Verðandi is the second shawl in a series of three shawls on the theme of the three Norns (Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld) in Norse mythology. They determine the fate of all living creatures by spinning the threads of life. And they water Yggdrasil – the tree of life – so the branches do not dry out or rot.

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil holds the nine worlds in its branches. The Norns tend to the world tree daily because without Yggdrasil the worlds would collapse. And since Verðandi is the Norn representing the present, and Yggdrasil needs to be tended to in the present, you can see the leaves of Yggdrasil spreading out over the Verðandi shawl.

This pattern is charted, and is available in English, French and German