The Norns
Next in order to the major gods and goddesses were other powerful
divinities, and besides, certain supernatural beings of a lower
degree. Most
highly regarded were probably the Norns, the goddesses of Destiny.
Though their number was rather large, three of them were more
prominent
than the rest, namely, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, who dwelt beneath
Yggdrasil, beside the well which after Urd is called Urd’s Well,
where two
swans resort, where the branches of Yggdrasil drip honey dew, and
where
the gods meet in solemn assembly. The Norns control the destiny of
all
men and even of the Æsir themselves; and they direct the immutable
laws
of the universe. At the birth of every child the Norns are present
to
determine its fate, and no man lives one day longer than the Norns
grant
him leave. There are both good and evil Norns; but the decrees of
all alike
must be obeyed.
Sources:
Peter
Andreas Munch: Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods
and Heroes. The American-Scandinavian Foundation, New
York. 1926, pp. 30-31.
Rasmus B. Anderson (Ed.): The Elder Eddas of Saemund
Sigfusson and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson.
Norræna Society, London-New York. 1906.
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