The Nornir: Norse Goddesses of Destiny
‘Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom…’
The idea of the Fates – those who shape the destinies of humankind – is one commonly found in polytheistic religions. Counted among them we have the Baltic goddess of fate Laima, the Ursitoare of Romanian lore, the Parcae and Moirai of the Romans and Greeks, and, our focus of this piece, the Nornir of the Norse. The Nornir, or Norns, are mysterious, mighty, and often misrepresented or misunderstood. They are figures of great import, though many outside of the practice of Norse paganism (and even some within said practice) do not understand all that they are and all they do and are capable of doing.
WHO ARE THE NORNIR?
The Nornir (Nornir being plural for Norn; sometimes pluralized as the Norns) are female beings of tremendous power who are responsible for crafting and controlling the fates of all living things, as well as managing the delicate workings of time. Even the fates of the gods are in the hands of the Nornir.
There are said to be very many Nornir, as stated in ‘Fáfnismál’ and ‘Gylfaginning’; though there are three among them who are the most powerful and best known. These three are called Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld. Of these three, each one is associated with one of the three groupings of time – past, present, and future.
Urðr, whose name means ‘fate’, is believed to preside over the past.
Verðandi, which is derived from the Old Norse verb verða (‘to become’ or ‘to happen’), is associated with the present.
Skuld, a name meaning something along the lines of ‘shall be’ that is derived from the Old Norse verb skulu, is thought to be connected to the future.
We’re told in ‘Gylfaginning’ and ‘the Poetic Edda’ that the Nornir come from no single race of beings and that there are also Nornir of Elvish and Dwarvish blood, as well as those who hail from the gods. The three main Nornir – Urð, Verðandi, and Skuld – are Jötnar giantesses. This we know from the Völuspá (stanza 8):
‘In their dwellings at peace they – (the gods) – played at tables, of gold did the gods know no lack;
until there came up giant-maids three, huge of might, from Jötunheim.’
Snorri Sturluson tells of the residence of the Nornir in ‘Gylfaginning’ –
‘Þar stendr salr einn fagr undir askinum við brunninn, ok ór þeim sal koma þrjár meyjar, þær er svá heita: Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld. Þessar meyjar skapa mönnum aldr. Þær köllum vér nornir.’
‘There stands a hall, fair, under the ash by the well, and out from that hall come three maidens, who are called: Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld. These maids shape the lives of men. We call them Norns.’
The ash mentioned is none other than the sacred tree Yggdrasil, and the well is Urðarbrunnr, the Well of Urðr (also called the Well of Fate and the Well of the Wyrd). It is at this well at the roots of Yggdrasil that, as attested in the fifteenth section of ‘Gylfaginning’, the gods hold assembly to discuss and determine law, trade, and other such important matters.
THE WORK OF THE NORNIR
As aforementioned, it is the responsibility of the Nornir to mold the destinies of us all, even the gods, and to act as guardians of time. Their work of crafting the fates of the universe and all mankind is often likened to (and almost always represented in art as) the work of weaving. They are usually depicted weaving at a loom or with their hands. They’re also depicted as working with great, long threads – the threads of our lives.
The majority of Nornir, whose names are unknown to us, are believed to have the task of visiting every newly born babe of the world and bestowing upon them that babe’s fate, as told in ‘Gylfaginning’ (section 15)–
‘Enn eru fleiri nornir, þær er koma til hvers barns, er borit er, at skapa aldr…’
‘But there are many Norns, those who come to every child that is born, to shape its life…’
Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld are chief among the Nornir, and on top of their duties of carefully crafting our fates and the fate of the world, they have another job of great import. These three Nornir are also the keepers of Yggdrasil, the sacred tree which sits at the center of the cosmos. They take care of the tree’s health, rising each morning and collecting water from the well to use in tending Yggdrasil.
The Völuspa (stanza 20) gives reason to believe that Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld may have an even greater part to play still yet, saying:
‘Þaðan koma meyja margs vitandi þjár, ór þeim sal er und þolli strendr; Urð hétu eina, aðra Verðandi, skáru á skíði, Skuld ina þriðju; þær lög lögðu, þær líf kuru alda börnum, örlög seggja.’
‘Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom, three from the dwelling down beneath the tree; Urð is one named, another Verðandi, - on the wood they scored – and Skuld the third. There they made laws, and life they allotted to the sons of men, and set their fates.’
The line ‘on the wood they scored’ is usually interpreted as referring to the carving of magic symbols or runes. However, the line ‘there they made laws’ is one that births further questions. Did the Nornir have some part to play, perhaps as advisors or something of the like, in the court of the gods and the laws decided upon within? Or perhaps the line refers to the idea that the gods come to the sacred well of the Nornir to hold court but doesn’t speak to any act of the Nornir themselves.
It is also said that the Nornir can bestow visions to mankind, often in the form of dreams. These visions can be warnings of things to come or revelations from one’s past that are useful in the coming days. This work shows that the Nornir, or at least some of them, have care for humans and at times try to prepare and aid humans during difficult times. In relation to this thought, there is the belief that there are both benevolent Nornir and malevolent Nornir. We find in ‘Gylfaginning’ (section 15):
‘Then said Gangleri: “If the Norns determine the wyrds (fates) of men, then they apportion exceeding unevenly, seeing that some have a pleasant and luxurious life, but others have little wealth or fame; some have a long life, others short.”
Hárr said: “Good Norns and of honourable race appoint good life; but those men that suffer evil fortunes are governed by evil Norns.”’
HONORING THE NORNIR
While the Nornir are not considered goddesses by many practitioners of Norse paganism (though they very much are seen as such by some) and we have no evidence of the Nornir ever having been historically worshipped, they have certainly always been revered. To this day, you will find those who make offerings to the Nornir, who swear upon the Nornir and their names, and who invoke the Nornir in their charms and spells.
Offerings can be made to the Nornir not to alter your destiny but in seeking guidance on your path, understanding and answers, and even advanced notice of what is to come. Along with the belief that a Norn comes to visit every newborn babe and grant it its destiny comes the custom of mothers presenting an offering of a special porridge to the Nornir, perhaps in the hope of the Norn being kinder when dealing out their child’s destiny.
Offerings associated with the Nornir are, as stated above, porridge and oats, fruits, breads, and offerings made by hand from yarn or string. Freyia Norling recommends in her video ‘How to Connect with the Norns’ that when you make offering of fruit to the Nornir to present it in three stages (representing past, present, and future). She uses the example of apple seeds, an apple itself, and something made from apples, like a pie or cake. In my offerings to the Nornir, I’ve made gifts of yarn and scent offerings, which always works well for me. When I do offer food or drink, I offer of whatever I can make within the season as opposed to buying food stuffs filled with preservatives and non-organic out-of-season ingredients, as this adheres more closely to nature and the organic flow of time (and that seems to me something that the Nornir would want us to practice).
Those engaging in the practice of divination, particularly those who also follow a path of Norse paganism, may look to the Nornir for aid in their work. They may invoke the Nornir or make offerings to them in exchange for assistance or for visions granted. Workers of seiðr, especially those who practice knot magic, are also known to look to or invoke the Nornir in their work. The Nornir have been referenced and invoked in various charms and spells within other forms of traditional Norse magic, a testament to their great power.
A ritual to open connection with the Nornir, or even to strengthen your connection, is not a bad idea, and a relationship with the Nornir can be useful for diviners and workers of magic. If you are a practitioner of Norse paganism or a practitioner of Norse magic, I highly recommend bringing more interaction with the Nornir into your practice and work, as well as paying honor to the Nornir or studying them more in depth (if you don’t do these things already). There is so much to be learned from the Nornir and what they may choose to share with us, and perhaps we can come to better appreciate the roads we walk and the twists and turns of our destinies in better understanding those who crafted fate as we know it.
Sources and further reading:
‘Gylfaginning’ (Old Norse https://www.heimskringla.no/eiki/Gylfaginning – English https://www.sacred-textx.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm )
‘Fáfnismál’ (https://www.voluspa.org/fafnismal.htm )
‘Völuspa’ (https://www.voluspa.org/voluspa.htm )
Freyia Norling (https://www.youtube.com/user/FreyiaTV)
Disclaimer: Each of the Crowsbone writers and guest bloggers has their own magical background, beliefs, traditions and practices. These post represent the opinions, research and beliefs of the individual writers. We do not believe that they represent beliefs and rules associated with all magical practice or witchcraft; nor do they represent the beliefs and opinions of all of the Crowsbone community.