View source for Urðr

{{Short description|A Norn in Norse mythology}}
{{Redirect|Urth|text=For the setting in books by [[Gene Wolfe]], see [[The Book of the New Sun]] and later entries in [[Gene Wolfe bibliography|his bibliography]].}}{{Other uses|Urd (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Urd magazine.jpg|thumb|A poster for the Norwegian women's magazine ''[[Urd (magazine)|Urd]]'' by [[Andreas Bloch]] and [[Olaf Krohn]].]]

'''Urðr''' ([[Old Norse]]: fate<ref name=ORCHARD169>Orchard (1997:169).</ref>) is one of the [[Norns]] in [[Norse mythology]].<ref name=ORCHARD169 /> Along with [[Verðandi]] (possibly "happening" or "present"<ref name=ORCHARD174>Orchard (1997:174).</ref>) and [[Skuld (Norn)|Skuld]] (possibly "debt" or "future"<ref name=ORCHARD151>Orchard (1997:151).</ref>), Urðr makes up a [[Numbers in Germanic paganism|trio]] of Norns that are described as deciding the fates of people. Urðr is attested in stanza 20 of the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'' poem ''[[Völuspá]]'' and the ''[[Prose Edda]]'' book ''[[Gylfaginning]]''.

''Urðr'' is together with the other Norns located at the well [[Urðarbrunnr]] beneath the world ash tree  [[Yggdrasil]] of [[Asgard]]. They spin threads of life, cut marks in the pole figures and measure  people's destinies, which shows the fate of all human beings and gods. Norns are always present when a child is born and decide its fate. The three Norns represent the past (Urðr), future (Skuld) and present (Verðandi).<ref>[http://www.snl.no/norner "Norner" (Store norske leksikon)].</ref><ref>[https://runeberg.org/nfbs/0792.html ''Nornor'' (Nordisk familjebok / Uggleupplagan. 19. Mykenai - Norrpada)]</ref>

''Urðr'' is commonly written as '''Urd''' or '''Urth'''. In some English translations, her name is glossed with the [[Old English]] form of ''urðr''; '''[[Wyrd]]'''.

==Attestations==

===Poetic Edda===
[[Yggdrasil]] is said to stand "always over Urd's well", or the well of fate, Urd's well is located in [[Asgard]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larrington |first1=Carolyne |title=The Poetic Edda |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> Urd appears in the [[Völva]]'s Prophecy ''[[Völuspá]]'':

<blockquote>
{|
|
<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation:</small>
:Thence come maidens, much knowing, 
:three from the hall, which under that tree stands
:Urd hight the one, the second Verdandi,
:on a tablet they graved—Skuld the third. 
:Laws they established, life allotted to the sons of men; 
:destinies pronounced.<ref name=THORPE87>Thorpe (1907:3).</ref>
|
<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation:</small>
:Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom, 
:Three from the dwelling down 'neath the tree; 
:Urth is one named, Verthandi the next, — 
:On the wood they scored, — and Skuld the third. 
:Laws they made there, and life allotted 
:To the sons of men, and set their fates.<ref name=BELLOWS158>Bellows (1923:9).</ref>
|
|}
</blockquote>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
*[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Bellows, Henry Adams]] (Trans.) (1923). ''The Poetic Edda''. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
* Orchard, Andy (1997) ''Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend''  (Orion Publishing Group) {{ISBN|0-304-34520-2}}
* Lindow, John (2001) ''Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs'' (Oxford University Press) {{ISBN|0-19-515382-0}}
*[[Gro Steinsland|Steinsland, Gro]] (2005)  ''Norrøn religion : myter, riter, samfunn'' (Oslo: Pax forlag) {{ISBN|978-82-530-2607-7}}
*[[Sophus Bugge|Bugge, Sophus]] (2010)  ''Norroen Fornkvaedi'' (Nabu Press) {{ISBN|978-1-146-65668-9}}
*[[Benjamin Thorpe|Thorpe, Benjamin]] (Trans.) (1907). ''The Elder Edda of Saemund Sigfusson''. [[Norrœna Society]].

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[[Category:Norns]]
[[Category:Female supernatural figures in Norse mythology]]
[[Category:Textiles in folklore]]
[[Category:Time and fate goddesses]]
[[Category:Gýgjar]]


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