The Norns

The Norns are not goddesses in the usual sense, but something much older and more powerful.

There are three of them — Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, also called Fate, Being, and Necessity. They decide the destiny of every living being by weaving the threads of life, and with their scissors always close at hand they determine how long each thread will be and which destinies will be entwined. When a thread is snipped, that life comes to an end.

Even the gods are subject to fate, and not even Odin is told the length of his own thread. The Norns live in a hall under the root of Yggdrasil, beside the Well of Urd, and each morning they water the world tree with white clay from the well so that it does not rot.

The illustration is from the book Norse Gods.

This poster is available in three sizes — 30×40 cm / 12×16″, 50×70 cm / 20×28″, and 70×100 cm / 28×40″. Printed on semi-glossy, 170 gsm (65 lb) paper, FSC-certified or equivalent for sustainability.