World tree

Yggdrasil and the Överhogdal Tapestries

The tapestries of Överhogdal are without doubt one of the most impressive finds of the late Viking period. Their unusually good condition, the strong colours and the many figures and symbols depicted on them make them an invaluable testimony of that epoch. It is therefore all the more astonishing that the tapestries with their unique figurative imagery had been forgotten for centuries. The history of its rediscovery begins in 1909 during a renovation in the small church of Överhogdal in Härjedalen, Sweden.

The Image of Yggdrasil from Överhogdal

The images of Yggdrasil on the tapestries of Överhogdal (Jämtland, Sweden) are undoubtedly among the most magnificent pictures of the world tree that have been handed down to us from the Viking Age. Surprisingly, however, they have remained largely unknown outside a small circle of Scandinavian archaeologists. To remedy this situation, a detailed sketch of the Yggdrasil image on weave II was made. This particular version of Yggdrasil was chosen because it is the most detailed and most appealing of the three world tree images on the tapestries.

The Pillar of the Nine Worlds

The city of Schleswig (Northern Germany) is home to a new heathen landmark. With its erection in August last year the “Pillar of the Nine World” is the latest extension to the mythological trail which leads through the Lollfuß quarter in the southwestern part of the city. The sculpture of four and a half meter was carved with a chainsaw from a massive oak trunk by Armin Lohmann. As a depiction of the world tree Yggdrasil it shows several references to the nine worlds, featuring for instance the wise Mímir and the three Norns.