Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!

"Fate goes ever as she shall!“

The Mythology of Wyrd aka Fate

Fate [Wyrd]

• In Norse mythology, there are three Jotuns [Giants] who govern Wyrd [fate].

• Together they are known as the Norns.

• Their names are: – Urðr [the oldest spelling of Wyrd], – Verðandi ["happening" or "present“] and – Skuld [“debt” or “future”]

Fate [Wyrd]

These three Norns are responsible for Yggdrasill [the tree of life]. They water it and sit beneath its branches weaving the wyrd of man.

Fate [Wyrd]

In this stamp, the youngest Norn, Skuld, is shown on horseback, because…

…Skuld rides with the Valkyrs [Valkyries] down from Asgard to take claim warriors who have died bravely in battle to Valhalla.

Fate [Wyrd]

• Past actions continually affect and condition the future, and the future also affects the past.

• All things are intertwined