A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Among the branches of the sacred tree, Yggdrasil, there are many animals, all of which play an essential role in the tree's daily life.
There is an eagle, Hræsvelgr (in Old Norse "Corpse Swallower"), a giant that takes the form of an eagle.
The eagle sits on the highest branches of the World Tree. Flapping its wings creates the winds in Midgard, the realm of humans, according to Gylfaginning ("Tricking of Gylfi") from Snorri's Prose Edda.
Other animals associated with Yggdrasil include a hawk, building its nets and blocking the eagle's view, four stags, and the little red squirrel Ratatoskr that has existed since the beginning of Yggdrasil's existence.
Ratatoskr lives precisely in the middle of the tree, and this location gives the perfect opportunity to observe what is happening in different worlds.
This small restless squirrel is responsible for communication between the top and the bottom of Yggdrasil, which, in the Norse beliefs, is considered the source of all life that connects all existing nine worlds.
Grímnismál, one of the mythological poems of the Poetic Edda, stanza 32, says:
"...Ratatosk is the name of a squirrel who shall run
on the ash of Yggdrasil; words of an eagle he shall carry down and say to Nídhögg below..."
Ratatoskr continually runs up and down the trunk of the tree, plotting intrigue and "broadcasting" gossip and stories between the eagle and Nidhogg.
Prose Edda's Gylfaginning's chapter 16 confirms that"… the squirrel called Ratatosk [...] runs up and down the ash. He tells slanderous gossip, provoking the eagle and Nidhogg."
This corpse-eating dragon lives entwined around Yggdrasil's foot.
Ratatoskr enjoys bad news; each time he delivers a tale, he hopes for trouble or insult. It seems that this malicious creature is responsible for the hostile atmosphere on the tree, which is why Ratatoskr represents a symbol of gossip, lies, and destruction.
At the same time, the red squirrel Ratatoskr also unites all the inhabitants of Yggdrasil, the Aesir, the Vanir, benevolent creatures and evil ones.
Ratatoskr unites heaven and hell.
In ancient beliefs, the mythical squirrel is also responsible for bringing water, snow, and rain into the world. Is Ratatoskr only interested in trouble, or has other motifs running around and creating a bad atmosphere on the tree?
Physically, the creature cannot destroy Yggdrasil. Still, he may harm it another way by spreading bad energy on two great enemies, the eagle and the dragon Nidhogg, who gnaws at the root of the sacred tree and thinks about how to destroy it permanently.
Updated on January 8, 2024
Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer
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