The Norns are not goddesses in the usual sense of the word, but are something much older and more powerful. There are three of them, with the names Urd, Verdandi and Skuld, otherwise known as Fate, Being and Necessity.
The Norns decide the fate of every living being by weaving the threads of life. With their scissors always close at hand, they decide how long each individual thread of life will be, and which destinies will be entwined. When they snip a thread, that life comes to an end. They don’t even let the gods know how long their thread of life is. Everyone – gods and goddesses included – are subject to fate.
The Norns live in a hall under the root of Yggdrasil, beside the Well of Urd. Each morning they water the world-tree and smear its roots with holy white clay from the well, so that the tree stays green and doesn’t rot.
The illustration is from the book Norse Gods.
The art print is in A3 format (29,7 x 42 cm / 11.7 x 16.5") and is printed on fine art paper, Munken Pure 300 gsm. The print is signed by the artist. Click the image to see the layout of the print, the print does not fill up the whole sheet of paper.