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Odin (Old Norse: Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse mythology and Norse paganism. Like the Anglo-Saxon Woden, his name (and attributes) are thought to have descended from the Proto-Germanic *Wōđinaz or *Wōđanaz. His name is related to óðr, meaning "excitation," "fury" or "poetry," and his role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is god of wisdom, death, and victory in battle. He is also attested as being a god of magic, poetry, prophecy, and the hunt. However, unlike many father/ruler gods, Odin is not described as a moral exemplar and he is often seen winning battles and out-maneuvering opponents using guile, trickery and outright deception. Further, as he is the lord over warriors who have fallen in combat, he is occasionally depicted inciting his human constituents into battle - once again, often using duplicitous means.

Though not as popular as Thor (at least among the common people), Odin was still the recipient of some veneration, especially from members of the upper classes. He was also one of the three deities found in the major "pagan" temple at Uppsala, Sweden, where animals were slaughtered and men were hung to death as consecrated sacrifices to the "Gallows God" (one of Odin's many sobriquets).^[1]

An 1886 depiction of Odin by Georg von Rosen.

Odin in a Norse Context

Main article: Norse Mythology

As mentioned above, Odin is a Norse deity, a designation that signifies his membership in a complex of religious, mythological and cosmological beliefs shared by the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples. This mythological tradition, of which the Scandinavian (and particularly Icelandic) sub-groups are best preserved, developed in the period from the first manifestations of religious and material culture in approximately 1000 B.C.E. until the Christianization of the area, a process that occurred primarily from 900-1200 C.E.^[2] The tales recorded within this mythological corpus tend to exemplify a unified cultural focus on physical prowess and military might.

Within this framework, Norse cosmology postulates three separate "clans" of deities: the Aesir, the Vanir, and the Jotun. The distinction between Aesir and Vanir is relative, for the two are said to have made peace, exchanged hostages, intermarried and reigned together after a prolonged war, which the Aesir had finally won. In fact, the most major divergence between the two groups is in their respective areas of influence, with the Aesir representing war and conquest, and the Vanir representing exploration, fertility and wealth.^[3] The Jotun, on the other hand, are seen as a generally malefic (though wise) race of giants who represented the primary adversaries of the Aesir and Vanir.

Odin is generally recognized (at least in the received sources) as the leader (or even the father) of the Aesir.

Characteristics

According to the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, Odin is the first and most powerful of the Aesir. Despite this high status, he is an ambivalent deity, who is much more likely to arouse awe and fear than love, respect or veneration. His name, in the Old Norse language, connotes rage or frenzy, which was taken to refer to either “poetry and inspiration" or to "fury and madness" (leading many to assume that his name refers to the battle-rage of the famed Norse berserkers).

Odin is a God of wisdom (both worldly and arcane),^[4] visually symbolized by his one-eyed visage, as a popular myth describes him sacrificing his eye for a drink from Mimir’s fountain (which gave him knowledge of the end times (Ragnarok)).^[5] An oft-told story depicts his craftiness in stealing the "mead of poetry" from the giants, saving most of the skill for himself, but also making it available to fortunate human poets.

Odin is constantly attended on by his two ravens (Huginn and Muninn (literally, “thought” and “memory”)), whose constantly survey the mortal and divine realms and report their findings back to their master. He is also credited with the ability to use his magical runes to animate the dead (especially the hanged) in order to discover their secrets. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, Odin is described hanging himself from the world tree, being pierced by his own spear and literally dying in order to receive knowledge of runic magic:

I know that I hung

on the windswept tree

for nine full nights,

wounded with a spear

and given to Odin,

myself to myself; …

I peered downward,

I grasped the runes,

screeching I grasped them;

I fell back from there

…

I learned nine mighty songs.^[6]

This particular episode creates a reasonable parallel between the deity and the shamanistic practice of ritual death in service of magical initiation.

An 1893 depiction of Odin taking the dead Sinfjötli to Valhalla by Fredrik Sander.

Though not directly related to physical bravery or the art of combat (as were Thor and, to a lesser extent, Tyr), Odin was also understood in the context of war - specifically as a bringer of victory. By launching his dwarven-crafted javelin Gungnir over the enemy ranks, he was able to instill panic, blindness and numbness in the opposing troops, while simultaneously bolstering the courage and resolve of any army he favored. However, he was also associated with the dead of war - specifically, those who died honorably in combat. From their ranks, Odin (and his warrior-messengers, the valkyries (literally, "dead choosers")) recruited his troops of einherjar, who lived at his side in Valhalla and would fight alongside the Aesir in the war of the apocalypse (Ragnarök). Commenting on this martial role for the "father god", Dumézil notes that "in the ideology and in the practices of the Germanic peoples, war invaded all, colored everything."^[7]

Depiction

Odin is said to travel the world as an old man with a staff: one-eyed, grey-bearded, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a blue traveling coat. However, he is also described as a shapechanger who is able to alter his skin and form at will.

Names

The Norsemen ascribed many sobriquets to Odin, in keeping with the Norse skaldic tradition of kennings, a poetic method of indirect reference. See List of names of Odin. The name Alföðr ("Allfather", "father of all") appears in Snorri Sturluson's Younger Edda. (It probably originally denoted Tiwaz, as it fits the pattern of referring to Sky Fathers as "father".)

Historical Origins

7th century depiction of Odin on a Vendel helmet plate, found in Uppland.

File:Tangelgarda Odin.jpg

The 7th century Tängelgarda stone shows Odin leading a troop of warriors all bearing rings. Valknut symbols are drawn beneath his horse, which at this time still has the normal number of legs.

Worship of Odin dates to Proto-Germanic [paganism]]. The most compelling evidence of this historical connection is found in the accounts of Tacitus and Caesar, who describe the Germanic pagans participating in a cult of "Mercury" dedicated to a figure matching Odin in both attributes and areas of patronage.^[8]

Thus, it is theorized that Scandinavian Óðinn emerged from Proto-Norse *Wōdin during the Migration period (especially 100 B.C.E. - 600 C.E.). This conjecture is bolstered by the archaeological record, as Vendel artwork (bracteates, image stones) depict scenes that can be aligned with the High Medieval Norse mythological texts. Further, the context of the new elites emerging in this period aligns with Snorri's (euhemeristic) tale of the indigenous Vanir who were eventually replaced by the Aesir, understood as intruders from the Continent.[1]

Additionally, parallels between Odin and Celtic Lugus have often been pointed out: both are intellectual gods, commanding magic and poetry. Both have ravens and a spear as their attributes, and both are one-eyed. A likely context of the diffusion of elements of Celtic ritual into Germanic culture is that of the Chatti, who lived at the Celtic-Germanic boundary in Hesse during the final centuries before the Common Era. However, it must be remembered that Odin in his Proto-Germanic form was not the chief god, but that he only gradually replaced Tyr during the Migration period.

Major Mythic Tales

A depiction of Odin riding Sleipnir from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript.

According to the Prose Edda, Odin, the first and most powerful of the Aesir, was a son of a giant (Bor) and a giantess (Bestla), who, along with his brothers Ve and Vili, cast down the terrible frost giant Ymir. From his corpse, the three created the cosmos, transmuting his various body parts into sky, seas, and land:

From Ymir's flesh, the brothers made the earth, and from his shattered bones and teeth they made the rocks and stones. From Ymir's blood, they made the rivers and lakes. Ymir's skull was made into the sky, secured at four points by four dwarfs named Nordi, Sudri, Austri, and Westri (North, South, East, and West). And from Ymir's brains, they shaped the clouds and Ymir's eyebrows became Midgard, the place where men now dwell.

In this account, Odin and his brothers are also attributed with creating mankind. Odin gave them breath and life; Vili gave them brains and feelings; and Ve gave them hearing and sight. The first man was Ask and the first woman was Embla and from them all families of mankind are descended. Many kings and royal houses claim to trace their lineage back to Odin through Ask and Embla.

File:Manuscript Odinn.jpg

Odin with his ravens and weapons (MS SÁM 66, 18th century)

Odin had several wives with whom he fathered many children. With his first wife, Frigg, he had two sons: Balder, who stood for happiness, goodness, wisdom and beauty and the blind god Hod, who was representative of darkness (and presented a perfect contrast to Balder's light). By the Earth Goddess Jord, Odin sired his most famous son, Thor the Thunderer. In addition to these offspring, he is also described as the father of lesser deities (including Vidar and Vali) and of many royal lineages among humans.

Odin ventured to Mimir's Well, near Jötunheim, the land of the giants, not as Odin, but as Vegtam the Wanderer, clothed in a dark blue cloak and carrying a traveller's staff. To drink from the Well of Wisdom Odin had to sacrifice his left eye, symbolizing his willingness to gain the knowledge of the past, present and future. As he drank, he saw all the sorrows and troubles that would fall upon men and the gods. But he also saw why the sorrow and troubles had to come to men.

Mimir accepted Odin's eye and it sits today at the bottom of the Well of Wisdom as a sign that the father of the gods had paid the price for wisdom. Sacrifice for the greater good is a recurring theme in Norse mythology. Tyr sacrificed his hand to fetter Fenrisulfr, and similar to Odin, Heimdall sacrificed his hearing to Mimir to gain wisdom.

Odin was said to have learned the mysteries of seid from the Vanic goddess and völva Freyja, despite the un-warrior-like connotations of using magic. In Lokasenna, Loki derides Odin for practicing seid, implying it was woman's work. (Another example of this may be found in the Ynglinga saga where Snorri opines that men who used seid were ergi or unmanly.)

Odin's quest for wisdom can also be seen in his work as a farmhand for a summer, for Baugi, and his seduction of Gunnlod in order to obtain the mead of poetry. (See Fjalar and Galar for more details.)

In the Rúnatal, a section of the Hávamál, Odin is attributed with discovering the runes. He was hung from the tree called Yggdrasill while pierced by his own javelin. He hung for nine days and nights, in order to learn the wisdom that would give him power in the nine worlds. Nine is a significant number in Norse magical practice (there were, for example, nine realms of existence), thereby learning nine (later eighteen) magical songs and eighteen magical runes.

Some scholars see this scene as influenced by the story of Christ's crucifixion; and others note the similarity to the story of Buddha's enlightenment. In Shamanism, the traversal of the axis mundi by the shaman to bring back mystic knowledge is a common pattern. We know that sacrifices, human or otherwise, to the gods were commonly hung in or from trees, often transfixed by spears. (See also: Peijainen) Additionally, one of Odin's names is Ygg, and the Norse name for the World Ash —Yggdrasill—therefore means "Ygg's (Odin's) horse". Another of Odin's names is Hangatýr, the god of the hanged.

Notes

↑ One of the major sources for depictions of these ritual practices comes from Adam of Bremen, an eleventh century cleric, chronicler, and missionary. Described in Dubois, 60; Munch, 8-9. However, given the source's definite "anti-pagan" stance, it is perhaps advisable to approach these statements with a critical mindset.
↑ Lindow, 6-8. Though some scholars have argued against the homogenizing effect of grouping these various traditions together under the rubric of “Norse Mythology,” the profoundly exploratory/nomadic nature of Viking society tends to overrule such objections. As Thomas DuBois cogently argues, “[w]hatever else we may say about the various peoples of the North during the Viking Age, then, we cannot claim that they were isolated from or ignorant of their neighbors…. As religion expresses the concerns and experiences of its human adherents, so it changes continually in response to cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Ideas and ideals passed between communities with frequency and regularity, leading to and interdependent and intercultural region with broad commonalities of religion and worldview.” (27-28).
↑ More specifically, Georges Dumézil, one of the foremost authorities on the Norse tradition and a noted comparitivist, argues quite persuasively that the Aesir / Vanir distinction is a component of a larger triadic division (between ruler gods, warrior gods, and gods of agriculture and commerce) that is echoed among the Indo-European cosmologies (from Vedic India, through Rome and into the Germanic North). Further, he notes that this distinction conforms to patterns of social organization found in all of these societies. See Georges Dumézil's Gods of the Ancient Northmen (especially pgs. xi-xiii, 3-25) for more details.
↑ Note: This connection with divine wisdom led many Roman philosophers and chroniclers, from Caesar and Tacitus on, to relate Odin with Mercury/Apollo. Dumézil, 19.
↑ Turville-Petrie, 63.
↑ Hávamál (strs. 138-45), quoted in Turville-Petrie, 42.
↑ Dumézil, 42.
↑ See Dumézil, 19, and also Julius Caesar's de bello Gallico (6.17.1), which mentions "Mercury" as the chief god of Celtic religion.

Bibliography

DuBois, Thomas A. Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8122-1714-4.
Dumézil, Georges. Gods of the Ancient Northmen. Edited by Einar Haugen; Introduction by C. Scott Littleton and Udo Strutynski. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973. ISBN 0-520-02044-8.
Lindow, John. Handbook of Norse mythology. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. ISBN 1-57607-217-7.
Munch, P. A. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes. In the revision of Magnus Olsen; translated from the Norwegian by Sigurd Bernhard Hustvedt. New York: The American-Scandinavian foundation; London: H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1926.
Orchard, Andy. Cassell's Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. London: Cassell; New York: Distributed in the United States by Sterling Pub. Co., 2002. ISBN 0-304-36385-5.
Sturlson, Snorri. The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from Norse Mythology. Introduced by Sigurdur Nordal; Selected and translated by Jean I. Young. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1954. ISBN 0-520-01231-3.
Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda. Translated from the Icelandic and with an introduction by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur. New York: American-Scandinavian foundation, 1916.
Turville-Petre, Gabriel. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964.

External links

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[1] One of the major sources for depictions of these ritual practices comes from Adam of Bremen, an eleventh century cleric, chronicler, and missionary. Described in Dubois, 60; Munch, 8-9. However, given the source's definite "anti-pagan" stance, it is perhaps advisable to approach these statements with a critical mindset.

[2] Lindow, 6-8. Though some scholars have argued against the homogenizing effect of grouping these various traditions together under the rubric of “Norse Mythology,” the profoundly exploratory/nomadic nature of Viking society tends to overrule such objections. As Thomas DuBois cogently argues, “[w]hatever else we may say about the various peoples of the North during the Viking Age, then, we cannot claim that they were isolated from or ignorant of their neighbors…. As religion expresses the concerns and experiences of its human adherents, so it changes continually in response to cultural, economic, and environmental factors. Ideas and ideals passed between communities with frequency and regularity, leading to and interdependent and intercultural region with broad commonalities of religion and worldview.” (27-28).

[3] More specifically, Georges Dumézil, one of the foremost authorities on the Norse tradition and a noted comparitivist, argues quite persuasively that the Aesir / Vanir distinction is a component of a larger triadic division (between ruler gods, warrior gods, and gods of agriculture and commerce) that is echoed among the Indo-European cosmologies (from Vedic India, through Rome and into the Germanic North). Further, he notes that this distinction conforms to patterns of social organization found in all of these societies. See Georges Dumézil's Gods of the Ancient Northmen (especially pgs. xi-xiii, 3-25) for more details.

[4] Note: This connection with divine wisdom led many Roman philosophers and chroniclers, from Caesar and Tacitus on, to relate Odin with Mercury/Apollo. Dumézil, 19.

[5] Turville-Petrie, 63.

[6] Hávamál (strs. 138-45), quoted in Turville-Petrie, 42.

[7] Dumézil, 42.

[8] See Dumézil, 19, and also Julius Caesar's de bello Gallico (6.17.1), which mentions "Mercury" as the chief god of Celtic religion.

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@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ==Characteristics==
-<!--poetic/mantic "odhr"—>
+According to the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, Odin is the first and most powerful of the Aesir. Despite this high status, he is an ambivalent deity, who is much more likely to arouse awe and fear than love, respect or veneration.  His name, in the Old Norse language, connotes rage or frenzy, which was taken to refer to either “poetry and inspiration" or to "fury and madness" (leading many to assume that his name refers to the battle-rage of the famed Norse ''berserkers'').
-Odin is an ambivalent deity.  Old Norse ([[Viking Age]]) connotations of Odin lie with "poetry, inspiration" as well as with "fury, madness."  Odin left one of his eyes in the purifying waters of [[Mímir]]'s spring in order to gain the wisdom of the ages.  Odin gives to worthy poets the [[mead]] of inspiration, made by the dwarves, from the vessel ''Óð-rœrir''.<ref>_____. ''[[Skaldskaparmal]],'' in ''Edda.'' Anthony Faulkes, Trans., Ed. (London: Everyman, 1996).</ref>
-<!--Wild hunt, receiver of the dead—>
+Odin is a God of wisdom (both worldly and arcane),<ref>Note: This connection with divine wisdom led many Roman philosophers and chroniclers, from Caesar and Tacitus on, to relate Odin with [[Mercury]]/[[Apollo]]. Dumézil, 19.</ref> visually symbolized by his one-eyed visage, as a popular myth describes him sacrificing his eye for a drink from Mimir’s fountain (which gave him knowledge of the end times ([[Ragnarok]])).<ref>Turville-Petrie, 63.</ref> An oft-told story depicts his craftiness in stealing the "mead of poetry" from the giants, saving most of the skill for himself, but also making it available to fortunate human poets.
-Odin is associated with the concept of the [[Wild Hunt]], a noisy, bellowing movement across the sky, leading a host of the slain.
-[[Image:Ed0030.jpg|right|thumb|200px|An 1893 depiction of Odin taking the dead [[Sinfjötli]] to [[Valhalla]] by Fredrik Sander.]]
-Consistent with this, [[Snorri Sturluson]]'s [[Prose Edda]] depicts Odin as welcoming the great dead warriors who have died in battle into his hall, [[Valhalla]], which when literally interpreted, signifies the hall of the slain. These fallen, the ''[[einherjar]]'', are assembled and entertained by Odin in order that they in return might fight for and support the gods in the final battle of the end of the world, [[Ragnarök]].
-<!--war—>
+Odin is constantly attended on by his two ravens (Huginn and Muninn (literally, “thought” and “memory”)), whose constantly survey the mortal and divine realms and report their findings back to their master. He is also credited with the ability to use his magical runes to animate the dead (especially the hanged) in order to discover their secrets. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, Odin is described hanging himself from the world tree, being pierced by his own spear and literally dying in order to receive knowledge of runic magic:
-He is also a god of war, appearing throughout Norse myth as the bringer of victory. In the [[Norse saga]]s, Odin sometimes acts as the instigator of wars, and is said to have been able to start wars by simply throwing down his [[javelin]] [[Gungnir]], and/or sending his [[valkyrie]]s, to influence the battle toward the end that he desires. [[Valkyrie]]s are Odin's beautiful battle maidens that went out to the fields of war to select and collect the worthy men who died in battle to come and sit at ''Odin's table'' in Valhalla, feasting and battling until they had to fight in the final battle, [[Ragnarök]]. Odin would also appear on the battlefield, sitting upon the leader of the Norse as two ravens on each shoulder and two wolves on each side.
+:I know that I hung
+:on the windswept tree
+:for nine full nights,
+:wounded with a spear
+:and given to Odin,
+:myself to myself; …
+:I peered downward,
+:I grasped the runes,
+:screeching I grasped them;
+:I fell back from there
+:…
+:I learned nine mighty songs.<ref>Hávamál (strs. 138-45), quoted in Turville-Petrie, 42.</ref>
+This particular episode creates a reasonable parallel between the deity and the [[shamanism|shamanistic]] practice of ritual death in service of magical initiation.
-<!-- magician/shaman —>
+[[Image:Ed0030.jpg|right|thumb|200px|An 1893 depiction of Odin taking the dead [[Sinfjötli]] to [[Valhalla]] by Fredrik Sander.]]
-Odin is also a [[shapechanger]], able to alter his skin and form in any way he liked. He is said to travel the world as an old man with a staff, one-eyed, grey-[[beard]]ed, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a blue traveling coat.  Odin is said to be a healer, hinting at [[shamanistic]] origins, as he is god of magic and prophecy, common practices in cultures in which shamans are prominent.
-==Origins==
+Though not directly related to physical bravery or the art of combat (as were [[Thor]] and, to a lesser extent, [[Tyr]]), Odin was also understood in the context of war - specifically as a bringer of victory. By launching his dwarven-crafted javelin ''Gungnir'' over the enemy ranks, he was able to instill panic, blindness and numbness in the opposing troops, while simultaneously bolstering the courage and resolve of any army he favored. However, he was also associated with the dead of war - specifically, those who died honorably in combat. From their ranks, Odin (and his warrior-messengers, the [[valkyries]] (literally, "dead choosers")) recruited his troops of ''einherjar'', who lived at his side in [[Valhalla]] and would fight alongside the [[Aesir]] in the war of the apocalypse ([[Ragnarök]]). Commenting on this martial role for the "father god", Dumézil notes that "in the ideology and in the practices of the Germanic peoples, war invaded all, colored everything."<ref>Dumézil, 42.</ref>
-{{main|Wodanaz}}
-[[Image:Odin Vendel helmet.jpg|thumb|7th century depiction of Odin on a [[Vendel]] helmet plate, found in [[Uppland]].]]
-[[Image:Tangelgarda Odin.jpg|thumb|The 7th century [[Tängelgarda stone]] shows Odin leading a troop of warriors all bearing rings. [[Valknut]] symbols are drawn beneath his horse, which at this time still has the normal number of legs.]]
-[[Worship]] of Odin dates to [[Proto-Germanic]]  [[Germanic paganism|paganism]]. The [[Roman Empire|Roman]] historian [[Gaius Cornelius Tacitus|Tacitus]] may refer to Odin when he talks of [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]. The reason is that, like Mercury, Odin was regarded as [[psychopomp|Psychopompos]], "the leader of souls".
-Parallels between Odin and Celtic [[Lugus]] have often been pointed out: both are intellectual gods, commanding magic and poetry. Both have ravens and a spear as their attributes, and both are one-eyed. [[Julius Caesar]] (''de bello Gallico'', 6.17.1) mentions Mercury as the chief god of [[Celtic religion]].  A likely context of the diffusion of elements of Celtic ritual into Germanic culture is that of the [[Chatti]], who lived at the Celtic-Germanic boundary in [[Hesse]] during the final centuries before the Common Era. (It must be remembered that Odin in his Proto-Germanic form was not the chief god, but that he only gradually replaced [[Tyr]] during the [[Migration period]].)
+===Depiction===
+Odin is said to travel the world as an old man with a staff: one-eyed, grey-bearded, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a blue traveling coat. However, he is also described as a [[shapechanger]] who is able to alter his skin and form at will.
-Scandinavian ''Óðinn'' emerged from [[Proto-Norse]] ''*Wōdin'' during the [[Migration period]], [[Vendel]] artwork ([[bracteate]]s, [[image stone]]s) depicting the earliest scenes that can be aligned with the High Medieval Norse mythological texts. The context of the new elites emerging in this period aligns with [[Snorri]]'s tale of the indigenous [[Vanir]] who were eventually replaced by the [[Aesir]], intruders from the Continent.[http://www.algonet.se/~arador/postfestum.html]
+===Names===
+The Norsemen ascribed many sobriquets to Odin, in keeping with the Norse [[Skald|skaldic]] tradition of [[kennings]], a poetic method of indirect reference. See [[List of names of Odin]]. The name Alföðr ("Allfather", "father of all") appears in [[Snorri Sturluson]]'s [[Younger Edda]]. (It probably originally denoted [[Tyr|Tiwaz]], as it fits the pattern of referring to [[Sky father|Sky Fathers]] as "father".)
-Some scholars have linked Odin with the "Death God" template.  A few of them, such as [[Jan de Vries]] and [[Thor Templin]], link Loki and Odin as being one-in-the-same until the early Norse Period.
+===Historical Origins===
+{{main|Wodanaz}}
+[[Image:Odin Vendel helmet.jpg|thumb|7th century depiction of Odin on a [[Vendel]] helmet plate, found in Uppland.]]
+[[Image:Tangelgarda Odin.jpg|thumb|The 7th century Tängelgarda stone shows Odin leading a troop of warriors all bearing rings. Valknut symbols are drawn beneath his horse, which at this time still has the normal number of legs.]]
+[[Worship]] of Odin dates to Proto-Germanic [paganism]]. The most compelling evidence of this historical connection is found in the accounts of Tacitus and Caesar, who describe the Germanic pagans participating in a cult of [[Mercury (mythology)|"Mercury"]] dedicated to a figure matching Odin in both attributes and areas of patronage.<ref>See Dumézil, 19, and also Julius Caesar's ''de bello Gallico'' (6.17.1), which mentions "Mercury" as the chief god of Celtic religion.</ref>
-==Blót==
+Thus, it is theorized that Scandinavian ''Óðinn'' emerged from Proto-Norse ''*Wōdin'' during the Migration period (especially 100 B.C.E. - 600 C.E.). This conjecture is bolstered by the archaeological record, as Vendel artwork (bracteates, image stones) depict scenes that can be aligned with the High Medieval Norse mythological texts. Further, the context of the new elites emerging in this period aligns with [[Snorri]]'s (euhemeristic) tale of the indigenous [[Vanir]] who were eventually replaced by the [[Aesir]], understood as intruders from the Continent.[http://www.algonet.se/~arador/postfestum.html]
-It is attested in primary sources that sacrifices were made to Odin during [[blót]]s. [[Adam of Bremen]] relates that every ninth year, people assembled from all over [[Sweden]] to sacrifice at the [[Temple at Uppsala]]. Male slaves and males of each species were sacrificed and hanged from the branches of the trees.
-As the Swedes had the right not only to elect king but also to depose a king, the [[sagas]] relate that both King [[Domalde]] and King [[Olof Trätälja]] were sacrificed to Odin after years of famine. It has been argued that the killing of a combatant in battle was to give a sacrificial offering to Odin. The fickleness of Odin in battle was well-documented, and in [[Lokasenna]], [[Loki]] taunts Odin for his inconsistency.
+Additionally, parallels between Odin and Celtic [[Lugus]] have often been pointed out: both are intellectual gods, commanding magic and poetry. Both have ravens and a spear as their attributes, and both are one-eyed. A likely context of the diffusion of elements of Celtic ritual into Germanic culture is that of the Chatti, who lived at the Celtic-Germanic boundary in [[Hesse]] during the final centuries before the Common Era. However, it must be remembered that Odin in his Proto-Germanic form was not the chief god, but that he only gradually replaced [[Tyr]] during the [[Migration period]].
-Sometimes sacrifices were made to Odin to bring about changes in circumstance. A notable example is the sacrifice of King [[Víkar]] that is detailed in [[Gautrek's Saga]] and in [[Saxo|Saxo Grammaticus]]' account of the same event. Sailors in a fleet being blown off course drew lots to sacrifice to Odin that he might abate the winds. The king himself drew the lot and was hanged.
+==Major Mythic Tales==
+[[Image:Odin riding Sleipnir.jpg|thumb|200px|A depiction of Odin riding Sleipnir from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript.]]
+According to the Prose Edda, Odin, the first and most powerful of the Aesir, was a son of a giant (''Bor'') and a giantess (''Bestla''), who, along with his brothers ''Ve'' and ''Vili'', cast down the terrible frost giant Ymir. From his corpse, the three created the cosmos, transmuting his various body parts into sky, seas, and land:
+:From Ymir's flesh, the brothers made the earth, and from his shattered bones and teeth they made the rocks and stones.  From Ymir's blood, they made the rivers and lakes.  Ymir's skull was made into the sky, secured at four points by four dwarfs named Nordi, Sudri, Austri, and Westri (North, South, East, and West). And from Ymir's brains, they shaped the clouds and Ymir's eyebrows became Midgard, the place where men now dwell.
-Sacrifices were probably also made to Odin at the beginning of summer (mid April, actually—summer being reckoned essentially the same as did the Celt, at Beltene, Calan Mai [Welsh], which is Mayday—hence as summer's "herald"), since [[Ynglinga saga]] states one of the great festivals of the calendar is ''at sumri, þat var sigrblót'' "in summer, for victory"; Odin is consistently referred to throughout the Norse mythos as the bringer of victory.
+In this account, Odin and his brothers are also attributed with creating mankind.  Odin gave them breath and life; Vili gave them brains and feelings; and Ve gave them hearing and sight. The first man was [[Ask and Embla|Ask]] and the first woman was [[Ask and Embla|Embla]] and from them all families of mankind are descended. Many kings and royal houses claim to trace their lineage back to Odin through Ask and Embla.
-The Ynglinga saga also details the sacrifices made by the Swedish king [[Aun]], who, it was revealed to him, would lengthen his life by sacrificing one of his sons every ten years; nine of his ten sons died this way. When he was about to sacrifice his last son [[Ongenþeow|Egil]], the Swedes stopped him.
-==Edda==
+[[Image:Manuscript Odinn.jpg|thumb|200px|Odin with his ravens and weapons (MS [[SÁM 66]], 18th century)]]
-[[Image:Odin riding Sleipnir.jpg|thumb|200px|A depiction of Odin riding [[Sleipnir]] from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript.]]
-According to the [[Prose Edda]], Odin, the first and most powerful of the Aesir, was a son of [[Bestla]] and [[Borr]] and brother of [[Ve]] and [[Vili]] and together with these brothers he cast down the frost giant [[Ymir]] and created the world from Ymir's body. The three brothers are often mentioned together. "Wille" is the German word for "will" (English), "Weh" is the German word (Gothic wai) for "woe" (English: great sorrow, grief, misery) but is more likely related to the archaic German "Wei" meaning 'sacred'.
-Odin had several wives with whom he fathered many children. With his first wife, [[Frigg]], he fathered his most gentle son [[Balder]], who stood for happiness, goodness, wisdom and beauty. He also fathered the blind god Hod, who was representative of darkness (in contrast to Balder's light).  [[Frigg]] is best known for her love of her son Balder, as well as the story of how she travelled the world in order to protect him from fated death. By the Earth Goddess [[Jord]] (Fjorgin) Odin was the father of his most famous son, [[Thor]] the Thunderer. By the giantess [[Grid (Jotun)|Grid]], Odin was the father of [[Vidar|Vídar]], and by [[Rind|Rinda]] he was father of [[Váli (son of Odin)|Váli]]. Also, many royal families claimed descent from Odin through other sons. For traditions about Odin's offspring, see ''[[Sons of Odin]]''.
+Odin had several wives with whom he fathered many children. With his first wife, [[Frigg]], he had two sons: [[Balder]], who stood for happiness, goodness, wisdom and beauty and the blind god Hod, who was representative of darkness (and presented a perfect contrast to Balder's light).  By the Earth Goddess Jord, Odin sired his most famous son, [[Thor]] the Thunderer. In addition to these offspring, he is also described as the father of lesser deities (including ''Vidar'' and ''Vali'') and of many royal lineages among humans.
-According to the [[Hávamál]] Edda, Odin was also the creator of the [[Runic alphabet]].  It is possible that the legends and genealogies  mentioning Odin originated in a real, prehistoric Germanic chieftain who was subsequently deified, but this is impossible to prove or disprove.
-===Exploits ===
-[[Image:Manuscript Odinn.jpg|thumb|200px|Odin with his ravens and weapons (MS [[SÁM 66]], 18th century)]]
-Odin and his brothers, Vili and Ve, are attributed with slaying [[Ymir]], the Ancient Giant, to create [[Midgard]]. From Ymir's flesh, the brothers made the earth, and from his shattered bones and teeth they made the rocks and stones.  From Ymir's blood, they made the rivers and lakes.  Ymir's skull was made into the sky, secured at four points by four dwarfs named Nordi, Sudri, Austri, and Westri (North, South, East, and West). And from Ymir's brains, they shaped the clouds and Ymir's eyebrows became Midgard, the place where men now dwell. Odin and his brothers are also attributed with creating mankind.
-After having made earth from Ymir's body, the three brothers came across two logs. Odin gave them breath and life; Vili gave them brains and feelings; and Ve gave them hearing and sight. The first man was [[Ask and Embla|Ask]] and the first woman was [[Ask and Embla|Embla]] and from them all families of mankind are descended. Many kings and royal houses claim to trace their lineage back to Odin through Ask and Embla.
 Odin ventured to [[Mimir]]'s Well, near Jötunheim, the land of the giants, not as Odin, but as Vegtam the Wanderer, clothed in a dark blue cloak and carrying a traveller's staff. To drink from the Well of Wisdom Odin had to sacrifice his left eye, symbolizing his willingness to gain the knowledge of the past, present and future. As he drank, he saw all the sorrows and troubles that would fall upon men and the gods. But he also saw why the sorrow and troubles had to come to men.
@@ Line 76: / Line 77: @@
 Some scholars see this scene as influenced by the story of [[Christ]]'s [[crucifixion]]; and others note the similarity to the story of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]'s enlightenment. In Shamanism, the traversal of the [[axis mundi]] by the shaman to bring back  mystic knowledge is a common pattern. We know that sacrifices, human or otherwise, to the gods were commonly hung in or from trees, often transfixed by spears. (See also: [[Peijainen]]) Additionally, one of Odin's names is ''Ygg'', and the Norse name for the World Ash &mdash;[[Yggdrasill]]&mdash;therefore means "Ygg's (Odin's) horse". Another of Odin's names is ''Hangatýr'', the god of the hanged.
-===Attributes===
-[[Image:Ardre Odin Sleipnir.jpg|thumb|220px|A depiction of Odin entering [[Valhalla]] riding on [[Sleipnir]] from the [[Tängvide image stone]].]]
-Attributes of Odin are [[Sleipnir]], an eight-legged horse, which was given to Odin by Loki, and the severed head of [[Mimir]], which foretold the future. He employed [[Valkyries]] to gather the souls of warriors fallen in battle (the [[Einherjar|Einheriar]]), as these would be needed to fight for him in the battle of [[Ragnarök]]. They took the souls of the warriors to [[Valhalla]] (the hall of the fallen), Odin's reception hall in [[Asgard]].
-Odin had three residences in Asgard. First, was Gladsheim, a vast hall where he presided over the twelve Diar or Judges, whom he had appointed to regulate the affairs of Asgard. Second, Valaskialf, built of solid silver, in which there was an elevated place, [[Hlidskialf]], from his throne on which he could perceive all that passed throughout the whole earth. Third, was Valhalla, where Odin received the souls of the warriors killed in battle, called the [[Einheriar]]. The souls of female warriors, and those strong and beautiful women whom Odin favored, became Valkyries, who functioned as the elite guard of Odin, in addition to the serving maids of the Einheriar. Valhalla has five hundred and forty gates, and a vast hall of gold, hung around with golden shields, and spears and coats of mail.
-Odin has a number of magical artifacts associated with him: the dwarven javelin [[Gungnir]], which never misses its target, a magical gold ring ([[Draupnir]]), from which every ninth night eight new rings appear, an eight-legged horse ([[Sleipnir]]) and two ravens [[Huginn and Muninn]] (Thought and Memory), who fly around the world daily, to which they report the happenings of the worlds to Odin at Valhalla nightly.  He also commands a pair of wolves named [[Geri and Freki]], to whom he gives his food in Valhalla since he consumes nothing but [[mead]] or wine. From his throne, [[Hlidskjalf]] (located in [[Valaskjalf]]), Odin could see everything that occurred in the universe.
-The [[Valknut]] is a symbol associated with Odin.
-===Names===
-The Norsemen gave Odin many nicknames; this was in the Norse [[Skald|skaldic]] tradition of [[kennings]], a poetic method of indirect reference, as in a riddle. See [[List of names of Odin]]. The name Alföðr ("Allfather", "father of all") appears in [[Snorri Sturluson]]'s [[Younger Edda]]. (It probably originally denoted [[Tyr|Tiwaz]], as it fits the pattern of referring to [[Sky father|Sky Fathers]] as "father".) According to [[Bernhard Severin Ingemann]], Odin is known in [[Wendish mythology]] as ''Woda'' or ''Waidawut''.
-==Odin and Jesus==
-The 13th century eddaic account of Odin likely contains elements similar to Christianity. In Havamal where Odin hangs from a tree as a sacrifice to himself has been suggested to reflect the [[crucifixion]] of [[Jesus]], down to the detail of having his side pierced with a spear. However, archaeological evidence, such as the above referenced [[Tollund Man]], clearly establish that this form of sacrifice existed long before the time of Christ and most likely developed independently.
-Other inconsistencies, such as that Odin was hung by a rope from a tree{{fact}} whereas Jesus was nailed to a cross (both wood, but in different contexts) further supports an independent origin of the myth. It is still likely that early [[Germanic Christianity|Germanic Christians]] connected the two myths, moulding their image of Christ after Odin and vice versa, an effect that is also suggested by the Anglo-Saxon ''[[Dream of the Rood]]'' which portrays Christ as a Germanic warrior-king.
-Odin's son [[Balder]], a god of light, shares some of Jesus' traits as a youthful [[Life-death-rebirth deity|"dying and rising" god]], who returns after [[Ragnarok]], the end of the world (comparable to the Christian [[Apocalypse]]) to usher in a new era of peace. The Havamal account of Odin's sacrifice positions Odin in the otherwise unique [[Paul of Tarsus|Pauline]] [[Christianity|Christian]] attributes of a "[[God the Father|father god]]" who suffers and defeats [[death]].
-The similarity of Odin and Jesus was resurrected by [[Richard Wagner]]. Wagner's association of Odin with Jesus is treated in the ''Notes of the Seminar Given in 1928-1930'' of [[Carl Jung]]. Recently, the German [[National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD)|NPD]] issued T-Shirts labeled ''Odin statt Jesus'' ("Odin instead of Jesus") which are popular amongst the [[Heavy Metal]] music scene.
-==Persisting beliefs in Odin==
-[[Snorri Sturluson]] feels compelled to give a rational account of the Aesir in his preface. In this scenario, Snorri speculates that Odin and his peers were originally refugees from the [[Anatolia|Anatolian]] city of [[Troy]], etymologizing ''Aesir'' as derived from the word [[Asia]]. Some scholars believe that Snorri's version of Norse mythology is an attempt to mould a more shamanistic tradition into a Greek mythological cast. In any case, Snorri's writing (particularly in [[Heimskringla]]) tries to maintain an essentially scholastic neutrality. That Snorri was correct was one of the last of [[Thor Heyerdahl]]'s archeo-anthropological theories (see [[Jakten på Odin|The search for Odin]]).
-The spread of Christianity was slow in Scandinavia, and it worked its way downwards from the nobility. Among common people, beliefs in Odin may have lingered for some time, and legends would be told until modern times.
-The last battle where Scandinavians attributed a victory to Odin was the [[Battle of Lena]] in [[1208]] [http://runeberg.org/img/sverhist/1/0325.5.png]. The former Swedish king [[Sverker II of Sweden|Sverker]] had arrived with a large Danish army, and the Swedes discovered that the Danish army was more than twice the size of their own. Naturally, the Danes got the upper hand and they should have won. However, the Swedes claimed that they suddenly saw Odin riding on Sleipnir. Accounts vary on how Odin gave the Swedes victory, but in one version, he rode in front of their battle formation.
-The ''[[bagler]]-saga'', written in the 13th century concerning events in the first two decades of the 13th century, tells a story of a one-eyed rider with a broad-brimmed hat and a blue coat who asks a smith to shoe his horse. The suspicious smith asks where the stranger stayed during the previous night. The stranger mentions places so far distant that the smith does not believe him. The stranger says that he has stayed for a long time in the north and taken part in many battles, but now he is going to Sweden. When the horse is shod, the rider mounts his horse and says "I am Odin" to the stunned smith, and rides away. The next day, the battle of Lena took place. The context of this tale in the saga is that a peace-treaty has been signed in Norway, and Odin, a god of war, no longer has a place there. ''[[Haakon IV of Norway|Håkon Håkonssons]] saga'', written in the 1260s, describes how, at some point in the 1230s, [[Skule Baardsson]] has the skald [[Snorri Sturluson]] compose a poem comparing one of Skule's enemies to Odin, describing them both as bringers of strife and disagreement. These episodes do not necessary imply a continued belief in Odin as a god, but show clearly that his name was still widely known at this time.
-[[Scandinavian folklore]] also maintained a belief in Odin as the leader of the [[Wild Hunt]] (''Åsgårdsreia'' in Norwegian). His main objective seems to have been to track down and kill the forest creature ''[[huldra]]n'' or ''skogsrået''. In these accounts, Odin was typically a lone huntsman, save for his two wolves. Originally, he was armed with a javelin, but in later accounts this was sometimes changed to a [[rifle]].
-== Toponyms with the name of Odin ==
-* On the sea-side, in northern France, successively occupied by germano-celtic populations, Romans, Saxons, Danes, Flemish, English people around [[Audresselles]] (Oderzell) district of [[Marquise]]:
-[[Audinghen]] (Odingham), close to Raventhun (Raventown), [[Tardinghen]] (Thordingham),
-[[Loquinghen]] (Lokingham) and [[Audembert]] (Odinberg)
-* In central France (Berry):
-[[Vatan]] same as [[Wotan]]
-* In Denmark:
-[[Odense]] (Odins Vi, i.e. Odin's Sanctuary)
-* In Finland island "Udensö" ("Uden's island", called alternatively at 1785 "Odin island")
-* In Norway:
-[[Onsøy]] ([[Norse]] ''Óđinsøy'' - Odins island), name of a peninsula (and also name of a parish and a former municipality) in the county of [[Østfold]].
-''Óđinsakr'' (Odins field/acre), name of three farms (in the parishes [[Svinndal]], [[Gran]] and [[Hole, Norway|Hole]]).
-''Óđinsvin'' (Odins meadow/pasture), name of three farms (in the parishes [[Buvik]], [[Byneset]] and [[Meldal]]).
-''Óđinsland'' (Odins land), name of two farms (in the parishes [[Bru]] and [[Kyrkjebø]]).
-''Óđinssalr'' (Odins hall), name of two farms (in the parishes [[Onsøy]] and [[Melhus]]).
-''Óđinshof'' (Odins temple), name of a farm in the parish of [[Ullensaker]]. (The names of the farms are given in the [[Norse]] form.)
-[indirectly, but similar to wednesday:]
-* In the Netherlands, Westfriesland has "Wijdenes", Viking settlement founded by Rolf Wodansson a.k.a. Roelof van Wienesse.
-==Modern age==
-===Modern popular culture===
-[[Image:Odintegnefim.jpg|thumb|Odin in the cartoon [[Valhalla (comics)|Valhalla]]]]
-{{main|Odin in popular culture}}
-<!--only extremely notable examples should be added here. minor references go to the main article —>
-With the [[Romanticism|Romantic]] [[Viking revival]] of the early-to-mid [[19th century]], Odin's popularity increased again. Odin ([[Wotan]]) is one of the main protagonists of [[Richard Wagner]]'s opera cycle, [[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]. This depiction in particular has had influence on many subsequent fiction writers and has since resulted in varying references and allusions in multiple types of media.
-[[Gandalf]], the [[Wizard (Middle-earth)|wizard]] of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', is largely based on Odin in his incarnation as "the Wanderer", an old man with one eye (though Gandalf retains both of his), a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff. Tolkien states that he thinks of Gandalf as an "Odinic wanderer" in a letter of 1946 (''Letters'' no. 107).
-===Germanic neopaganism===
-Odin, along with the other Germanic Gods and Goddesses, is recognized by [[Germanic Neopaganism|Germanic neopagans]]. His Norse form is particularly acknowledged in [[Ásatrú]], the "faith in the [[Aesir]]",  an officially recognized religion in [[Iceland]], [[Denmark]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]].
 ==Notes==