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Who are the Norns?

At the roots of Yggdrasil dwell the three Norns. Originally there was one Norn but this was increased as the result of classical influences, causing the three Norns to parallel the three Fates. They are named in the Voluspa (Song of the Sybil) as

1. Urd (That-Which-Is) who represents the Past and is sometimes depicted as an elderly woman, grandmother-type figure
2. Verdandi (That-Which-Is-Becoming) who represents the Present and is sometimes depicted as a mother figure
3. Skuld (That-Which-Should-Be) who represents the Future and is sometimes depicted as a maiden

The Norns tend the World Tree and water it from Urd's (Wyrd's) well. Skuld is referred to as scoring runes and it is believed this may be part of the mechanism of Wyrd. She records what is earned by one's deeds in runes and throws these into the well where these runic judgements are recovered when water is collected and enacted when it is poured onto the tree.