Солтүстік мифологиясындағы Тағдыр Аналары

Group of deities in Norse mythology

The Norns ( , plural: nornir ) are deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies. In the Völuspá, the three primary Norns Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld draw water from their sacred well to nourish the tree at the center of the cosmos and prevent it from rot. These three Norns are described as powerful maiden giantesses (Jotuns) whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods. The Norns are also described as maidens of Mögþrasir in the Vafþrúðnismál. These Norns could be malevolent or benevolent: the former causing tragic events in the world while the latter were kind and protective. The name Urðr (Old English: Wyrd, 'weird') means 'fate'. Wyrd and urðr are etymological cognates, a situation that does not mean necessarily that wyrd and urðr share the same semantic quality of "fate" over time. Both Urðr and Verðandi are derived from the Old Norse verb verða, 'to become', which itself derives from Proto Germanic *wurdiz, from Proto Indo European *wrti , which is a verbal abstract from the root *wert ("to turn") Often, it is asserted that while Urðr derives from the past tense ('that which became or happened'), Verðandi derives from the present tense of verða ('that which is happening'). Skuld is derived from the Old Norse verb skulu, "need/ought to be/shall be"; its meaning is "that which should become, or that needs to occur".

There is no clear distinction between norns, fylgjas, hamingjas, and valkyries, nor with the generic term dísir. Moreover, artistic license permitted such terms to be used for mortal women in Old Norse poetry. To quote Snorri Sturluson's Skáldskaparmál on the various names used for women:
Woman is also metaphorically called by the names of the Asynjur or the Valkyrs or Norns or women of supernatural kind. These unclear distinctions among norns and other Germanic female deities are discussed in Bek Pedersen's book Norns in Old Norse Mythology.

There are a number of surviving Old Norse sources that relate to the norns. The most important sources are the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. The latter contains pagan poetry where the norns are frequently referred to, while the former contains, in addition to pagan poetry, retellings, descriptions and commentaries by the 12th and 13th century Icelandic chieftain and scholar Snorri Sturluson.

Three women carved on the right panel of Franks Casket, an Anglo Saxon whalebone chest from the eighth century, have been identified by some scholars as being three norns.

A number of theories have been proposed regarding the norns.

Theories have been proposed that there is no foundation in Norse mythology for the notion that the three main norns should each be associated exclusively with the past, the present, and the future; rather, all three represent destiny as it is twined with the flow of time. Moreover, theories have been proposed that the idea that there are three main norns may be due to a late influence from Greek and Roman mythology, where there are also spinning fate goddesses (Moirai and Parcae).

The Norns are the main characters of the popular manga and anime Oh My Goddess!. Verðandi (here named Belldandy because of Japanese transliteration) is the female protagonist of the series. Her older sister Urðr (Urd) and her younger sister Skuld are important supporting characters in the story. Amon Amarth wrote a death metal album entitled Fate of Norns, released in 2004 and containing the title track "Fate of Norns". Jack and Annie meet the Norns on one of their missions in Magic Tree House. In the video game Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children 2, known in North America as Demikids, features the Norns individually as keepers of time and are recruitable demons in the post game. If all are collected, they can be fused together to make a singular powerful demon known as "Norn" which shares traits from the three individual demons that make her up and has access to all three elements that her individual parts possess. Norns are present in Philip K. Dick's Galactic Pot Healer, as entities keeping a book where the future is already written. In Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods, Norns are shown as three women (one very tall, one average height, the last a dwarf) who assist Shadow in his vigil for Wednesday (Odin) on the ash tree, then stay in a croft nearby; they revive Shadow's dead wife Laura by means of the water from the pit of Urd; and they prophesy to Mr. Town, an associate of Mr. World, that his neck will be broken. The Norns appear in Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's 2014 2018 comic book The Wicked + The Divine. The Norns are alluded to in 2018's God of War, the eighth installment in the God of War series, developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which began the franchise's foray into the lore of Norse mythology. As the story's protagonist Kratos and his young son, Atreus, set off on a journey through the realm of Midgard, they continuously encounter chests known as a Nornir Chest, each of which can be opened by locating three hidden rune seals and quickly striking all three with the Leviathan Axe. Each of the Nornir Chests contain collectibles that gradually upgrade Kratos’ Health and/or Rage meters. In 2022's sequel God of War Ragnarök, Kratos, Freya, and Mimir's head traveled to the Norns in order to know what Atreus is doing in Asgard. They managed to reach the Norns and find out that Heimdall (Watchman of Asgard) is planning to kill Atreus. Unlike with the Moirai that are encountered in God of War II, the player does not battle the Norns. The popular MMO Guild Wars 2 has a race of Viking themed people called norn; their story and entymology take inspiration from Viking mythology and cultures. The Norns are referred to repeatedly by the protagonist Uhtred in Benard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, he refers to them as the "Three Spinners" who control his fate.

Bek Pedersen, Karen (2011). The Norns in Old Norse Mythology. Dunedin Academic Press. The Elder Edda: A Book of Viking Lore.(2011). translated by Andy Orchard. Penguin Classics. Lindow, John (2001). Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford University Press. Lionarons, Joyce Tally (2005). "Dísir, Valkyries, Völur, and Norns: The Weise Frauen of the Deutsche Mythologie," in The Shadow Walkers: Jacob Grimm's Mythology of the Monstrous. ed. Tom Shippey. Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Simek, Rudolf (2007), translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D. S. Brewer. Sturluson, Snorri (1995), translated by Anthony Faulkes. Edda. J. M. Dent. .