Yggdrasill: The Tree at the Center

In this episode we explore the symbolic meaning of the world tree Yggdrasill in the Nordic story-worlds. We examine the tree in Old Norse stories and relate them to Sámi and Finnish stories. We dig into the sacred meaning-making that lies behind using the tree as an image of the cosmos, world-connectedness, and community. Eventually, we arrive at suggestions to how the image of the tree in the Nordic story-worlds can be meaningful for us today, and how we can change our perception of our world by reflecting critically on how we think about nature in modern societies.

Show notes:
Sand Talk – HarperCollins

The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition - ScienceDirect

An occasion for unselfing: Beautiful nature leads to prosociality - ScienceDirect

Physiological and cognitive performance of exposure to biophilic indoor environment - ScienceDirect

Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood | PNAS

René Descartes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

'Mother Trees' Are Intelligent: They Learn and Remember - Scientific American

The Poetic Edda (Oxford World's Classics): Larrington, Carolyne: 9780199675340: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: The Kalevala: An Epic Poem After Oral Tradition (Oxford World's Classics): 8601404705670: Lönnrot, Elias, Bosley, Keith: Books

Amazon.com: Inari Sámi Folklore: Stories from Aanaar: 9780299319007: Koskimies, August V., Itkonen, Toivo I., Laitinen, Lea, Frandy, Tim: Books