The Scandinavian God Odin... If you like even a little bit of Norse mythology. You're bound to know it, maybe you even pray the god Odin regularly haha. This is the reference that everyone knows, even those who basically 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, to understand his history, his motivations, his mysterious legends!
A GOD FOR GODS, A FATHER FOR FATHERS
Odin is the most important god of the Nordic mythology, he is called in different ways, we may 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 pseudonyms are given to him in the world of humans.
If we go into a little more detail, Odin is the leader of the gods of the Asians. His role then is to guide the Aesir who reside in the mythical city of Asgard. For a long time in conflict with the Vanes over differences in values.
In this illustration on the left is Odin and on the right is a Vane - Illustration by "
A few words about the Aesir:
The Ases are the main gods of Norse mythology, headed by Odin.
Among them you will find for example :
- Odin the god of gods
- Thor the 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'll find that it's a bit of a family story all around, with Odin at the origin! The Aesir embody aristocracy, wealth, victory, luxury and modernity. It is these values that are at the root of the conflict with the Vanes.
A few words about the Vanes:
Even more ancient and somewhat lesser known gods.
Among them you will find for example :
- Freyja goddess of fertility
- Freyr another fertility god
- Njord god of the sea and winds
The Vanes embody the nature, the basic energies, older beliefs. We could define them with two words "Fertile and Fertile".
Let's end this aside! All this is 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 when you pass him in the street? Yes, it's possible I assure you!
Odin is distinguished by several characteristics of his own, first of all he is described as rlooking like a wizard. Incidentally, a little anecdote on that. He was a source of inspiration for J.R.R Tolkien to describe the character of "Gandalf" in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. So that gives us a big man with a beard and a pointy hat!
Well that's not all, he is described as boring. He is said to have sacrificed his eye to gain access to the source of knowledge. Odin being a very curious god, he has for a very long time been on a quest for knowledge. So when it came to plucking out an eye himself to become omniscient, he didn't hesitate for a moment. Pretty much Badas... yes!"
We can also talk about Odin's mount which is rather out of the ordinary as well. It is an eight-legged horse. The beast is called Sleipnir, and it is capable of moving over land, sea and especially air! According to some sources, it is the offspring of the god Loki, himself the adopted son of Odin. That's quite a story. Sleipnir would thus be the brother of Fenrir the giant wolf and Jörmungand the giant snake. Enough to liven up a zoo, don't you think? Described as "The best horse in the world" this is the perfect mount for Odin.
Does Odin have a weapon of choice? Yes, he does! He has his "Gungnir" spear, which he wears very often in men's depictions of him. This spear is unstoppable, always hitting its target and returning to its owner every time. A boomerang what!"
Illustration of Odin always shares "
In other words you can see that Odin is recognisable! These different characteristics are often used to represent him in illustrations, series, movies, books. There are others, we didn't take the time here to tell you about his throne or even the ring of Draupnir. I'll let you visit Wikipedia for more specific details.
But.. For there is a but! All that being said, you have to know that Odin is polymorphic, he changes his appearance as he pleases. So in these cases he is much harder to recognize. This is why he is called "The Wanderer", he would sometimes transform into a wanderer to visit humans in the human world. The Vikings then have the habit of always welcoming wanderers.For at any time you receive the god of gods in your home!
ODIN AND HIS GREAT FAMILY
We often talk about Odin as if he's always been around, but here's the thing, I have to tell you. He too has a birth!
Being Odin's mum and dad? Prestige or ordeal?
Odin is the son of Bor and the giantess Bestla, he also has two brothers Vili and Vé. However, we may note that he is the first of the Aesir race. Bestla gave birth to Odin in a chasm that is called "Ginnungagap", this is so deep and ancient that it separates the worlds Niflheim and Muspellheim. In this chasm a war broke out between the Aesir (of which there were only 3) and the Ice Giants, with the Aesir being immortal anyway and the Ice Giants reproducing extremely fast. By practice to designate a winner!
Odin father of all things, but also father of a family
So, there are many different sources, so we'll tell you what we know from reliable sources. Odin had two wives in his life (officially anyway). His wife Frigg who would thus be the Queen of Asgard and would often advise Odin on his decisions. With Frigg, he will have three children:
- Hermód, known to be a divine messenger
- Höd, blind and unwilling assassin of his brother Baldr due to a trick of Loki
- Baldr, god of light and beauty
And now some of you are wondering how come you don't know them? I reassure you, we're going to talk about Thor...
Odin will also have a mistress or a second wife according to the sources, this one is called de Jörd and represents the power of the Earth. With her he will have two children:
- Meili, he is never mentioned, look at his Wikipedia page. It's almost sad!
- Thor, I don't even need to introduce him. However, beware of believing everything Marvel says, Norse mythology is quite different. I invite you to read our blog about Thor.
A few words about the god of mischief, I named Loki! He is actually the adopted son of Odin, the Aesir picks him up small to protect him. But he will be uncontrollable and cause many a mischief, his jealousy and temperament will lead him to complicate more than once to remove his brother Thor from the succession as King of Asgard. He is gifted, clever, intelligent, capable of metamorphosis. He is, moreover, the father of several legendary creatures:
- Fenrir the giant wolf
- Jörmungand the Giant serpent
- Hel the goddess of death
- Sleipnir the 8-legged horse of Odin
Notable, right?
A little break from your reading to hear Nota Bene tell us about Odin.
THE THREE GREAT POWERS OF ODIN
What are the powers of Odin? This is a question that can be asked. I'll try to explain the three main axes that Odin embodies.
God of Death
Are you familiar with the Valhalla? It is the paradise according to the Vikings, a place you go to when you are worthy. For this one must die with honour in battle in harmony with one's beliefs for the Norse gods. Then the Valkyries come on winged horses to retrieve the spirits of the Vikings who died with honour. If you had tried to desert during the battle, you can be sure that the Valkyries will not get you back!
The Valhalla is in Odin's palace in Asgard, it is a great hall where you can feast for eternity with the gods and your fallen brethren as well. Odin presides over Valhalla, so he is the guardian of the dead.
Furthermore, in honour of Odin in the world of men, many humans were sacrificed over the centuries to the glory of Odin. Some people were even willing to be sacrificed, believing hard that this would grant them a place with Odin.
These human sacrifice ceremonies were carried out by hanging or with a spear most of the time.
God of death yes, but consequently god of life! Odin is granted the power of resurrection. When the situation calls for a fearsome warrior then Odin may choose to bring a soldier back to the world of men. Here you are thinking of Ragnar's death? No, he just visited those children to break the news unfortunately... xtagstartzYes, we are all traumatized by Ragnar's death. Anyway...