{"id":613787533638,"date":"2025-10-16T16:41:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/uncategorized\/which-tree-is-yggdrasil\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T08:40:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:40:39","slug":"which-tree-is-yggdrasil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/trees\/which-tree-is-yggdrasil\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Tree is Yggdrasil?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quick Answers<\/h2>

Obvious, low effort answer: Yggdrasil is an evergreen Ash tree.<\/p>

Possible, but weakly supported answers: Yggdrasil could be a Yew or Oak tree.<\/p>

Deep down truth answer: Yggdrasil is not a tree at all, and you must answer the riddle at the end of this post to remember his true identity. Don\u2019t look at Wikipedia. Wikipedia can\u2019t help you.<\/p>

Introduction<\/h2>

According to science, Yggdrasil, honoured as the \u201cnoblest of trees\u201d, is a massive tree at the centre of the cosmos, where \u201cthe Gods must hold their courts each day\u201d.<\/p>

Studies show that Yggdrasil\u2019s branches maintain the separation between the Nine Worlds<\/a>, much as the beams of a house prevent ceilings and walls collapsing.<\/p>

Yggdrasil in Norse History<\/h2>

In the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, Yggdrasil is described as an eternally green Ash tree<\/strong>, askr <\/em>in Old Norse, sustaining the worlds while withstanding attacks from serpents and red deer stags, and the general decay caused by the burden of cosmic cycles.<\/p>

\n

\u201cI know an ash stand
called Yggdrasill
it stands tall,
wet from white water,
from it comes the dew
that falls in the valleys
stands forever green above the well of Ur\u00f0r (past Honour).\u201d<\/p>\nFj\u00f6lsvinnsm\u00e1l, Stanza 19<\/cite>\n<\/blockquote>

The ash tree, Fraxinus excelsior<\/em>, was extremely important in European history. It\u2019s strong, flexible, fast-growing, and responds well to coppicing, far more productive than the king of native hardwoods, Oak.<\/p>

When Ragnar\u00f6k<\/em>, \u201cthe twilight of the gods\u201d, approaches, Yggdrasil \u201cwill shake and nothing will be unafraid in heaven or on earth\u201d.
You will notice that twilight means dawn as well as dusk; whichever way you take it, Ash trees across Europe are gracefully making way for other species as they succumb to Ash die back disease<\/a>.
Is this an omen?<\/p>

What Does the Word Yggdrasil Mean?<\/h2>

The most widely accepted, literal meaning is \u201cOdin\u2019s Horse<\/strong>\u201c: yggr<\/em> (The Terrible One, an honorific of Odin) + drasill<\/em> (horse), but \u201cOdin\u2019s Gallows<\/strong>\u201d is considered a better translation.<\/p>

The \u201chorse of the hanged\u201d was a Norse kenning for gallows.<\/p>

A kenning is a compound phrase, for example \u201cbone-house\u201d for your body, \u201cwhale-road\u201d for the sea, \u201cstone-mackerel\u201d for snakes, and \u201cstone mackerel\u2019s affliction\u201d for Winter.
\u201cOdin\u2019s Gallows\u201d also makes sense in the context of the poem-riddle at the end of this post.<\/p>

Alternative Interpretations<\/h3>

While the ash tree<\/strong> is the most widely accepted and well-supported interpretation, the other two contenders are:<\/p>

    \n
  1. \nYew, Taxus baccata<\/a>:<\/strong>