Norns

Norns, the Parææ of Scandinavian mythology, were three maidens, by name Urd, Verandi, and Skuld—i.e. Past, Present, and Future. They sit by the well of Urd, under the world-tree Ygdrasil in Asgard, and there determine the fate both of gods and men. Besides these three there are many inferior norns, both good and bad, answering to the genii of classical mythology; to such are attributable the unequal destinies of men in the world. Women who possessed the power of prediction or magic also bore this name.