Grandmother Raven, her tree, and Nithogg – Raven the Trickster and Yggdrasill the World Tree, Nidhogg
https://www.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Grandmother_Raven#ixzz7gl5gkV22
https://www.wizard101central.com/wiki/NPC:Nithogg#ixzz7gl78MMe6
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/totems-to-turquoise/native-american-cosmology/raven-the-trickster
https://www.transceltic.com/pan-celtic/ravens-celtic-and-norse-mythology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yggdrasil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%AD%C3%B0h%C3%B6ggr
Ordinarily I archive these post to the blog in the order they were written. However, this one needed to be bumped to the start of the Grizzleheim articles list. It is with a sad and heavy heart that I report the passing of Dell Aldrich (Oct. 2, 2022), the voice of Wizard101’s Narrator and Grandmother Raven. This voice more-so than Merle Ambrose, Zeke, or your first professor is the voice that many associate with the game. Many will write much more touching tributes than my meager prose can hope to emulate. I’ll share this YouTube video from the fairiequeens and the link to her IMDb page. RIP Dell Aldrich (Aug 13, 1931 – Oct 2, 2022)
Grandmother Raven, also known as Lady Nightstar, is older than the Spiral and the giver of eyes to her brother Bartleby, the Grandfather Tree. Unknown to the wizard at the start, she has been helping the young wizard over the course of the quests.
Grandmother Raven takes her place at the top of an unnamed tree in Hrundle Fjord. This tree is tended by Urd, Skuld, and Verdandi (the Grizzleheim nod to the Norns who tend Yggdrasil) and its roots are being gnawed on by Nithogg an ice drake.
In Norse mythology Yggdrasil is tended by Norns and has one of its roots gnawed on by Níðhöggr. Yggdrasil also has a large eagle perched at its top. So although Bartleby is the Spiral’s World Tree equivalent of Yggdrasil, it is Grandmother Raven’s tree that is the direct call out.
In North America Northwest Coast mythology, Raven is the powerful figure who transforms the world. Stories tell how Raven created the land, released the people from a cockle shell, and brought them fire. Raven stole the light and brought it out to light up the world. Yet Raven is a trickster—often selfish, hungry, and mischievous. He changes the world only by cleverly deceiving others in his never-ending quest for food.
In Norse mythology the raven holds a special place. The god of the Æsir pantheon Odin is sometimes referred to as the Raven God. This is due to his association with the ravens Huginn and Muninn as referred to in the Poetic Edda, a collection of old Norse poems compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources. These two birds fly around the world gathering information and relay it all to Odin.
Yggdrasil, in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree that is central to the cosmos and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble at their traditional governing assemblies, called things. The branches of Yggdrasil extend far into the heavens, and the tree is supported by three roots that extend far away into other locations; one to the well Urðarbrunnr in the heavens, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. Creatures live within Yggdrasil, including the dragon Níðhöggr, an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór.
In Norse mythology, Níðhöggr (often anglicized Nidhogg) is a dragon who gnaws at a root of the world tree, Yggdrasil. In historical Viking society, níð was a term for a social stigma, implying the loss of honor and the status of a villain. Thus, its name might refer to its role as a horrific monster in its action of chewing the corpses of the inhabitants of Náströnd: those guilty of murder, rape, and oath-breaking.
The current list of all the (known) Grizzleheim/Wintertusk references are located here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references, I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Grandmother Raven and Nithogg images are from Wizard101, and are copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
All other images are borrowed from Wikipedia and are believed to be in the public domain
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
Vulcan Stev's Database 