Yggdrasil

Beneath the roots of the Tree of Life,
The mythical Yggdrasil,
Live the Three Sisters of Fortune,
Three spinners sit weaving still.

Our fortunes favoured, fortunes damned,
Are spun to dusk from dawn,
The destinies of every man
Ordained before we’re born.

Spun threads of rope and threads of silk
And threads of finest gold;
With every one a path of life
The Spinners have foretold.

Embittered entertainment prompts
Their play with our distress;
They weft and warp our misery
With transient happiness.

Even the most blessed threads
May still incur their wrath,
Sometimes are spun through deeper roots
To weave a darker cloth.

The rarest threads, the bravest lives
Led so resolutely,
But as with gold debase to dust
Corrupted absolutely.

They spin the hopes we seek fulfilled,
And bring them dashing down
They weave our ways to where they wish
Then laugh beneath the ground.

Life’s choices are illusory,
And false we have free will;
Oh cruel Sisters of the Tree!
Oh fickle Yggdrasil!
Copyright © | Year Posted 2010

Poem

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Agustin Avatar
June 29, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Meanwhile, I greet you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.
A  Avatar
January 26, 2016 at 11:36 PM
JOHN, A great pleasure to find and read the inspiration poured from your pen today. Love ** SKAT **
Coopey Avatar
March 21, 2010 at 11:48 AM
Mik Many thanks for your comments on Yggdrasil. I too first encountered the idea in BC - I think it crops up in all of the Saxon Chronicles and not just Kingdom. I'd be flattered if you wanted to use any of it - I can scarcely object when I have lifted the line about "weaving a darker cloth from BC himself".
Coopey Avatar
March 21, 2010 at 11:45 AM
test
Scully Avatar
March 21, 2010 at 9:24 AM
I loved this poem. I recently read the book the Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell and was making a posting on my blog BookReadersChronicle.com. I wanted a way to explain the three spinners and your poem gave it clearly, chillingly, and beautifully. Could I have your permission to quote a bit of it on my blog and add a link to this poem and your other works. Thanks.
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