Rataoskr. Who is he?

Rataoskr. Who is he?

One of my favorite memes I made shows a picture of a squirrel, arms folded across his chest and with a look of disgust on his face. And the meme says:

“Huginn this, Munnin that. No one talks about Ratatoskr.”

Well, it seems it's time to talk about him

Ratatoskr. Just who is he?

From the Bellow’s translation of the Grímnismál it is stated:
Ratatoskr heitir íkorni, er renna skal

at aski Yggdrasils, arnar orð

hann skal ofan bera ok segja Niðhöggvi niðr.

Ratatosk is the squirrel | who there shall run

On the ash-tree Yggdrasil;

From above the words | of the eagle he bears,

And tells them to Nithhogg beneath.

And from the Prose Edda The book of Gylfaginnin

Þá mælti Gangleri: "Hvat er fleira at segja stórmerkja frá askinum?" Hárr segir: "Margt er þar af at segja. Örn einn sitr í limum asksins, ok er hann margs vitandi, en í milli augna honum sitr haukr, sá er heitir Veðrfölnir. Íkorni sá, er heitir Ratatoskr, renn upp ok niðr eftir askinum ok berr öfundarorð milli arnarins ok Níðhöggs, en fjórir hirtir renna í limum asksins ok bíta barr. Þeir heita svá: Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, Duraþrór.

Then said Gangleri: "What more mighty wonders are to be told of the Ash?" Hárr replied: "Much is to be told of it. An eagle sits in the limbs of the Ash, and he has understanding of many a thing; and between his eyes sits the hawk that is called Vedrfölnir. The squirrel called Ratatöskr runs up and down the length of the Ash, bearing envious words between the eagle and Nídhöggr; and four harts run in the limbs of the Ash and bite the leaves. They are called thus: Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr, Durathrór.

So that sums up about 80% of what we know of little Ratatoskr. But wait! Is there more? Snorri does add a detail that is not mentioned in the Poetic Edda. The messages Ratatoskr carries are not neutral. They are gossip. Bordering and even crossing to the term Slanderous (róg) In which her intends to provoke animosity between the eagle and Níðhöggr. This casts Ratatoskr in a more malevolent light.Mischievous? Yes. Evil? I don’t think so. He isn't just delivering mail; he's actively stirring the pot. Almost but not quite to a boil.

But before we dig into Ratatoskr, we need to know about his environment. He lives in Yggdrasil. The mighty Ash whose trunk rises at the geographical center of the Norse spiritual group of worlds. Asgard (Aesir), Midgard (humans), Jotunheim (giants), Vanaheim (Vanir), Alfheim (light elves), Niflheim (ice/mist), Muspelheim (fire/fire giants), Helheim (the dead), and Nidavellir/Svartalfheim (dwarves/dark elves).

At the very top of Yggdrasil sits a great eagle Some historians name it Hræsvelgr (Corpse-Eater) who creates the winds; a hawk named Veðrfölnir perches between the eagle's eyes. At the very bottom, among the roots, gnaws the monstrous serpent or dragon Níðhöggr, often associated with chaos, destruction, and the dishonorable dead. Between those two realms, Hræsvelg and Níðhöggr is the realm of Rataoskr.

We’ve established who he is, where he lives and what he does. (Partially) As Snorri tells it he is the carrier of slanderous gossip. Intent on making the eagle and the serpent angry with each other. But why? Some say to incite chaos. Possibly. But why another chaos maker? We have one already. Fueling Animosity? Again possible, and perhaps likely. Gossip and insults are one of the best ways to get a fight started. But again I ask. Why? And then there is this one. In my UPG the most likely reason for his actions. A Force for Change. Mix up a little slander, add a touch of chaos and a large dose of insults and gossip, one now has a force that can cause change faster and far less bloody than a war. And now the why. Again, this is my UPG. Nature abhors a vacuum. And a static plenum creates nothing. A little destruction can create a galaxy. Rataoskr is that little catalyst. That little spark that fires and creates a little explosion that in turns drives the engine of our worlds.

But why a little Squirrel? Seriously?

Squirrels are known for their incredible agility and speed, constantly darting up and down trees. The only time you see one still is:

• They’re eating

• They’re sleeping

• They’re gossiping

• Or they're dead.

Basically they are always moving, seeing and saying what they see or what they want to see.

Rataoskr is constantly traversing Yggdrasil. Ratatoskr's movement is like the constant flow of information (or misinformation) within the worlds that Yggdrasil supports. The unpredictability of squirrels is also a factor. One never knows if one of them is going to dart left, right up down or attack. Also the quick, sometimes erratic movements of squirrels could also reflect the unpredictable nature of gossip and rumor that Ratatoskr spreads.

Some people associate him with Loki. And I do not think that is so. Their actions are very different. Rataoskr just talks smack to the eagle and the dragon. Stirring the pot to force a change. Loki on the other hand, while he is sometimes mischievous and causes chaos. His motives are the destruction of the Aesir and Midgard. Rataoskr, from what we know and can see, has no such agenda. Rataoskr is also not just a footnote in the grand volumes of Norse Mythology. He is proof that what seems like a minor figure, is much more involved in the shaping of Midgard. Including the past, present and the future. It is said that the ancient Norse and Northern Europeans had no use for anything “Useless” Rataoskr is proof that even on the Eddas and Sagas there is nothing uselessly mentioned. Perhaps to us a couple of thousand years later. But he and others like him are put in them for a reason. And I hope I gave a few of my own UPG reasons.

Resources:

The Poetic Edda, by Henry Adams Bellows Grímnismál verse 32

Anthony Faulkes's English translation of Snorri Sturluson's Edda specifically the Gylfaginning Chapter 16

Haukur Þorgeirsson and Ann Sheffield for dipping into their books for little unknown bits.

Copyright © 2026, Chuck Hudson

Rataoskr. Who is he?