Ratatöskr, Norse/Viking Squirrel Matchboxes

Ratatöskr, the Norse messenger squirrel barking incessantly, orating. The image is done in Norse-Celtic style and is superimposed on an old paper or parchment background image. Customize by adding your own text.


In Norse mythology Ratatöskr is a squirrel who roams through Yggdrasil, the world tree, connecting the nine worlds contained within its branches. He serves as messenger, ferrying messages between the eagle Veðrfölnir, who perches atop Yggdrasil, and the serpent Níðhöggr, living beneath one of the three roots of the tree. By maintaining the tension between the eagle and Nidhogg, the squirrel inadvertently contributes to cosmic balance.

Ratatöskr is mentioned in the Poetic Edda, the poem Grímnisál, stanza 32.

A squirrel named Ratatoskr | runs there,
By the ash Yggdrasil;
The eagles words | he often bears,
To Nidhöggr below.