i. who has seen yggdrasil, the world tree, her leaves drinking in the sunlight of asgard where dwell the gods. her branches scattered across nine worlds her roots running deep into wisdom, holiness, and death ii. on the day odin came to the world tree the heavens hushed and even ratatoskr paused in his nut gathering to watch curious saving his messages and insults for another story iii. three old women gather at the well listening to the rustle of the branches touching the message of the bark smiling their blind glee as they draw the fate of heroes and villains with their bitter laughter iv. it’s strange that the norns who hold the memory of the world tree locked behind their blind smiles are so easily tricked left blind and helpless when a hero visits and holds the one eye they have between them the one eye that odin sold for his fate the one eye that saw this story happen in the last story v. on the day odin paused at mimisbrunnr the well of wisdom to climb onto the world tree yggdrasil caught him in her embrace because wisdom can never come too cheaply and gods make tricksy lovers vi. nine days he lingered there hanging by his outflung limbs while squirrels threw nuts at his head and ravens brought him rain water in their beaks until finally he knew the price and left his eye in mimisbrunnr in exchange for one sip of the water vii. where lies the tree that touches everywhere and everywhen what price will the norns ask when I finally stand before them holding odin’s eye in my hand tempting fate |