"Urd, Werdandi, Skuld", 1979

"Urd, Werdandi, Skuld" by Anselm Kiefer spezifies in its title the so-called Norns: ancient female beings determining destiny and also known as the “goddesses of fate”. They go back to the Old Norse poem "Völuspá", which was written around 1000 AD and is considered the primary source of Norse mythology. The names of the Norns translate to "Fate" (Urd), "That which is to become" (Werdandi) and "Guilt" or "That which shall be" (Skuld). They are personifications of the "past", the "present" and the "future" and inhabit the roots of "Yggdrasil" known as the immensene, cosmic World Tree from where they control the fate of humans and gods.