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Description

Character design for Norse Mythology: The Animated Series www.patreon.com/norsemythology…

Modern Norwegian: Odin, Old Norse: Óðinn, Anglo-Saxon: Wōden, Old Saxon: Woden, Old Franconian: Wodan, Old High German: Wutan, Wuotan.

He is the chief god of Æsir and the most versatile of all the gods. He is the father of the gods, the god of poetry, the god of the dead, of war, of magic, of runes, of ecstacy. The numerous names for Odin in Old Norse literature exemplify his diversity.
Myths about Oðinn
According to Snorri (Gylfaginning 5) Odin and his brothers Vili and Vé are the first gods to be created. They are the sons of Burr and the Jotuness Bestla. Odin is Frigg's husband and his sons are Baldr (from Frigg), Þórr (from Jörð), Vali (from Rindr). In addtion to this geneology which is already documented in the skaldic poetry, Snorri also names Heimdallr, Týr, Bragi, Víðar, and Höðr as Oðin's sons.

Snorri has the Following to say about Odin: (Gylfaginning 19)
Odin is the highest and oldest of the gods; he rules over everything and however mighty the other gods may be, they all serve him like children serve their father.
Odin is called Alröðr (Father of All) because he is the father of all of the gods.
He lives in Asgarð in Hilðskjálf from where he can look over the whole world. He is considered to be omniscient and because of this he is also known as Fjölsviðr (the extremely wise one).

Óðinn´s attributes are his spear Gungnir, his blindness in one eye, his hat and cloak. All of these belong to his stereotypical appearance as shown in the fornaldarsögur of the 13th and 14th centuries to texts from modern times. Another, much older, attribute is Óðinn´s ring Draupnir from which every nine nights another eight equally heavy rings drip. (Skáldskaparmál 33). Óðinn´s two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, are likewise firmly established attributes from the end of the Migration Age onwards (as illustrations on bracteates and picture-stones prove). The two ravens fly over the whole world and return before breakfast bringing Óðinn news of many things: ´this is why he is also called ´the raven god´(Hrafnaguð) (Gylfaginning 37). Óðinn´s eight-legged horse Sleipnir is mentioned quite early in Old Norse literature: according to Snorri, the amazing horse was the offspring of the Jötun stallion Svarðifari and Loki (in the shape of a mare).

Óðinn acquires his knowledge from Mimir's head (Völuspá 46: Ynglinga Saga 4 and 7) or else by drinking from Mimir's well but according to Snorri (Gylfaginning 14), he has to sacrifice an eye in order to do so. Despite his position as chief god Óðinn is the hero of far fewer mythical adventures than Þórr. There are several accounts of Óðinn proving his immense knowledge. In the Eddic Vafþrúðnismál he challenges the Jötun Vafþrúðnir to a battle of wits and is victorious. In Grímnismál he is forced to reveal his mythical knowledge to King Geirröðr, and gives a long list of Óðinn´s names which are only preserved in this poem and in the Hervarar saga we hear of another battle of wits in which Óðinn takes part. Snorri records the probably older myth of Óðinn´s theft of the mead of the skalds in which he has to seduce the Jötun´s daughter Gunnlöð in order to acquire the mead. the so-called second Óðinn´s example in Hávamál (103-110) alludes to this episode, whereas the first Óðinn´s example (Hávamál 96-102) refers to an adventure of Óðinn´s with the daughter of a Billingr. Furthermore, Óðinn is mentioned in the connexion with man love-adventures, such as with Rindr who subsequently bears him a son, Váli. In a battle of words with Þórr, Óðinn boats repeatedly about his affairs (Hárbarðsljóð 16,18, 20, 30, 32) which he compares to Þórr´s heroic deeds.

In Hávamál the myth of Óðinn's self-sacrifice is told in which he hung on a ´wind-swept gallows´for nine nights, sacrificing himself and thus acquiring the knowledge of the runes.

in 10th century skaldic poetry Óðinn is frequently called the guardian of warriors and the god of the slain in battle. He is also said to be the god of the einherjar who he gathers around himself in Valhöll so that they can support him at Ragnarök in the battle against the forces of the Underworld (Eireksmál). The valkyrja (Óðinns meyjar ´Óðinn's Maidens´) fetch the slain from the battlefield and lead them to Valhöll where they attend to their needs (Gylfaginning 37, 38, 40). Valhöll take the characteristics of a warrior paradise here.
Óðinn's Functions
(a) Óðinn personifies the function of sovereignty in Germanic Culture, and in the literary period the role of the father of the gods. As such he is call Alföðr (Father of All) in the literary sources where both this name and also the term almáttki áss (Almighty As) appear to be influenced by Christian names for God since it is certain that Óðinn did not have such a dominant position in the cult and folk-beliiefs of the viking period as the literary sources would have us believe. Snorri´s aforementioned comments that Óðinn is the father of a long line of gods ought not be taken literally either. Nevertheless, Óðinn appears in a myth before the creation of mankind in which he is named along Hønir and Loðurr (in Völuspá 17, 18), and with Vili and Vé in Snorri´s version (Gylfaginning 5). According to this myth, the three gods created the first people Ask and Embla. Óðinn appears not only as the creator of mankind, but also as the ancestor of royal dynasties, such as the Völsungs, the Skjöldungs, and the Ynglings as well as the Anglo-Saxon royal houses.

(b) Óðinn won esteem as the god of warriors and poets during the Viking Age. Southern and Western Germanic sources also mention that Óðinn was considered to be the god who granted victory: Wodan is able to decide the fate of the battle among the Langobards and the heathen Anglo-Saxons made sacrifices to Uuoddan before battle. In the north from the Viking Age on it is always Óðinn who gives victory, and hence he is also known as Sigfaðir, Sig-Gautr, Sigtýr, and so on.

According Ynglinga Saga 4, it was Óðinn who first brought war into the world, and battles are begun by a spear being thrown into the hostile army to dedicate it to Óðinn. Óðinn is also responsible for the personal fate of the individual in battle, and death in battle was even understood as being betrayed by Óðinn. In heroic poetry Óðinn is frequently referred to as the protector of individual heros (Sigrð, Starkarð, Haddingus), but it is he who time and again instigates the argument which leads to war (as in the Battle of Bravalla: Saxo, Gesta Danorum VII, or the war between the Agantýr and Hlöð: Hervarar Saga 10).

(c) Óðinn´s close connection with the dead, in particular those slain in battle, fits in with his role as the god of war. He awaits them in Valhöll, where they become his special followers, the einherjar. In the concept of the Wild Hunt Óðinn also emerges as the leader of a band of warriors who are related to the army of the dead.

(d) The form of the dedication to Óðinn is found in Óðinn´s sacrifice, in which Óðinn acquires the knowledge of runes (Hávamál 138-145) by hanging on the ´wind-swept gallows´and being pierced by a spear. The names used in skaldic poetry for Óðinn, such as Hangaguð, Hangatýr, Hangi, show that even the skalds knew Óðinn as the god of the gallows. As a result of Óðinn´s sacrifice (´myself to myself´), Hávamál links the gain of the runic knowledge to the acquisition of the art of poetry, which is described, however, elsewhere in Old Norse literature quite differently: Skáldskaparmál 1 Óðinn steals the mead of the skalds (Oðrørir), which has been brewed by the Jötun Suttungr and his daughter Gunnlöð from the blood of Kvasir, by drinking it and bringing it back to Asgarð for the good of the gods and man in the guise of an eagle. This is why, according to Snorri, poetry is also called farmr Óðinns ´Óðinn´s burden´. The name for Óðinn, Farmatýr, probably comes from this.

(e) Óðinn´s role as the god of sorcery and magic is connected with his acquisition of the art of poetry and his knowledge of the runes. Although the Vanir are especially associated with magic (seiðr) in Nordic Paganism, Óðinn is considered to be the one among the Æsir most versed in magic. In Hávamál he boasts about his knowledge of magic formulae. In the Second Merseburg Charm Wodan heals by magic and in the Eddic Baldrs Draumar 3 he is called ´Father of the magic chant´.

Parallels with shamanistic practices in which ecstatic states play an essential role may be assumed as a result both of Óðinn´s acquisitions of runic knowledge and the poetic art and his particular kind of magic. Ecstatic states are also an integral part of Óðinn´s cult according to our sources: Wodan id est furor (Wodan, that is to say fury) records Adam of Bremen in the 11th century (Gesta Hammaburgenis ecclesae Pontificum IV, 26) and documents with this what the etymology of Óðinn´s Name also tells, namely that Óðinn is related to Old Norse Óðr ´furious´and German Wut (excessive anger). This ecstatic fury which manifests itself in Óðinn´s warriors, such as the berserks and Ulfheðnar, as well as in cult traditions still reflected in the concepts of the Wild Hunt, is an essential factor in Óðinn´s being and points to the shamanistic origin of the god.

(f) A further hint of Óðinn as a shaman is his repeatedly recorded function as a god of healing. Óðinn´s role in this function is best known from the Second Merseburg Charm where Wodan heals the dislocated leg of Baldr´s Horse. This mythical deed is supposed to be repeated and a healing brought about if the charm is said again. Hauck has been able to show that Óðinn´s/Wodan´s veterinary function is also recorded in the pictorial representations on the Germanic Golden Bracteates (Group C) of the Migration Period, which depict a god´s head above a horse usually shown to have dislocated forelegs.

Description

Character design for Norse Mythology: The Animated Series www.patreon.com/norsemythology…

Modern Norwegian: Odin, Old Norse: Óðinn, Anglo-Saxon: Wōden, Old Saxon: Woden, Old Franconian: Wodan, Old High German: Wutan, Wuotan.

He is the chief god of Æsir and the most versatile of all the gods. He is the father of the gods, the god of poetry, the god of the dead, of war, of magic, of runes, of ecstacy. The numerous names for Odin in Old Norse literature exemplify his diversity.
Myths about Oðinn
According to Snorri (Gylfaginning 5) Odin and his brothers Vili and Vé are the first gods to be created. They are the sons of Burr and the Jotuness Bestla. Odin is Frigg's husband and his sons are Baldr (from Frigg), Þórr (from Jörð), Vali (from Rindr). In addtion to this geneology which is already documented in the skaldic poetry, Snorri also names Heimdallr, Týr, Bragi, Víðar, and Höðr as Oðin's sons.

Snorri has the Following to say about Odin: (Gylfaginning 19)
Odin is the highest and oldest of the gods; he rules over everything and however mighty the other gods may be, they all serve him like children serve their father.
Odin is called Alröðr (Father of All) because he is the father of all of the gods.
He lives in Asgarð in Hilðskjálf from where he can look over the whole world. He is considered to be omniscient and because of this he is also known as Fjölsviðr (the extremely wise one).

Óðinn´s attributes are his spear Gungnir, his blindness in one eye, his hat and cloak. All of these belong to his stereotypical appearance as shown in the fornaldarsögur of the 13th and 14th centuries to texts from modern times. Another, much older, attribute is Óðinn´s ring Draupnir from which every nine nights another eight equally heavy rings drip. (Skáldskaparmál 33). Óðinn´s two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, are likewise firmly established attributes from the end of the Migration Age onwards (as illustrations on bracteates and picture-stones prove). The two ravens fly over the whole world and return before breakfast bringing Óðinn news of many things: ´this is why he is also called ´the raven god´(Hrafnaguð) (Gylfaginning 37). Óðinn´s eight-legged horse Sleipnir is mentioned quite early in Old Norse literature: according to Snorri, the amazing horse was the offspring of the Jötun stallion Svarðifari and Loki (in the shape of a mare).

Óðinn acquires his knowledge from Mimir's head (Völuspá 46: Ynglinga Saga 4 and 7) or else by drinking from Mimir's well but according to Snorri (Gylfaginning 14), he has to sacrifice an eye in order to do so. Despite his position as chief god Óðinn is the hero of far fewer mythical adventures than Þórr. There are several accounts of Óðinn proving his immense knowledge. In the Eddic Vafþrúðnismál he challenges the Jötun Vafþrúðnir to a battle of wits and is victorious. In Grímnismál he is forced to reveal his mythical knowledge to King Geirröðr, and gives a long list of Óðinn´s names which are only preserved in this poem and in the Hervarar saga we hear of another battle of wits in which Óðinn takes part. Snorri records the probably older myth of Óðinn´s theft of the mead of the skalds in which he has to seduce the Jötun´s daughter Gunnlöð in order to acquire the mead. the so-called second Óðinn´s example in Hávamál (103-110) alludes to this episode, whereas the first Óðinn´s example (Hávamál 96-102) refers to an adventure of Óðinn´s with the daughter of a Billingr. Furthermore, Óðinn is mentioned in the connexion with man love-adventures, such as with Rindr who subsequently bears him a son, Váli. In a battle of words with Þórr, Óðinn boats repeatedly about his affairs (Hárbarðsljóð 16,18, 20, 30, 32) which he compares to Þórr´s heroic deeds.

In Hávamál the myth of Óðinn's self-sacrifice is told in which he hung on a ´wind-swept gallows´for nine nights, sacrificing himself and thus acquiring the knowledge of the runes.

in 10th century skaldic poetry Óðinn is frequently called the guardian of warriors and the god of the slain in battle. He is also said to be the god of the einherjar who he gathers around himself in Valhöll so that they can support him at Ragnarök in the battle against the forces of the Underworld (Eireksmál). The valkyrja (Óðinns meyjar ´Óðinn's Maidens´) fetch the slain from the battlefield and lead them to Valhöll where they attend to their needs (Gylfaginning 37, 38, 40). Valhöll take the characteristics of a warrior paradise here.
Óðinn's Functions
(a) Óðinn personifies the function of sovereignty in Germanic Culture, and in the literary period the role of the father of the gods. As such he is call Alföðr (Father of All) in the literary sources where both this name and also the term almáttki áss (Almighty As) appear to be influenced by Christian names for God since it is certain that Óðinn did not have such a dominant position in the cult and folk-beliiefs of the viking period as the literary sources would have us believe. Snorri´s aforementioned comments that Óðinn is the father of a long line of gods ought not be taken literally either. Nevertheless, Óðinn appears in a myth before the creation of mankind in which he is named along Hønir and Loðurr (in Völuspá 17, 18), and with Vili and Vé in Snorri´s version (Gylfaginning 5). According to this myth, the three gods created the first people Ask and Embla. Óðinn appears not only as the creator of mankind, but also as the ancestor of royal dynasties, such as the Völsungs, the Skjöldungs, and the Ynglings as well as the Anglo-Saxon royal houses.

(b) Óðinn won esteem as the god of warriors and poets during the Viking Age. Southern and Western Germanic sources also mention that Óðinn was considered to be the god who granted victory: Wodan is able to decide the fate of the battle among the Langobards and the heathen Anglo-Saxons made sacrifices to Uuoddan before battle. In the north from the Viking Age on it is always Óðinn who gives victory, and hence he is also known as Sigfaðir, Sig-Gautr, Sigtýr, and so on.

According Ynglinga Saga 4, it was Óðinn who first brought war into the world, and battles are begun by a spear being thrown into the hostile army to dedicate it to Óðinn. Óðinn is also responsible for the personal fate of the individual in battle, and death in battle was even understood as being betrayed by Óðinn. In heroic poetry Óðinn is frequently referred to as the protector of individual heros (Sigrð, Starkarð, Haddingus), but it is he who time and again instigates the argument which leads to war (as in the Battle of Bravalla: Saxo, Gesta Danorum VII, or the war between the Agantýr and Hlöð: Hervarar Saga 10).

(c) Óðinn´s close connection with the dead, in particular those slain in battle, fits in with his role as the god of war. He awaits them in Valhöll, where they become his special followers, the einherjar. In the concept of the Wild Hunt Óðinn also emerges as the leader of a band of warriors who are related to the army of the dead.

(d) The form of the dedication to Óðinn is found in Óðinn´s sacrifice, in which Óðinn acquires the knowledge of runes (Hávamál 138-145) by hanging on the ´wind-swept gallows´and being pierced by a spear. The names used in skaldic poetry for Óðinn, such as Hangaguð, Hangatýr, Hangi, show that even the skalds knew Óðinn as the god of the gallows. As a result of Óðinn´s sacrifice (´myself to myself´), Hávamál links the gain of the runic knowledge to the acquisition of the art of poetry, which is described, however, elsewhere in Old Norse literature quite differently: Skáldskaparmál 1 Óðinn steals the mead of the skalds (Oðrørir), which has been brewed by the Jötun Suttungr and his daughter Gunnlöð from the blood of Kvasir, by drinking it and bringing it back to Asgarð for the good of the gods and man in the guise of an eagle. This is why, according to Snorri, poetry is also called farmr Óðinns ´Óðinn´s burden´. The name for Óðinn, Farmatýr, probably comes from this.

(e) Óðinn´s role as the god of sorcery and magic is connected with his acquisition of the art of poetry and his knowledge of the runes. Although the Vanir are especially associated with magic (seiðr) in Nordic Paganism, Óðinn is considered to be the one among the Æsir most versed in magic. In Hávamál he boasts about his knowledge of magic formulae. In the Second Merseburg Charm Wodan heals by magic and in the Eddic Baldrs Draumar 3 he is called ´Father of the magic chant´.

Parallels with shamanistic practices in which ecstatic states play an essential role may be assumed as a result both of Óðinn´s acquisitions of runic knowledge and the poetic art and his particular kind of magic. Ecstatic states are also an integral part of Óðinn´s cult according to our sources: Wodan id est furor (Wodan, that is to say fury) records Adam of Bremen in the 11th century (Gesta Hammaburgenis ecclesae Pontificum IV, 26) and documents with this what the etymology of Óðinn´s Name also tells, namely that Óðinn is related to Old Norse Óðr ´furious´and German Wut (excessive anger). This ecstatic fury which manifests itself in Óðinn´s warriors, such as the berserks and Ulfheðnar, as well as in cult traditions still reflected in the concepts of the Wild Hunt, is an essential factor in Óðinn´s being and points to the shamanistic origin of the god.

(f) A further hint of Óðinn as a shaman is his repeatedly recorded function as a god of healing. Óðinn´s role in this function is best known from the Second Merseburg Charm where Wodan heals the dislocated leg of Baldr´s Horse. This mythical deed is supposed to be repeated and a healing brought about if the charm is said again. Hauck has been able to show that Óðinn´s/Wodan´s veterinary function is also recorded in the pictorial representations on the Germanic Golden Bracteates (Group C) of the Migration Period, which depict a god´s head above a horse usually shown to have dislocated forelegs.