When the Norns Have Spoken: Time and Fate in Germanic Paganism

This book argues that within Germanic paganism we can identify a coherent picture of fate which detaches that idea from time, and connects it instead to an implicit thesis about the nature of truth as written. An analysis of mythological Norse figures such as the Norns - goddesses of destiny and guardians of the world ash-tree, Yggdrasill - provides the essential context for understanding metaphors for fate as being woven or spun. By employing a philosophical approach to the significance of some well-known myths, the book offers fresh insights into the persistence of pagan belief in fate following the conversion of the Germanic peoples to Christianity.