Yggdrasill: A Vision Born of Fire and Myth

Matteo Strassera's Mythological Visual

When nature reveals its natural, unfiltered force, it often stirs something deep, something ancient and instinctive. During the eruption of Litli-Hrùtur in Iceland, photographer Matteo Strassera was presented with a moment that was more than just a simple geological spectacle. It presented him with a vision; he saw mythology coming to life through fire, smoke, and molten rocks. His masterpiece was captured through his photograph titled Yggdrasill, inspired by the mythic world tree of Norse legend.

In Norse cosmology, Yggdrasill, the World Tree, serves as a central axis and connects the nine realms of existence, including the heavens (Asgard), the earth (Midgard), and the underworld (Helheim). Its roots and branches span the universe, supporting all that exists. Strassera’s image echoes this symbol through the natural composition of the eruption. From the earth’s depths, a glowing fissure emerges, its lava flow branching outward like the limbs of a celestial tree. The visual resemblance is striking, but it is the emotional and symbolic connection that truly resonates.

Rooted in a landscape shaped by myth, Strassera encountered an eruption that felt steeped in ancient meaning. As molten lava surged across the darkened terrain, its golden glow carried the weight of legend, moving with a rhythm that felt both commanding and poetic. It was a scene where the timeless and the immediate appeared to align. Was it destruction? Was it creation? As the branches of lava carved new paths through the landscape, it became difficult to separate the two.

What makes an image prevail? Is it the visual composition, the story it tells, or the feeling it leaves behind? Yggdrasill accomplishes all three. The photo is a reminder that nature’s events carry layers of meaning, waiting to be seen through the right lens, one that acknowledges both the scientific and the symbolic.

The image captures a scene frozen in time, yet its implications are timeless. Lava flows cool, landscapes evolve, and yet the mythology endures. It’s in this balance between present-day phenomena and ancestral memory that the photograph finds its power.

Matteo Strassera’s Yggdrasill is a visual narrative rooted in place, story, and reflection. In a single frame, it connects viewers to the earth, to myth, and to the enduring truth that creation often begins underground, securing them a victory in the 2024 New York Photography Awards.