The Three Wells of Yggdrasil

Norse cosmos owed their life to Yggdrasil the Great Tree of Life. Yggdrasil was the spine of the Nine Worlds hosting many mystical and interesting creatures within itself (See Yggdrasil Creatures). It was watered by three holy wells in unique ways. The wells of Yggdrasil were respectively Urdarbrunnr, Hvergelmir, and Mimisbrunnr.

Urdarbrunnr Well

The first well that was believed to nourish Yggdrasil was the Urdarbrunnr or the Well of Urd. Inside this well lived three Norns (Urd "Past", Verdandi "Present", and Skuld "Future") who were associated with the power of weaving the fates of all creatures in the cosmos. The Norns watered Yggdrasil daily so that it would not perish. Twp swans that drank the water from Yggdrasil and they were extraordinarily white. The mud beneath the well was the purest of the white shades. 

Three Norns 

Well of Urd was also the place for the Gods to hold their court of justice. Every day, the gods rode their horses to come to Well of Urd to hold the court, except for Thor who always rode his chariot pulled by two goats. That the Gods used the Well of Urd as their court of justice made us realize how important the Well of Urd was to the Norse pantheon. 

Hvergelmir Well

Hvergelmir (Hot Spring Boiler) Well was actually the first well to exist in the cosmos. In Prose Edda, the well was mentioned to lie in the land of Niflheim- the land of frost and ice - long before the world was created. Somewhere nearby Hvergelmir Well was Nidhogg the serpent-like creature. Nidhogg was the dragon who gnawed at the root of Yggdrasil with a hope of making the Great Tree of Life to collapse. But no matter how hard he tried to chew the roots, the tree just stood as straight as it always did. Only during the Ragnarok, the Yggdrasil trembled for the sky broke. 

Yggdrasil Tree of Life

Mimisbrunnr Well

Mimisbrunnr Well or the Mimir's Well was the last well in Yggdrasil to be mentioned. Mimir's Well was the well of wisdom for it contained the holy water of knowledge and wisdom. Anyone had the opportunity to try the water in the well would become omniscient. But only the ones who made a sacrifice to the well was allowed to try the water. Odin the Allfather once did a deal of trading his eye with Mimir the Guardian of the Well to have a drink of the holy water. Mimir was a very wise creature for he drank the water from the well every day. 

Odin trading his eye for the holy water from Mimir's Well