Early Depictions of Yggdrasill

Detail of Yggrasill from the Överhogdal tapestries

Detail of Yggdrasill on the Överhogdal Tapestries

Logo of Överhogdal

Viking-Age Tapestries


The Överhogdal Tapestries are an extrordinary survival from the late Viking Age. They were uncovered during reconstruction of the Church at Överhogdal in the early twentieth century, and for a long time were thought to be medieval tapestries: however, radiocarbon dating has confirmed that they were produced in the Viking Age. Interpretations of the complex imagery on the tapestries vary, but mythological subjects are often proposed, and this prominent tree almost certainly represents the World-Teee, Yggdrasill. The bird perched on top of the tree may be Gullinkambi, the rooster who announces the beginning of Ragnarök to the gods.

The tree is also used as the inspiration for the trademarked symbol of Överhogdal village, pictured here. The tapestries themselves are housed at the Jamtli Museum, and you can read more about the discovery and interpretation of these remarkable textiles on their website.

The Jelling Stone (Reproduction by the National Museum of Denmark)

A brightly painted replica of one of the Jelling Stones (DR 42)

Rune Stones


Some of the abstract imagery found on Viking Age rune stones may also represent the World-Tree, though it is often difficult to distinguish a stylised representation of a tree from the intricate interlace patterns.

Harald Bluetooth commissioned the Jelling 2 Stone in the late tenth century as memorial to his parents and his own legacy. On one side of the stone we find an image of Christ - but rather than being crucified on a cross, he is bound up in what may be the branches of the World-Tree. The inscription on the stone tells us that Haraldr 'made the Danes Christian', and some overlap in imagery is perhaps to be expected. The image here is a reproduction by the National Museum of Denmark which highlights both Christ and the tree in bold colours.

Photograph of Urnes Stave Church North Door

Detail from the north door of Urnes Stave Church

Urnes Stave Church


We can say the same about the reliefs carved on Urnes Stave Church, dating from c. 1130. One interpretation is that they depict the World-Tree, perhaps being gnawed by the serpent Níðhöggr. Some imagery may have been amenable to a Christian interpretation: here it may represent the battle between good and evil.

It is perhaps surprising that there are so few depictions of the World-Tree, though there may be some imagery that we simply don't recognise. Certainly, the Vikings did not seem concerned to represent the cosmos and all its intricate details. That would come to be a preoccupation of later artists, as we shall see..