In Norse mythology, the Norns draw water from Urðarbrunnr to tend Yggdrasil. The sacred well lies beneath one of the world tree’s roots and is associated with Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld—the three best-known Norns who shape human destinies.
In Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, the Norns take water and surrounding mud from Urðarbrunnr and pour it over Yggdrasil to keep the tree from drying out or rotting. The well’s water is described as exceptionally holy, even making objects that enter it turn white.
Urðarbrunnr is often translated as “Wellspring of Urðr” or “Well of Urd.” Urðr can refer to the Norn herself, but the name also connects with the Old Norse idea of fate or what has already happened. It is not the same as Hvergelmir, which lies beneath another root, nor Mímisbrunnr, the well associated with Mímir’s wisdom.
The well appears in both the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, making it one of the most firmly attested sacred places in Norse cosmology.