The Norns

Written by

Elin aka Mooselady

BA in Cultural heritage and BA in Archaeology from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Huge runestone enthusiast and history buff. Elin is using social media to bring awareness to the runestones, petroglyphs and early history of Scandinavia.

Table of content

Topics covered

Fateweaving underneath the roots of Yggdrasil

Norns are old fateweaving creatues whose backgrounds are wrapped in mystery. What we do know is that there are different types of norns. It is written:

“By many different backgrounds,
I have found the norns to be,
they are not of the same family,
some are of the Aesir,
some are of the elves,
and some are of Dvalins
daughters”
Gylfaginning

What we can read from this is that there are different norns from different backgrounds. The expression “Dvalins daugters” is a hint towards the dwarves of the nine realms. In this article we will be mainly focusing on the three sisters that live underneath the roots of Yggdrasil. The daughters of the giant Norfi (who is also the father of Nótt): Urdr, Verdandi and Skuld. But also talk to their likeness from other mythologies, as well as we will go through the place of textile-crafting in Norse mythology as well as some historical finds and theories.

Their dwelling and purpose

It is said that the three sisters lived inside of a mystical cave, situated underneath one of the huge roots of the Yggdrasil. Close to their remote home is the well of Urdr, with the root circulating around it. Every day the sisters would come out to sit by the well. Their faces has never been described, no one knows if they are old or young. Their faces are always hidden by the shadows of their veils. Every day they sat by the well and put magical white clay on the root in order to keep the world-tree green and alive. And every day after they were done with the root, they had the task of spinning the fate of gods, goddesses, women, children, and men. They also had the special task of holding the whole creation’s fate in their threads.

“Threads of fate
they with power plied,
meanwhile fortifications broke in Brålunda;
golden links
they easily arranged
and attached midmost
underneath the hall of the moon”
Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, Stanza 3.

Moirae

In Greek mythology the Moirae are the personifications of destiny, much like the Norns. They are also depicted as three threadspinning women, whose mother is the night goddess Nyx. It is said that Clotho was the spinner of threads, Lachesis was the sister which measured and Atropos the third sister was in charge of cutting the threads. When these threads were cut it meant that someone died. Just as with Norse mythology, not even the gods themselves can escape fate and even though Zeus in Greek myth’s have a close connection to the Moirae, he is also believed to be underneath the magic of their thread spinning powers.

Parcae

The Parcae is a part of the Roman mythology. These are also thread spinning personifications of destiny, which also is depicted in three women. The Parcae had power over suffering, birth and death. Their names were Nona who spun the thread, Decima who measured it and then Morta who had the power to cut the thread and thereby end a life.

Istustaya and Papaya

Istustaya and Papaya are two destiny goddesses from the Hittie mythology, who’s task was to spin the thread of fate.

A little on fate and weaving in Norse Mythology

Plying and weaving are in Norse mythology connected to fate and magic. There are finds that also connects to the importance of textile crafting in the Scandinavian Iron Age. The magical Völvas bore an iron staff resembling that of a common textile tool called “linfäste” or “linkäpp”. These tools have been made in tree and therefore earlier examples of these have gone missing or are yet to be found. A famous example of these staves is the “klintastaven” from Sweden, that is thought to depict a hall on the top of it. There is also the famous weaving knife dated to early 1100’s from Lödöse, Sweden, bearing a love poem in runes (ID VG 279). In Iron Age Scandinavia weaving and textile making was probably a task marked by status and reverence, since there has been finds in Iron Age graves of grave goods containing loom weights which were used during weaving (an example of object is 270389 dated to Viking Age from Björkö, Sweden). There are also several fragments of woven belts found from Birka, Sweden that incorporates metals, which also hints back to the Norns plying and weaving with golden threads, this was a technique that was well established during the iron age in Scandinavian weaving. Examples of these woven belts have been given the ID Vgde 15. There are many finds of weaving bricks, heddles and looms from the Iron Age in Scandinavia.

Besides the plying and weaving Norns there was Frigg. Frigg also spun threads out of gold and magical linen and then weaved the beautiful summer clouds. There’s also accounts of weaving in connection to the Valkyries, from the “Spearsong” Darraðarljóð (thought to be from circa 1015):

“Hild able to weave
and Hjörtrimul,
Sanngrid, Svipul
with swords pulled.
Spears may shake,
shields may clash,
the beasts of combat
biting into armors.

Irish shall be stricken
by days of misfortune
to never be forgotten
by the minds of men.
Woven be the weave,
the bank blooded,
messages of death be spoken,
around the land and kingdom.

Stricken by fear
is everything to see,
dripping bloody skies
passing over the heavens,
by fallens’ injuries
the air is coloured,
when the maidens of victory
sings their song”

The story continues with that the Valkyries tear the magical war weave apart and share parts of it between themselves.

Names of the Norns

The Norns names were a personification of their most important tasks. Urdr means “fate”, Verdandi means “what is” and Skuld “necessity”.Together they are the Norns, which means “the fates”.

“I know of an ash tree,
named Yggdrasil;
the tall tree trunk
is sprinkled with white gravel.
From there the dew,
as in valleys fall;
she is eternally evergreen
over the well of Urdr.

There from comes women,
who knows a lot;
three from the hall,
that underneath the tree stands upon.
Urdr is one,
the other Verdandi;
on wood they carved
Skuld as the third.
Lottery of luck,
life and death,
faiths of heroes,
everything starts with them.”

Translation out of the Voluspa, stanza 22-23, from Swedish to English. This poetry is thought to have been made during around the years 900-1100 AD.

Final words!

Thanks for reading and hopefully the norns have something nice planned for you soon!

– Elin aka MooseLady