Norns facts for kids
The Norns are powerful female beings in Norse mythology. They are like goddesses who decide everyone's fate – what will happen in their lives. They are known for controlling destiny, not just for people, but even for the gods themselves!
There are three main Norns, and each one represents a different part of time:
- Urd (or Urðr) stands for the past, meaning "what has been."
- Verdandi (or Verðandi) represents the present, meaning "what is."
- Skuld stands for the future, meaning "what is to come." Interestingly, Skuld is also the name of a Valkyrie, a female warrior who guides fallen heroes to Valhalla.
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The Norns and Destiny
The Norns play a very important role in Norse myths. They live at the base of the giant ash tree called Yggdrasil, which is the "world tree" connecting all parts of the cosmos. Some stories say they live near the Bifröst bridge, which is the rainbow bridge to Asgard, the home of the gods.
Spinning the Threads of Life
The Norns are often shown spinning threads and weaving a huge tapestry. This tapestry is like a giant fabric of all the fates in the world. Each person's life is a single thread in their loom. The length of a thread decides how long a person will live.
Even the mighty gods have their own threads in this tapestry. This means that even the gods are not truly immortal or in control of everything. Their destinies are also set by the Norns. The Norns keep these threads hidden from the gods. This shows that everything is planned out beforehand. In this view of the world, there is no such thing as luck or randomness; everything is determined by destiny.
Norns in Other Mythologies
The idea of powerful beings who control destiny isn't just found in Norse mythology. Other ancient cultures had similar figures:
- The ancient Greeks had deities called the Moirae.
- The ancient Romans called their destiny-weavers the Parcae.
These groups all shared the belief that some higher power decided the course of life.
Norns in Modern Culture
The Norns have appeared in many stories and artworks over time. For example, they are featured at the beginning of Richard Wagner's famous opera called Götterdämmerung. In this opera, the Norns foretell the downfall of the gods when one of their threads of fate breaks, showing how important their role is even in epic tales.
Images for kids
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Norse mythology, Sjódreygil and the Norns Faroese stamps 2006
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The Norns spin the threads of fate at the foot of Yggdrasil, the tree of the world. Beneath them is the well Urðarbrunnr with the two swans that have engendered all the swans in the world.
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The Norns (1889) by Johannes Gehrts.
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Fresco of the Norns in Neues Museum, Berlin
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Mímer and Balder Consulting the Norns (1821-1822) by H. E. Freund.
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The Norns Arthur Rackham.
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The Norns Arthur Rackham.
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The Norns Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld under the world oak Yggdrasil (1882) by Ludwig Burger.
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The Norns Arthur Rackham.
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Norns in Die Helden Und Götter Des Nordens, Oder: Das Buch Der Sagen by Amalia Schoppe, (1832)
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A statue of the Norns at St Stephen's Green, The Tree Faites, donated by the German government in thanks for Operation Shamrock.
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The Norns C. E. Brock.
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...and the youngest Norn, she who is called Skuld, ride ever to take the slain and decide fights...Faroese stamp by Anker Eli Petersen depicting the Norns (2003).
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See also
In Spanish: Nornas para niños
