Page 17 - Carrollton 1992

In Morse mythology, "Yggdrasill" is the name of an ash tree whose branches extended up
into the heavens and whose three roots were thrust far Into the under world. This tree sym­
bolized all existence and was a vital poetic element in Morse belief. Its name means "the
bearer of Odin" -who was the inventor of poetry, magic, and the one who became the wisest
and greatest of the gods. It is a metaphor for the gallows on which Odin is said to have
hung for nine days, a sacrifice to himself. The tree itself is exposed to "more anguish than
men can know," for its roots are gnawed by serpents and its leaves by four stags, symboliz­
ing apparently the endless conflict between life and death. Under its spreading branches the
gods met in solemn assembly and drank from the sacred well of Fate.