2026-08-22
The structure of Yggdrasil in the online course is an interpretation.
The literal translation of Yggdrasil or yggr's drasill would be 'The horse of Yggr'. Zoega translates Yggr as 'anxious'. But often Yggr is translated as 'the terrible one'. You can see Yggr as the symbol of your lower self, which is often terrible. In the mythology Yggr hung himself (or was hung) on the tree of worlds. After nine days he was initiated and transformed into Óðinn. See Óðinn as Hangatýr So Yggdrasil is a tool to transform your lower self into a divine being.
The old Germanic people had a notion of a tree of worlds. This is a common notion among shamanic people throughout the world. Siberian shamans believe they can travel across a tree, which connects the spirit worlds. See: Siberian shamanism and worldtree. In the QaBaLah, a heathen-Jewish tradition, there is the tree of life, with four divisions and worlds in each division. Ancient people in the region of Mexico also had a tree of worlds with ten worlds.
See Mesoamerican world tree and World tree.
In ancient Icelandic texts there are fragments of information about a tree of worlds. There is no complete system in these texts. Some texts contradict each other. It is more or less like the bible: you can find anything if you look hard enough.
If you want to read more on this subject go to Truth about the Germanic people.
Probably there were shamans and shamanic traditions, with a more or less complete system. Not 'complete' in the meaning that the system was finite, but in the meaning of comprehensive.
There never was an official doctrine for all tribes and all sibbes. Each sibbe had it's own system of philosophical, mythological and spiritual ideas. There were no heretics, because there was no church with a doctrine. From this we can conclude, that there was room for multiple complete systems about Yggdrasil or Irminsul.
The knowledge about Yggdrasil was kept by the Úlfheðnár. An Úlfheðnár was a shaman with the wolf as spirit animal. They were the original were-wolves. An Úlfheðnár was initiated by hanging her/him in a leather sack in a large tree for nine days and nights. This tree symbolized Yggdrasil. During these nine days and nights the initiate traveled through all the worlds of Yggdrasil.
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Germanic tribes lived from about 3500 BC to 100 AD. Each tribe had its own myths and customs. And they changed over time.
So we can not say things like: "The Germanic people were like this and they believed that".
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When authors use the label Óðinn, what are they referring to? Do different authors use the label Óðinn to refer to the same 'thing'?
I distinguish the following different meanings of Óðinn.
Óðinn as father of all, as Anima Solaris.
Óðinn as Hangatýr.
Woden woody as deity of the woods.
Óðinn as father of the fallen.
Óðinn as a heroic person, a king, a sorcerer, a con-artist.
the world tree of the old Germanic peoples. Meet the old 'gods', 'goddesses', ice-giants and fire-giants of ancient Europe.
25 cards for the 24 Runes of the elder Futhark
49 cards Ginnungagap and the worlds of Yggdrasil
20 cards for the four classes
And we start with Ginnunga-gap.
Ace
Warrior
Leader
Freeman (Freewoman)
Bondsman (Bondswoman)
yggr
anxious
drasill
horse
