Ratatoskr

Ratatoskr (Old Norse, generally meaning "Drill Tooth" or "Bore Tooth") is a squirrel in Norse mythology that runs up and down the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Its role is to deliver messages between the eagles perched at the top of Yggdrasil and the serpent Níðhöggr, who resides beneath one of the tree’s three roots. Ratatoskr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson in the same century.

Etymology

The name Ratatoskr is composed of two elements: rata- and -toskr. The element -toskr is generally interpreted as "tusk." Guðbrandur Vigfússon proposed that rata- means "the traveller," suggesting that the name of the legendary drill Rati might contain the same element. According to Vigfússon, Ratatoskr means "Tusk the Traveller" or "Tusk the Climber."

Sophus Bugge theorised that the name Ratatoskr is a loanword from Old English, meaning "Rat Tooth." Bugge based this on the observation that the element -toskr appears nowhere else in Old Norse. He proposed that -toskr is a modification of the Old English word tūsc (Old Frisian tusk) and that rata- corresponds to Old English ræt ("rat").

Albert Sturtevant argued against Bugge's hypothesis regarding rata- by pointing out that the Old Norse word rata (genitive form of Rati) is used in Hávamál (106, 1) to describe the instrument Odin used to bore through rocks in his quest for the mead of poetry. Sturtevant concluded that Rati must therefore be a native Old Norse word meaning "the borer" or "the gnawer."

While Sturtevant acknowledged that -toskr appears only in Ratatoskr, he suggested a Proto-Germanic origin for the element. He cited the Old Norse name Tunne (derived from Proto-Norse Tunþē), which refers to a person with distinctive teeth, as supporting evidence. Modern scholars accept this etymology, interpreting Ratatoskr as "Drill Tooth" (Jesse Byock, Andy Orchard, Rudolf Simek) or "Gnawing Tooth" (John Lindow).

Attestations

In the Poetic Edda, in the poem Grímnismál, Odin (disguised as Grímnir) states that Ratatoskr runs up and down Yggdrasil, carrying messages between the eagle at the top and Níðhöggr below:

Benjamin Thorpe's Translation:

Ratatösk is the squirrel named, that
dwells in the ash-tree Yggdrasil;
he from above the words of the eagle must bear,
and beneath to Nidhögg repeat them.

Henry Adams Bellows' Translation:

Ratatosk is the squirrel who shall run
On the ash-tree Yggdrasil;
From above the words of the eagle he bears,
And tells them to Nithhogg beneath.

Ratatoskr is also described in the Prose Edda, in chapter 16 of Gylfaginning, where High explains:

At the top of the ash sits an eagle, who knows many things. Between its eyes sits the hawk called Veðrfölnir. [...] The squirrel called Ratatoskr runs up and down the ash. It spreads malicious gossip, provoking both the eagle and Nidhogg.

Theories

Rudolf Simek suggests that the squirrel may simply serve as an ornamental detail in the mythological depiction of the World Tree in Grímnismál. Hilda Ellis Davidson interprets the image of the World Tree as representing a constant cycle of destruction and renewal, with the squirrel gnawing at it as part of this cycle. She theorises that the tree symbolises the ever-changing nature of existence.

John Lindow notes that Yggdrasil is described as decaying on one side, being gnawed at by four stags and Níðhöggr, and carrying verbal hostility between the creatures it supports. He adds that in the sagas, individuals who fuel feuds by spreading malicious words are rarely high-status figures, which may explain why such a role is assigned to a relatively insignificant animal in mythology.

Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell theorise that Ratatoskr's role likely derives from the behaviour of European red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), which emit scolding alarm calls when threatened. It requires little imagination, they argue, to envision a squirrel saying malicious things about others.

In Popular Culture

• Ratatoskr appears in the 2018 video game God of War, where he has the ability to provide the player with healing items. He also appears in the 2022 sequel God of War Ragnarök, voiced by SungWon Cho.
• Ratatoskr is a playable character in the game Smite.
• In the 2010 video game Young Thor, Ratatoskr is depicted as an ally of Hel, the game’s antagonist.
• Ratatoskr appears in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla, challenging the player to a poetic duel (flyting) in the mythical realm of Jötunheimr.
• In the comic series The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Ratatoskr is portrayed as a villainous female squirrel god from Asgard who seeks to destroy humanity. She is eventually defeated by Squirrel Girl, who teams up with Thor and Loki. Later, Ratatoskr allies with Squirrel Girl to fight Frost Giants.
• Ratatoskr is featured in the trading card game Magic: The Gathering as "Toski, Bearer of Secrets," a tribute to the mythological creature. The card’s abilities reflect its persistence in sharing information across Kaldheim's realms.
• In the video game Wizard101, Ratatoskr appears as a spell called "Ratatoskr's Spin," in which he climbs down the World Tree, digs up a giant acorn, and damages all enemies.
• In the novel Hammered, Atticus rides Ratatoskr to the top of Yggdrasil in his quest for the golden apples of Iðunn.
• In Larry Niven’s novel Rainbow Mars, Ratatoskr is referenced under the name "Batatosk." The story includes plans to capture a giant squirrel running up and down Yggdrasil.
• Ratatoskr is a central figure in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Although his role diverges from the myth, he governs the distribution of Mana in the world and resides in Ginnungagap, guarding the gate to Niflheim.
• The "Ratatosk Express" is the train featured in the album The Bifrost Incident by The Mechanisms, where most of the album's events take place.