey called Helvegr translated to “The Road” or “Way to Hel”. This would be the path one took to the realm of Hel. It was also common for people to travel to Hel to recover a spirit of someone or obtain knowledge from the dead.
