The Norns — Norse Goddesses of Fate

The painting shows three women of different ages, surrounded by the golden threads of human lives interwoven with one another. In the background are the souls of the dead.

The work is devoted to the Norns — three enchantresses endowed with the remarkable power to determine the fates of gods and men. They dwell by the sacred well of Urd in Midgard. By watering the roots of the World Tree Yggdrasil with water from this well, the Norns sustain its life and prolong its existence.

According to Norse legend, the Norns appear as three women: old and infirm Urd, Verdandi in middle age, and the youngest, Skuld. The eldest Norn holds the shears with which she cuts the thread of a human life. The thread then turns red, marking the end of a long life's journey. The red thread disappears beneath a human skull, a reminder of the inevitability of death.

The painting holds life and death at once — a person's path from childhood to deep old age. These divine women see and know the fate of every living creature. They govern human destinies and also guard the life of the great tree Yggdrasil, maintaining the order of the world and the continuity of existence.