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You are here: Home / Mythology / What Was Niflheim In Norse Mythology and Why Did Nidhogg Gnaw At Yggdrasill’s Main Root?

What Was Niflheim In Norse Mythology and Why Did Nidhogg Gnaw At Yggdrasill’s Main Root?

July 11, 2020 by Karen Hill

Niflheim was a dark, frozen, fog filled land that was home to all humans who died of disease or old age.

A hideous dragon called Nidhogg survived in Niflheim by eating the flesh of human corpses.

Nidhogg also gnawed at Yggdrasill’s main root, hoping to bring the tree and the entire world crashing down.

As a final indication of his horrible character, Nidhogg sent a mischievous squirrel scrambling up Yggdrasill’s trunk to whisper insults in the ear of an eagle and a hawk perched in the top branches.

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Filed Under: Mythology

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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