Origins of the Nornir

The 1935 Nornir states the the name of the yearbook, the Nornir, is derived from three Norse goddesses of Fate, Urd, past; Verdandi, present; and Skuld, the future, collectively known as the Norns. The name of the Norns means "to whisper or whisperer". They live at the base of the World Tree Yggdrasil in the realm of Asgard.

Urd - means Destiny. Urd was said to be the most evil of the three goddesses. Destiny, as a result, was perceived as dark and evil and the inevitable result of this was death. Urd is the most mentioned of the three goddesses in Norse mythology and is depicted as a wretched old, white-haired hag.

Verdandi - means Being. She was the middle child. She was the only goddess concerned with the present, and was very beautiful She is the least powerful of the Norns and the least mentioned. She is the exact opposite of Urd.

Skuld - means Necessity. She is an example of the uncertainty of the future. She is usually shown to be irresponsible and rancorous. She is usually accompanied with a wound-up scroll, which represents the unknown future.

Courtesy of Barbara Chronister, Class of 1954.