What three beings weave the fates of gods and men?

What three beings weave the fates of gods and men? The Norns weave and shape the fates of gods and men.

The Norns are powerful beings of destiny in Norse mythology. They are commonly identified as Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld, whose names are often interpreted as relating to what has happened, what is happening, and what is yet to come. In Völuspá and Snorri Sturluson’s Gylfaginning, they dwell beside the well of Urðr beneath Yggdrasil, the world tree.

The Norns do more than assign human lifespans. They tend Yggdrasil by watering it and applying nourishing substances to its roots, helping preserve the cosmic structure. Their actions represent fate as a force that affects gods as well as mortals, including the gods’ foreknown doom at Ragnarök.

They are often compared with Greek Moirai or Roman Parcae, but they are not simply interchangeable names. Norse sources also use “norns” more broadly for beings who determine destiny, and the tradition sometimes overlaps with valkyries, dísir, and fylgjur.