The Crestock Photoshop Contest 2007

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is the World Tree, a great ash tree located at the center of the universe and joining the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. The trunk of the tree may be thought of as forming a vertical axis around which these worlds are situated. Yggdrasil is also sometimes known as Mimameid or Laerad. Níðhöggr (Malice Striker, often anglicized Nidhogg) is a dragon who eats the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasill. Ratatoskr (drilling tooth, sometimes anglicized Ratatosk) is a red squirrel who runs up and down with messages in the world tree Yggdrasill and spreads gossip. In particular he ferried insults between the eagle Víðópnir at the top of Yggdrasill, and the dragon Níðhöggr beneath its roots. - Wikipedia Three worlds above the earth, in heaven: 1. Ásgarðr (Æsir, gods of the pantheon) 2. Álfheimr (Elves) 3. Múspell (Fire giants) Three worlds on earth: 4. Vanaheimr (Vanir, gods of the pantheon) 5. Miðgarðr (Humans) 6. Jötunheimr (Hill giants, Rime giants) Three worlds below the earth, in underworld: 7. Niflheimr (Mist World) 8. Hel (when evil men die, they go here) 9. Svartálfaheimr(Black Elves) I got this Idea immediatly when I saw the tree. I had been wanting to do a piece based off of this old Norse Myth for awhile. Done in Jasc PSP9 and Adobe The sky took awhile to do but I had found an awesome tutorial (same with the planets) here: http://www.solarvoyager.com/tutorials.asp I did the dragon on my own, :) I tried to base him off of an old picture of Níðhöggr so I think he looks pretty good...