In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr is a squirrel that travels up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to relay information to the serpent Níðhöggr, who resides beneath one of the three roots of the trees. Both the Prose Edda, authored by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, and the Poetic Edda, which were assembled in the 13th century from previous conventional sources, mentions Ratatoskr. It is thought that the squirrel is most likely just a decorative element in the legendary representation of the world-ash. The world tree is supposed to be being nibbled at by the squirrel, promoting a never-ending cycle of ruination and regeneration, and it is said that the tree represents a constantly changing existence. It is possible that Ratatosk derived its purpose from the European tree squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, which makes a yelling alert call when it senses danger.
[Information Credit : Ratatoskr, Wikipedia] [Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratatoskr ]
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