Asgard
In Norse mythology, Asgard[1] (Old Norse: Ásgarðr [ˈɑːsˌɡɑrðz̠]; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts.[2] Some researchers identify Asgard as one of the Nine Worlds surrounding the tree Yggdrasil.[3]Norse mythology portrays Asgard as a fortified home to the Æsir tribe of gods, located in the sky.[4] Asgard consists of smaller realms that individually do not appear as frequently in mythological poems and prose.[5] Ancient Norse eschatology envisages the total destruction of Asgard during Ragnarök, and its later restoration after the world's renewal.[6]
The word Ásgarðr is a compound formed with the Old Norse words āss ("god") and garðr ("enclosure").[2] Possible anglicisations include: Ásgarthr, Ásgard, Ásegard, Ásgardr, Asgardr, Ásgarth, Asgarth, Esageard, and Ásgardhr.[5]
Historians refer to three principal sources that depict Asgard. They include the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, which consists of several sagas.[7]
The Poetic Edda consists of several Old Norse poems of unknown authorship that date back to the 13th century. The majority of these poems come from the medieval text Codex Regius, also known as Konungsbók.[8]
Völuspá, the first poem in the Poetic Edda, provides some of the most complete and accurate depictions of the 12 lesser realms of Asgard, which include Breidablik, Valhalla, and Thrudheim.[7] It also describes the Yggdrasil, a mythical tree that connects all Nine Worlds with Asgard located beneath one of its three roots.[8] Finally, Völuspá provides a vague description of the location of Iðavöllr, one of the most common meeting places of Æsir gods.[4]
Grímnismál is one of the shorter poems in the Poetic Edda. It contains a brief depiction of Bifröst, one of the 12 realms of Asgard that connects it to Midgard.[8]
