The Tree of Life: Yggsdrasil
I was brainstorming some possible logos for this website, and – maybe because of my Scandinavian ancestry – found myself drawn to images of Yggsdrasil, the Norse Tree of Life. So I created the logo below, superimposed on a coin. I’m still tweaking it, but I like it much better than the first logo I came up with.
Playing around with the design for a “tree of life” image, I started thinking about how many cultures have the concept of a tree that symbolizes life, rebirth and, sometimes, immortality. People in China, India, the Scandinavian countries, and some of the countries in Africa all have their versions.
Here’s an interesting summary of the Scandinavian version from a Wikpedia page:
The tree of life appears in Norse religion as Yggdrasil, the world tree, a massive tree (sometimes considered a yew or ash tree) with extensive lore surrounding it. Perhaps related to Yggdrasil, accounts have survived of Germanic Tribes honouring sacred trees within their societies. Examples include Thor’s Oak, sacred groves, the Sacred tree at Uppsala, and the wooden Irminsul pillar. In Norse Mythology, the apples from Iðunn’s ash box provide immortality for the gods.
Sounds good to me.
