One Piece Taps Norse Mythology by Debuting Its Own World Tree

One Piece is dipping its toes into Norse mythology with help from Yggdrasil.

By Megan Peters

One Piece is in the early days of a new arc, and fans have been waiting decades for this storyline to come up. After being teased about Elbaf in Little Garden, the series has brought Monkey D. Luffy to the mysterious land. The latest chapter of One Piece ushers part of the Straw Hat crew to Elbaf, and it is clear the land with lean on Norse myth in some ways. After all, One Piece just got its own world tree, and the introduction has raised some big questions.

The debut came to pass in One Piece chapter 1127, and stakes for the World Tree were put high. After all, it seems a fire has taken over part of Elbaf, and it is now threatening the tree. A slew of natives are seen speaking about the tree as they say Elbaf "is finished" should it catch fire. So clearly, the world tree has a very important purpose within the nation.

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(Photo: Shueisha)

The Yggdrasil of One Piece

Of course, the concept of Yggdrasil is not new by any means. This world tree has been spoken about for centuries, in fact. It first appeared in Norse mythology as Yggdrasil was laid out in the Poetic Edda in the 13th century. At that time, the world tree was revered as a sacred one from which the Nine Worlds spawn. Norse mythology states Yggdrasil holds the multiverse upon its branches, and its body extends into the cosmos. From the heavens to the underworld, Yggdrasil is an integral part of reality's very fabric in Norse myth. And in its trunk, all sorts of monsters and creatures thrive.

Over the centuries, the world tree has been used in various franchises including those outside of North myth. Famously, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has used Yggdrasil. The tree made its first appearance in Thor and has gone on to appear in other projects like Captain America: The First Avenger and Loki.

One Piece Kickstarts Elbaf Arc at Long Last

As for how the world tree ties to One Piece, well – the Elbaf arc is going to lay out that connection. The presence of Yggdrasil has fans questioning whether One Piece exists in some kind of multiverse. The Straw Hat crew has been busy on the Grand Line, and the world map One Piece has pieced together is undeniably strange. From Skypeia to Fishman Island and beyond, many have questioned if the world of One Piece as we know it was created by a multiversal collision. And thanks Yggdrasil's debut, the theory has been given a boost.

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The truth behind the world tree will come to pass as Eiichiro Oda brings Elbaf to life. We are just one chapter into its grand arc, after all. One Piece may be in its final saga, but Oda has plenty of story left to go before Luffy's dream is realized. So if you have your own theories about Yggdrasil, now is the time to lay them out!

What do you make of this new One Piece arc? Are you ready to see Elbaf's adventure unfold? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

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