In this episode we explore the symbolic meaning of the world tree Yggdrasill in the Nordic story-worlds. We examine the tree in Old Norse stories and relate them to Sámi and Finnish stories. We dig into the sacred meaning-making that lies behind using the tree as an image of the cosmos, world-connectedness, and community. Eventually, we arrive at suggestions to how the image of the tree in the Nordic story-worlds can be meaningful for us today, and how we can change our perception of our world by reflecting critically on how we think about nature in modern societies.Show notes:Sand Talk – HarperCollinsThe benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition - ScienceDirectAn occasion for unselfing: Beautiful nature leads to prosociality - ScienceDirectPhysiological and cognitive performance of exposure to biophilic indoor environment - ScienceDirectResidential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood | PNASRené Descartes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)'Mother Trees' Are Intelligent: They Learn and Remember - Scientific AmericanThe Poetic Edda (Oxford World's Classics): Larrington, Carolyne: 9780199675340: Amazon.com: BooksAmazon.com: The Kalevala: An Epic Poem After Oral Tradition (Oxford World's Classics): 8601404705670: Lönnrot, Elias, Bosley, Keith: BooksAmazon.com: Inari Sámi Folklore: Stories from Aanaar: 9780299319007: Koskimies, August V., Itkonen, Toivo I., Laitinen, Lea, Frandy, Tim: Books