The Scandinavian God Odin... If you even slightly like Norse mythology. You definitely know him, maybe you even regularly pray to the god Odin haha. He is the reference that everyone knows, even those who originally have no affinity with Viking culture. However, in this article, we will try to go a little further. To present the god Odin as a whole, understand his story, his motivations, his mysterious legends!
A GOD FOR THE GODS, A FATHER FOR THE FATHERS
Odin is the most important god in Norse mythology, he is called by different names, we could say "The Father of all things" or "The god of gods", "The Wanderer", "The God of War", "The God of the Dead", "The Great Sage". These nicknames are given to him in the human world.
If we go into a bit more detail, Odin is the chief of the gods of the Ases family. His role is to guide the Ases who reside in the mythical city of Asgard. For a long time, he was in conflict with the Vanes due to differences in values.
In this illustration on the left is Odin and on the right a Vane - Illustration by "ArtStation"
A few words about the Aesir:
The Aesir are the main gods of Norse mythology, with Odin at their head.
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Among them you will find for example:
- Odin the god of gods
- Thor son of Odin and god of thunder
- Baldur the most beautiful of the gods according to his reputation
- Bragi god of poetry and son of Odin
- Loki god of mischief and adopted son of Odin
- Frigg wife of Odin
- Freyja goddess of fertility
- ... and many others
You will notice that it's a bit of a family story all this, with Odin at the origin! The Aesir embody aristocracy, wealth, victory, luxury and modernity. These are the values at the origin of the conflict with the Vanir.
A few words about the Vanir:
Even older gods and a little less known.
Among them you will find for example:
- Freyja goddess of fertility
- Freyr another god of fertility
- Njord god of the sea and winds
the Vanir embody nature, the basic energies, older beliefs. We could define them with two words "Fertile and Fruitful".
Let's end this aside! All this to say that Odin is the King of the Aesir and therefore the King of Asgard! This is already an important role, but Odin has more than one string to his bow.
Would you be able to recognize Odin if you met him on the street? Yes, it is possible I assure you!
Odin stands out by several characteristics that are his own, first of all he is described as looking like a wizard. By the way, a little anecdote about that. He was a source of inspiration for J.R.R Tolkien to describe the character "Gandalf" in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. So that gives us a tall man with a beard and a pointed hat!
Well, that's not all, he is described as being one-eyed. He supposedly sacrificed his eye to access the source of knowledge. Odin being a very curious god, he was for a long time in search of knowledge. So when it came to tearing out one of his own eyes to become omniscient, he did not hesitate for a moment. Pretty badass... yes!
We can also talk about Odin's mount which is quite extraordinary as well. It is an eight-legged horse. The beast is named Sleipnir, and it is capable of moving on land, sea, and especially in the air! According to some sources, it would be the offspring of the god Loki, who himself is Odin's adopted son. That's quite a story. Sleipnir would therefore be the brother of Fenrir the giant wolf and Jörmungand the giant serpent. Enough to liven up a zoo, don't you think? Described as "The best horse in the world" it is the perfect mount for Odin.
Does Odin have a weapon of choice? Absolutely! He owns his spear "Gungnir", which he very often carries in the depictions men make of him. This spear is unstoppable, it always hits its target and returns to its owner every time. A boomerang, basically!
Illustration of Odin always made by "ArtStation" who really make magnificent drawings!
A seaside villa? No, but almost, if you are looking for Odin, he is in his palace the Valhöll. It is located in the realm of the gods, that is Asgard. This is the Valhalla, the place where Viking warriors from the human world are taken by the Valkyries after their death on a battlefield. The idea is to feast indefinitely with Odin and the other deceased in this great palace. There will of course be women, alcohol, and incredible fights!
Odin is also depicted with companion animals! First, two ravens representing memory and thought, named respectively Munin and Hugin. It is said that he is often afraid of losing Munin, who knows why ;)
But he is also accompanied by two wolves, Geri and Freki.
In other words, you can see that Odin is recognizable! These different characteristics are often used to represent him in illustrations, series, films, books. There are others, we have not taken the time here to talk about his throne or the ring Draupnir. I leave you to visit Wikipedia for more precise details.
But.. Because there is a but! That said, you should know that Odin is polymorphic, he changes appearance at will. So in these cases, he is much harder to recognize. That is why he is called "The Wanderer", he might transform into a wanderer to visit humans in the world of men. The Vikings then have the habit of always welcoming wanderers well. Because at any moment you might receive the god of gods at your home!
ODIN AND HIS BIG FAMILY
We often talk about Odin as if he had always been there, but here, I must tell you. He too has a birth!
Being Odin's dad and mom? Prestige or ordeal?
Odin is the son of Bor and the giantess Bestla, he also has two brothers Vili and Vé. However, we can note that he is the first of the race of the Aesir. Bestla gave birth to Odin in a chasm called "Ginnungagap", which is so deep and ancient that it separates the worlds Niflheim and Muspellheim. In this chasm, a war broke out between the Aesir (who were only 3) and the frost giants, with the Aesir who are immortal anyway and the frost giants who reproduce extremely fast. Convenient for designating a winner!
Odin father of all things, but also family father
So, there are many different sources, so we will tell you what we know from reliable sources. Odin had two wives in his life (officially at least). His wife Frigg who was the queen of Asgard and who often advised Odin in his decisions. With Frigg, he had three children:
- Hermód, known as a divine messenger
- Höd, blind and unwitting assassin of his brother Baldr due to a trick by Loki
- Baldr, god of light and beauty
And now, some of you are wondering how come you don't know them? Rest assured, we will talk about Thor...
Odin also had a mistress or a second wife depending on the sources, her name is Jörd and she represents the power of the Earth. With her, he had two children:
- Meili, no one ever talks about him, check his Wikipedia page. It's almost sad!
- Thor, I don't even need to introduce him. However, be careful not to believe everything Marvel says, Norse mythology is quite different. I invite you to read our blog on Thor.
A few words about the god of mischief, namely Loki! He is actually Odin's adopted son, the Aesir took him in young to protect him. But he will be uncontrollable and cause much harm, his jealousy and temperament will lead him to plot more than once to remove his brother Thor from the succession as king of Asgard. He is gifted, clever, intelligent, capable of shape-shifting. He is also the father of several legendary creatures:
- Fenrir the giant wolf
- Jörmungand the Giant serpent
- Hel the goddess of death
- Sleipnir Odin's 8-legged horse
Remarkable, isn’t it?
A little break in your reading to listen to Nota Bene talk about Odin.
THE THREE GREAT POWERS OF ODIN
What are Odin’s powers? That’s a question one might ask. I will try to explain the three main axes that Odin embodies.
God of death
Do you know the Valhalla? It is the paradise according to the Vikings, a place where one goes when worthy. To do so, you must die with honor in battle while being in harmony with your beliefs for the Norse gods. Then, the Valkyries come on winged horses to retrieve the spirits of Vikings who died with honor. If you tried to desert during the battle, you can be sure the Valkyries will not retrieve you!
The Valhalla is located in Odin's Hall in Asgard, it is a great hall where you can feast for eternity with the gods and your brothers who also died in battle. Odin presides over Valhalla, so he is the guardian of the dead.
Moreover, in honor of Odin in the world of men, many humans were sacrificed over the centuries to the glory of Odin. Some people were even volunteers to be sacrificed, firmly believing that this would grant them a place with Odin.
These human sacrifice ceremonies were carried out mostly by hanging or with a spear.
God of death yes, but consequently god of life! Odin is credited with the power of resurrection. When the situation demands the presence of a formidable warrior, Odin can choose to bring a soldier back to the world of men. Now, you’re thinking of Ragnar’s death? No, he was content to visit his children to deliver the news unfortunately... Yes, we are all traumatized by Ragnar’s death. Anyway...
In this same axis of death, Odin is credited with an incredible talent for poetry, to the point that he would only express himself in this way. By reciting poems, it is said that one could listen to him for hours and hours. An intellectual, the god of death!
To accompany your reading, we suggest you listen to the group SKALD on YouTube, they sing in Old Norse. The language of the Vikings of the time.
God of War
Odin is considered a formidable war chief, he would have the ability to devise the best strategies that could lead to bloodbaths. I am talking about the blood of the opposing camp of course. At the same time, he knows how to surround himself, with two extremely dangerous private militias.
The Valkyries: So, mythology tells us they are Odin’s servants (the word Slave “Premium” is sometimes used) but we will choose to describe them as fierce warriors feared by all.
The Berserkers: Bloodthirsty warriors capable of transforming into their totem animal. You will see battlefields with wolves, bears, lynxes unleashed and tearing the limbs off their enemies.
You will note that in addition to this, Odin has been omniscient since he sacrificed his eye. That’s pretty handy for winning a battle!
God of Wisdom
Odin is intellectual, he loves to learn, he loves knowledge, he loves discovery. These values have accompanied him throughout his existence. Which even led him to tear out an eye to gain knowledge. He watches, he monitors the different worlds thanks to his two ravens who bring him reports of what they have observed in the worlds carried by Yggdrasil. In the same way as Saruman’s ravens in The Lord of the Rings.
But beyond that, Odin is known for his spiritual approach to things, and his shamanism. He aims to be close to the energies of this world to better understand the mechanisms and better control his environment. This sensitivity to the natural world earned him to be well accompanied by several animals who see Odin as a guide. His horse, his ravens, his wolves...
Odin takes pleasure in expressing himself through poetry, riddles, and moralizing phrases forcing his interlocutor to think deeply to understand the precise meaning of Odin’s words. To understand the hidden meaning and the great truth that may lie within Odin’s words.
Illustration from Pinterest - artist not found.
THE STORIES OF ODINS
How does Odin die?
Odin knows he will die during Ragnarök, being aware of everything, he has horrible dreams about it. Ragnarök is a prophecy indicating the end of the world in Norse mythology, it is the day when chaos will be unleashed upon the world. On that day, a monster Odin had ensured to imprison will awaken and break free!
This is the Giant Wolf Fenrir, he is one of the babies fathered by the god Loki. Fenrir was bound and tortured for centuries, until the day he broke free during Ragnarök and unleashed his vengeance on Odin by devouring him.
Fenrir will be pierced by Vidar which will kill him instantly. A bloodbath!
Well, it’s sad! But you have to consider that everyone dies or almost on the day of Ragnarök including the gods. So anyway, it had to happen...
Is he the most important god of the Vikings?
Odin is the supreme god, he is undoubtedly the most important. But of course there are many important Norse deities. Today in popular culture, Thor is much more highlighted. But that wasn’t the case for the Scandinavians of the time. They only begged Thor when he sent devastating storms while they were at sea! "Oh Thor spare us, calm your anger and unleash it on the Christians..." well, that kind of thing, you know?
Odin, the beginning and the end
Odin is incredible, timeless, eternal, omniscient, powerful, inspiring... These adjectives are everywhere on the internet, when we talk about Odin it’s always fabulous! Even today, although Odin’s followers are fewer, well there’s you and me, that’s something. Odin is everywhere, in movies, books, series. Norse mythology stories have inspired many writers and screenwriters. You understand by reading our brand name that... maybe we too were inspired by him Haha!
Thank you for reading, it’s a pleasure to write for Odin's Hall, the reference brand in accessories inspired by Norse mythology.
You can visit our Odin collection to find a piece of jewelry representing the king of Asgard.
Feel free to read our other articles on Norse deities, to discover other fascinating gods.
You can also leave if you want, but I must admit we prefer you stay on our site a little longer.
Let me tell you a bit about our logo if you want! At Odin's Hall we wanted to have our own logos representing the strong symbols of Norse mythology, and Odin has his own of course. I'll put it just below.
Do you like it? Then wear our colors by getting the Odin T-shirt.
SKOOOLL! Glory to Odin!
