the world tree is a shield.

The old Kirby/Lee issues of Marvel Thor ran what I felt was the coolest feature, Marvel's backup story of the Norse Lore called Tales of Asgard. Sometimes it was rather close to the actual stories, and other times not so much, but it was always fun, and would occasionally surprise you with its re-imaginings, like this panel:

The visual idea that the World Tree can be visited at the top of the North American continent aside (heh!), Yggdrasil's recontextualization as the very thing that protects Midgard in its own cosmic bower of leaves & branches is a rather amazing NorsePlay. That would show the premeditative design of Odin & his brothers in the initial engineering of the Nine Worlds, the concern & labor of the Norns in taking time to repair it, and why its shaking during Ragnarök is a dire effect. This all of course might suggest atmospheric retention, necessary oxygen, and life-protecting ozone layers as possibly part of the tree's manifestation, which this comic panel could imply.

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Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants at age seven. Since then he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the Map of Midgard project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay. If you have employment/opportunities in investigative mythology,  field research, or product development to offer, do contact him.