Odin (deity)

Symbols: Raven; wolf

Culture: Norse; Germanic

Mother: Bestla

Father: Bor

Siblings: Vili (or Haenir); Ve

Children: Balder; Hod; Hermod; Thor; Tyr

Odin is one of four deities who appear in both Norse (Scandinavian) and Germanic mythology. The other three are Thor, Tyr, and Freya (also known as Frigg). Odin was the greatest and oldest god of the Aesir, one of two tribes of deities (the other was the Vanir). He was considered the god of both war and the dead, and he was a protector of heroes. He was also the god of poetry.

Odin was generally portrayed as a tall, old man with a flowing beard. Artwork usually showed him holding his magic spear, Gungnir, and wearing a blue cloak. He was sometimes called Odin One Eye. He earned this name by sacrificing one of his eyes for the privilege of drinking from the Well of Wisdom. According to legend, this act that gave him inner sight. He was also skilled at magic and runes, the ancient alphabet of the Norsemen and Celts.

Odin also appears in literature as Wodan, Wotan, or Woden. The multiple names reflect their sources: Different groups worshipped Odin over a long period of time, and what we know about Norse and Germanic mythology comes from legends that range across many cultures—Greek, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian.

In Mythology

Stories of Odin, like his names, vary among sources, but he was always the foremost god, not just in time but also in power and authority. A sign of his importance is the fact that he appeared at some point in nearly every Norse myth. Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve slayed the giant Ymir and created Earth out of their enemy’s body. The three gods then created a woman out of an ash tree and a man out of an elder tree. Odin gave the two new humans life and souls, while Vili gave them reason and Ve gave them senses and speech. Odin then set in motion the timing of day and night as well as of the seasons.

With his wife Frigg (or Freya), Odin fathered several of the other gods of Asgard, most notably Thor, Tyr, and Balder.

All the Aesir, which included several other gods besides Odin and his family, lived in the gold and silver palaces of Asgard, which literally means, "enclosure of the gods." Asgard could only be reached by crossing Bifrost, the rainbow bridge that connected Asgard with Midgard, the world of humans.

The most magnificent of Asgard’s palaces was Odin’s Valhalla, which had a great hall so massive that it had 540 doors. It was at Valhalla that Odin entertained heroes who died in battle, all brought to the banquet hall by the warrior maidens known as the Valkyrie. (Valkyrie, or Walkyrie, is Old Norse for "Chooser of the Slain.") Only fallen heroes were accorded this honor, for no one who died peacefully was permitted to enter Valhalla. Upon reaching Odin’s palace, they were served by the Valkyrie who had brought them there. The heroes would feast each night on the flesh of the magical boar Saehrimnirmead and also mead, a strong drink containing honey and water. This boar died daily to feed the heroes only to return the next day to be consumed once again. The heroes spent their days in fierce and enthusiastic battle, but all their wounds would heal in time for dinner. These activities were designed to prepare the warriors for Ragnarok, the great battle of the Norse gods that would take place at the end of the time.

Magic was important to Odin, and he endured considerable hardship in its pursuit. (The sacrifice of his eye was a good example of his willingness to suffer to achieve this goal.) He was able to change his shape, could get men who had been hanged to talk, and could cast spells that would blunt an enemy’s weapons. Odin was also credited with the invention of runes, ancient alphabets used both for writing and for divination.

When on his throne, Odin would have two ravens perched on his shoulders, Huginn (meaning "Thought") and Muninn ("Memory" or "Mind"). These birds would fly out daily into the nine worlds to gather information for Odin. At his feet were two wolves, which were fed any meat served to the god, for Odin did not need food, living only on mead.

Odin had wisdom and power, but he was not necessarily good. He loved battle so much that he would start fights, stirring up even the members of his own family. No oath was so sacred that Odin could not break it.

Origins and Cults

The Germanic tribes and the Norsemen, also known as Vikings, were famed for their fighting ability. While there was more to life than combat for these people, being able to fight was important for survival, and conflict made up a substantial part of their existence. Those who were successful in war became the leaders, chiefs, and kings. As a result, the gods they chose to worship reflected the value the Vikings placed on skill in battle as well as on magic and poetry.

In both Norse and Germanic traditions, warriors who worshipped Odin were known as berserkers, an Old Norse word that means "bearskin." It is said that because of their savagery and the animal skins they wore in battle, the berserkers were the source of the legends about werewolves. The berserkers appeared in both myth and history as savage warriors or bodyguards for kings. We get our word berserk from the violent behavior of these warriors, who were often seen as villains in Norse sagas. In addition to the berserkers, it appears that most of Odin’s worshippers were kings or members of the nobility. Odin’s name does not often occur as part of place names, so it appears his worship was not widespread.

In Popular Culture

One of the alternative names of Odin, Woden, gave us the name of the English day known as Wednesday (Woden’s day). Odin/Wotan is at the heart of Wagner’s monumental opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen (also known as the Ring Cycle), and even those who have never listened to opera generally recognize "The Ride of the Valkyries" from this work. Beginning in 1962, a series of comic books introduced Thor and Odin to readers. Then in 2011, the first of a series of Thor movies featured many of the gods of Asgard, including Anthony Hopkins as Odin.

Bibliography

Bullfinch, Thomas. Bullfinch’s Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry, and Legends of Charlemagne. 1867. San Diego: Canterbury Classics, 2014. Print.

Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. 4th ed. New York: Pantheon, 1980. Print.

Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. New York: Penguin Books, 1965.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. 1942. New York: Back Bay Books, 2013. Print.

Lindow, John. Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002. Print.

Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology. Trans. Jesse L. Byock. New York: Penguin Classics, 2006. Print.