Research Files: Norns, Authors of Destiny

Disclaimer: I am not a myths scholar. I am simply interested in myths and how they shape human behavior and stories. The post below is a synthesis of my research about the Norns and my personal thoughts and should not be taken as verified fact, though I have done my best to ensure its accuracy. My sources are included at the end of the post.

Who are the Norns?

In Norse mythology, norns (with a lowercase ‘n’) visit a person at their birth to determine their future. They weave the newborn’s thread of life based on lifespan and the good and bad events to befall them. The Norns with a capital ‘N’ are the three most important of the norns. They use the water from the Well of Fate to water a great Ash tree name Yggdrasil, a sacred tree around which all nine of the Norse worlds exist. These three Norns have more influence over destiny than any other. The magic they employ is called seidr, which is the practice of weaving to decide a person’s fate.

Because of the etymological roots of the Norns’ names, scholars commonly associate them with three different points in time, though there is no concrete evidence this is the case. Based on this assumption, though, Urðr controls the past, Verðandi the present, and Skuld the future. In general, we understand the three Norns, as a whole, to be destiny and a representation of the interaction of the the past, present, and future.

Similar Figures in Other Cultures

The Norse are not the only people to engage with stories that include three women as the designers of destiny.

The Ancient Greeks’ version are called the Moirai, or the Fates, like the three old women in Hercules. Remember the scene where one tries to cut his lifeline, but it doesn’t break because he’s part god?

The Romans’ version are called Parcae.

Norse Poetry

Much of what we understand in the modern day about the Norns comes from Norse poetry, specifically the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. The Prose Edda includes comments and accounts of the Norns written by Snorri Sturlurson, a 12^th and 13^th century Icelandic scholar.

In my own book research (not limited to the sources name at the end of this article), all of them cited Sturlurson’s work at least once. I’m not sure if that’s because there aren’t many existing accounts of other Norse scholars or if we as a modern society have accepted Sturlurson as the utmost expert on Norse cosmology and mythology.

Of course, other works besides the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda reference the Norns in some way, whether or not they use that term. Like in all mythology, meaning gets lost in translation. It’s unclear whether the norns were the same as Valkyries, Hamingjas, or fyljas, or if they were indeed their own kind.

How to use the Norns as Inspiration

The Norns’ Influence in my Sezna Seer Series

In designing the world for my Sezna Seer series, I started with the Norns. The first thing I decided was that I wanted my protagonist to have to grapple with whether humans possess free will or whether their destinies are planned from birth. But instead of keeping to the generally accepted number three, I pushed it to four controllers of Fate, called Suditzas. The fourth Suditzas in my series is Dunamai, whose name means “to be able, capable, strong, and powerful.”

Dunamai gifted humanity freedom of choice and ability to change their destiny, if they seek, and work hard enough, to do so. She is the keeper of the possible, the potential outcomes that depend on the choices a person makes.

My other Suditzas are:

Urtha – the keeper of the past

Katamai – the keeper of the present

Cesera – the keeper of the certain future, the inevitable

I wanted to play with the idea that destiny can include points of unchanging certainty as well as a winding river of choice—it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

And, to make things interesting, I gave my protagonist the ability to Alter moments in time, whether they be events that occurred in the past and she regrets or wishes to change, or the present state of things. How many times have you wanted to change something you said or did or erase an event completely? Talullah gets that ability…and all the complicated consequences that go along with it.

Questions to Spark Your Own Stories

What do your characters believe about fate/destiny?
How do their beliefs determine their actions?
What would happen if the past could be changed?
What would happen if your character could see the future?
How could unique personalities impact how Fate controllers use their power?
How do your characters view time? Is it linear? Can they travel through it? Can they change it?
If your character could go back in time and change their Ghost/Wound, would they? And how would that change their life going forward, as well as the lives of their friends and family?