In the yawning void known as the Ginnungagap – The Empty Darkness – resides the Supreme Eternity known as Ædsta Eilífdina. It is the source and sum of all things that begin and end. The Fountain from which all élan flows through the Threads of the Cosmos. It is music, dance, and the song that drives all things to life and embraces all things in death. Often referred to as the great Loom, Ædsta Eilífdina weaves all tales that exist in creation. As a naturally occurring entity – untouched and infallible – it brings the cosmos to Life in a cycle, a perfect ring called the Hringurinn. This is when Ædsta Eilífdina splits into three separate entities, each an incarnation of itself in purest form. Eilífdina the Eternity, Endalif the End Life, and Ljúka the Terminant.

Eilífdina the Eternity is most like a child as she represents life – forever young and ephemeral. She is guarded closely by her never-fading brothers as they lie dormant. This is because she danced upon their palms in a soothing rhythm that represents life in the cosmos. Sometimes referred to as the weaver, every move Eilífdina makes in her dance creates chaos, order, and life, each weaving into what is known as the Threads of Ædsta Eilífdina – or more commonly, the Tapestry. Through these Threads all time, all space, all of life are controlled thus creating history, beauty, and death. She continues until the Tapestry comes to its end and only she knows when as she stops dancing. Without the soothing rhythm, the brothers awaken.

Endalif the End Life will open his single eye upon which all that breaths, thinks, and feels will begin to die. This is because all Élan streams cease to flow and life is nothing if the Élan does not flow. It draws in breath, taking in the last breath of all things spreading death throughout the cosmos. As the entity that is most like Ædsta Eilífdina’s thoughts, it brings order to the life collected and feeds the thoughts and experiences into his sister. Endalif then cocoons her in the layers of his own élan as his brother awakens with the death of all life.

Ljúka the Terminant – who is most like Ædsta Eilífdina itself, that is it is often said he is counterpart rather than avatar – awakens when the last breath is taken. Being the final act and harbinger of the end, Ljúka opens all four of its eyes which shatter the cosmos to dust and draws all élan into Eilífdina herself. It is he who takes the first bite as both devour their sister and absorb her. This purifies all three of them. It is then that the brothers embrace each other and merge, becoming Ædsta Eilífdina once more.

Ædsta Eilífdina – now fully whole – is always the same yet always new was with each cycle it takes the knowledge and experience of all things and remembers them. This allows them to bear influence on the next movement of its dance and the next incarnation of the Cosmos. Upon creation, Ædsta Eilífdina shares this knowledge with its created children – the Norn and the Valkyrie. The Norn are daughters of Ædsta Eilífdina who collect knowledge of the cosmos and preserve it until the Hringurinn completes its cycle. The Valkyrie are daughters of Ædsta Eilífdina who watch over and guide the motion of the threads to ensure there is order to the universe. Both curate the Tapestry woven to be its most beautiful so that when it returns to Ædsta Eilífdina it can be reborn even greater than it was before. They are the only beings who are not destroyed when Ljúka awakens. If by some means a Valkyrie’s body dies during the weaving of the Tapestry their essence does not and is remade at the Tapestry’s end. If one of the Three original Norn is lost, they are swiftly reborn through their many children.

When Ædsta Eilífdina reforms, the Norn gather to it and speak to it in profound conversation. Much light and beauty is passed between Ædsta Eilífdina and its daughters. Once this conversation ends, the Norn depart and await their sisters, the Valkyrie’s rebirth.

---

Thank you for reading the first piece of Thread of Yggdrasil’s lore. We hope this has interested you a bit to come back for more as it is posted! If you want to indulge further into this world, consider joining our Patreon where lore dumps are done every other week!

• Patreon
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter