Throwback: The Sacred Squirrel
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Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is a throwback episode. Tune in to hear one of our classic stories from the archive that you might have missed the first time around.

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so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com slash dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Thanks! Enjoy the episode! The Sacred Squirrel

There was once a sacred squirrel. No, that's too specific. Let me back up a little bit. Okay, so there was once a tree that was also the world. I guess that's a confusing place to start, too. You know what? Let me give you some background. Okay, so there was once a tree called Yggdrasil. And if you think that sounds weird, you should try spelling it.

According to the ancient Norse, it was the tree of life, the tree of the world, and its sacred bark touched each of the nine realms. The realms are interesting enough to merit their own story, so I won't go into them here. But there were nine. They were realms, and some of them even had frost giants. Today's story, though, is about that sacred tree.

To be specific, it's about the sacred animals that lived on the sacred tree. And to be extra super specific, it's about Ratatoskr, the prankster, sacred squirrel, and a messenger of the gods.

You see, Yggdrasil, the world tree, stretched all the way from the lowest low to the highest heavens. Its branches wove and turned and bloomed in such beautiful patterns that they'd make an artist cry with shame. And at its roots, deep in the dark where the daring dead dwell, lived the great serpent Nidhogg. He was a mean sort, but since his job was to punish the worst, nastiest criminals, he was well-suited to it.

At the top of the great Yggdrasil, high in the sky where the Valkyries fly, lived the great eagle. She had no name, at least none that could be spoken without a beak and some attitude. Between the bird of prey and the serpent, betwixt the dreaded Nidhogg and the great eagle, lived the squirrel Ratatoskr. When Ratatoskr was just a baby, Odin, father of the gods, had come from the heavens and laid his hands on the newborn squirrel.

In that instant, the squirrel's fur turned red as a fox's and he sprouted long, elegant horns. That was the sacred sign, and from that day forth, the squirrel was the only creature who was able to climb the sacred tree Yggdrasil. His job was to run all the way from the eagle at the top to the serpent at the bottom, passing news from the worlds above to the worlds below.

He was, if we're being honest here, terribly bad at his job. Sacred and chosen as he was, little Ratatoskr was still a squirrel at heart. A strange bushy squirrel with elegant horns and fox-red fur to be sure, but a squirrel nonetheless. So, when he was tasked with messages, he usually forgot to deliver them entirely.

He'd listen to the great eagle go on and on, blah, blah, blah. But then on his way down to Nidhogg the Serpent, he'd get distracted by a nut shaped like a leaf, or a leaf shaped like a nut, or a funny joke Thor had told him once. And then the message would just sort of slip his mind.

Ratatoskr was also a prankster and loved to play jokes on Nidhogg and the Great Eagle. He was always tying the serpent's tail to a rock or plucking an eagle feather and pretending it was a mustache just to annoy them. Being a messenger was terribly boring work after all, so it's hard to blame him. Still, it was this habit that got little Ratatoskr into trouble one day and nearly turned him into dinner.

It was early morning, and the great eagle had summoned Ratatoskr to the top of the tree to give him a message. Hey there, your secret featherness, the squirrel said, still grumpy from being woken up so early. What was so important you had to drag my fuzzy tail out of bed? The great eagle puffed herself up, not bothering to spare Ratatoskr a glance. Squirrel, she said.

"'Do your job promptly for once and deliver a message to the serpent Nidhogg.' "'And what shall I tell him?' "'Tell him there is nothing important happening up above today.' Ratatoskr blinked at the great eagle and then stomped one little paw. "'Let me get this straight,' he said. "'You got me up early, out of my nice warm bed, so I could send the message that nothing happened?'

Are you still here? asked the great eagle. I thought I asked you to be prompt for once in your furry little life. The squirrel scowled. Prompt! I'll show you prompt! But then he paused. A prank had begun to form in his mischievous little mind, swirling and spinning like leaves in the wind.

I'm so sorry, my great feathered lady. I'll go now with all haste and deliver this most important of messages. See that you do, she called after him. For once, Ratatoskr the squirrel did his job well. Fast as the falling rain, he ran down the tree and wove through the branches until he reached the dank, dark domain of Nidhogg the serpent.

He found the beast tangled with the base of Yggdrasil, his vast body writhing in the roots like a bowl of noodles. Ah, little squirrel, he said hypnotically.

His voice had an oily quality that always made Ratatoskr want to take a bath. A hot one, with lots and lots of bubbles. Have you come with a message for me? Speak up, now. Ratatoskr remembered the message. It was that nothing important was happening. But that was so boring. Being a messenger was so boring. Except...

The sacred squirrel had thought of a way to make it fun. One that would show the eagle and the snake who was really in charge. Of course, excellent Nidhogg, he chirped. The message was sort of a singing telegram sort of thing. Oh, a singing telegram? It's something the humans on Midgard do, but that's not important. Just listen to me, okay? He stood atop a dirty root and cleared his throat dramatically.

Nidhogg, you're a loser who's never up to snuff. A bully and a bruiser, a worm who thinks he's tough. Na-na-na-na-na, you'll never be as regal as the kind and mighty eagle. When he finished, Nidhogg the serpent coiled so tightly he snapped a sacred branch.

The great eagle dares to say that to me. Well, she must be having some kind of a day to stoop to such insults. You tell her that I'll be having none of her games and not to send another message. If she doesn't have anything nice to say, then best not to say anything at all. Ratatoskr nodded, tail bouncing, and then ran back up the tree.

He was disappointed. With all the teasing he made up from the great eagle, he had hoped Nidhogg would take the bait. Oh, well, though, thought the squirrel. If that old snake won't insult the eagle, then I guess I'll have to do it myself. He ran back to the top of the tree faster than a frost giant with his breeches on fire. When he reached the glorious crown of branches, he leapt nimbly from limb to limb until he stood before the great eagle herself.

"'Ah, Squirrel,' she said, looking down her beak. "'Have you delivered my message?' "'I have, your wonderful beakedness,' he replied. "'And do you have a return message?' "'I do, but you're not gonna like it.' "'Just get on with it,' said the great eagle. "'I have a lot of important eagle things to do up here, you know.'

Well, if you insist, Ratatoskr said, eyes gleaming with mischief. Here it goes. They say you're great and mighty, don't seem so great to me. Feathers looking flighty, beak like a turkey. Na-na-na-na-na-na, you can't go toe-to-toe with the serpent down below. When he finished, the great eagle clenched her talons so tightly that she snapped her branch in half.

The low-down serpent dares speak to me that way. He dares. You tell him that I won't speak to him again until he apologizes. Of course, right away, said Ratatoskr. But inside, he laughed and laughed all the way back down the tree. Around the trunk and through the branches he wound, deeper and deeper into the sunless dark.

Soon, he was standing in front of Nidhogg the Serpent again, hanging upside down from a root, just for the fun of it. Hey, Snakey, he said. You know I hate it when you call me that, the serpent sniffed. Do you have a message from the eagle for me? I do, and it's a doozy. Well, if it's not an apology, I don't want to hear it.

Ratatoskr's ears twitched as he fought down a laugh. "'It's an apology, of sorts.' "'Get on with it, then.' "'Here goes nothing,' the squirrel said, and then he started to sing. "'I'm sorry that you're squishy, they freed you from a zoo. Your scales look like a fishy, you're smelling like one too. Na-na-na-na-na-na, you'll never be as regal as the kind and mighty eagle.'

Now for a quick ad break. We'll be back with the rest of the story after this. If you'd like Stories Podcast and other favorite kid podcasts ad-free, subscribe to Wondery Plus Kids on Apple Podcasts. This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online.

Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms with Squarespace Payments. Onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's

It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates, and contracts. Simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto-generated site map, and more, so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results.

Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, squarespace.com slash dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. When he finished singing, the serpent was so mad he couldn't even speak straight.

He sputtered and stammered and coiled and roiled and rolled so mad he nearly tied himself in a knot. Ratatoskr thought it was so funny, he broke down laughing. He couldn't help it, but that just made old Nidhogg even angrier. That's it. If that bird thinks she can insult me like that and get away with it, she has another thing coming. I'm going to give her a piece of my mind.

Ratatoskr suddenly realized that if Nidhogg and the great eagle talked, they'd surely figure out that he had made up the whole fight just for fun. And once they did, he'd get eaten faster than a chicken leg at Thor's house. He couldn't let that happen. Whoa, whoa, buddy, he said. Slow down, Nidhogg, my man, my guy, let's not get into a big, uh,

The squirrel yelped as the serpent pushed past him. Out of my way, fuzzball, he hissed. I'm going to show that eagle what I think. Oh no, oh no, Ratatoskr said to himself. Gotta beat him up there. He began to climb up the tree, leaping wildly, his daring paws never failing.

Nidhogg was bigger, but he wasn't the sacred squirrel, and Ratatoskr soon pulled ahead. Up and up he practically flew, whizzing into the air like a fish caught by the gods. Soon, he was back in the sun, near the middle of the tree. A shadow fell. Ratatoskr looked up just in time to collide with the eagle as she streaked down from the sky.

Oof! Hey, what's the matter with you? he said, spitting feathers. Why aren't you at the top of the tree? The great eagle puffed herself up, feathers proud. I couldn't stop thinking about what that nasty serpent said. I've come to give Nidhogg a lesson in respecting other sacred animals. Give me a lesson, panted the serpent, just then catching up.

I should give you a lesson, you big, nasty bird. Hey, friends, let's just relax, said Ratatoskr, jumping in between. We all said things we didn't mean. Let's just forgive and forget and go back to where we belong and definitely not fight or talk anymore about anything, okay? The other two ignored him. The great eagle flashed her razor-sharp talons. The serpent coiled and bared his needle fangs.

dare you insult my feathers, spat the eagle. I'm a sacred animal of Yggdrasil, same as you. How dare I, said the serpent, voice dripping with a venom that had nothing to do with his fangs. You dare to insult my shape. The eagle puffed herself up like the giant sacred bird she was.

You maligned my beak. I won't have it. The serpent rose on his coils, no small sacred beast himself. You said my scales looked like a fish. A fish. Well, you called me. Wait, said the eagle. Say anything about your scales or about you at all for that matter.

Yes, yes you did. I'm the innocent one here. You started this. I never said a word about your feathers. You certainly did so. I heard it straight from the messenger. Well, so did I, of course. Ratatoskr started to edge away, eyes darting back and forth.

Wait, if you didn't insult me. And you didn't insult me. They both turned to look at the sacred squirrel, who was starting to slip away among the branches. Not so fast, cried Nidhogg, his serpent body snapping out and coiling around the little squirrel.

Looks like we've found the problem, said the great eagle. I think the messenger of the gods may have a message to deliver to the inside of my belly. Yes, as long as I get half. It's a deal, agreed the eagle.

Now let's eat this little prankster before he starts any more trouble. They both leaned in, fangs gleaming, beak glistening, eyes wide and hungry. Ratatoskr squeezed his own eyes shut, squealing. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, he shrieked. I just thought it would be funny. I didn't mean to cause a

Never make stuff up again, I promise. Please don't eat me. You know I'm funny. I'll taste funny, too. I swear if you so much as bite me, I'll use my horns. You'll have a sore throat for weeks, you punks. Wait, I'm sorry I said that. Please just let me go. Just... Hello? Realizing he hadn't been eaten, Ratatoskr stopped talking and peeked open first one eye and then both. Nidhogg and the great eagle had let him go and were sitting on a branch.

Between them, glowing with power, sat Odin himself, the godly all-father of the Norse humans and animals. He looked like a human himself, with snowy hair and a beard. He had that knowing smile on his face that usually made the squirrel roll his eyes, but today he was happy to see it. "'Enna!' he said, leaping into the god's lap. "'Gift me!'

Odin laughed and scratched Ratatoskr behind the ears. After a moment, the laughter faded, and his kindly face got too serious for the squirrel's liking. Don't worry, I won't let them eat you, he said. But maybe that's what you deserve. He paused for a moment to let the words sink in, and Ratatoskr gulped.

I'd say he looks guilty as sin, said the great eagle. I'd say he looks like dinner, said Nidhogg the serpent. The little squirrel squeaked and hid behind Odin's beard. Relax, little messenger. I told Nidhogg and the great eagle not to eat you. But you're a little too much fun for your own good. You understand?

Yes, Odin, the squirrel said, looking down at his paws. And you can't cause trouble just because you're bored. Next time, there'll be a fight for real. And I'll let them eat you, for real. Now, do you promise to behave? I promise, I promise. Good, Odin said, clapping his hands. Now everyone back to your places in the tree, quickly, before the nine realms fall out of balance.

The serpent Nidhogg huffed, nodded to Odin, and slithered back down Yggdrasil to his home among the roots. The great eagle bowed with her wings spread wide, then soared up and over Yggdrasil to her home atop the branches. And the little squirrel slipped inside of Yggdrasil to his home within the tree. There, he stretched deeply, changed into his pajamas, and laid himself down to bed.

He knew he'd sleep sweetly. He'd caused his trouble for the day, and it was time for him to dream up new mischief. To get into tomorrow. The End Today's story, The Sacred Squirrel, was an adaptation of a Norse myth written for you by Daniel Hines and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon, with songs by us both.

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