Norse Mythology · deity

Odin

Óðinn

also: Woden (Old English) · Odin

deitywisdomwardeathmagicpoetryrulershipthe runes

The Allfather, chief of the Æsir: god of wisdom, war, death, magic, and poetry. He sacrificed an eye for wisdom and hung on Yggdrasil to win the runes.

Odin, der Göttervater (Odin, the Father of the Gods) · Carl Emil Doepler · c. 1890 · Romantic-era illustration (widely reproduced) · Public domain

The account

Who they are

Odin is the Allfather, chief of the Æsir and the most complex of the Norse gods [S1][S2][S3]. He is the god of wisdom, war, death, magic (seiðr), poetry, and the runes, and the ruler of the hall Valhalla, where he receives the slain warriors (the Einherjar) in preparation for Ragnarök [S2]. To gain wisdom, he sacrificed one of his eyes to the well-being Mímir [S2]; to win the runes, he hung himself on the world-tree Yggdrasil for nine nights, pierced by his own spear [S1]. His two ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory), fly over the world each day and report to him; his two wolves, Geri and Freki, and his eight-legged horse Sleipnir are his companions [S2]. Odin is a figure of profound duality: the wise king and the wandering magician, the god of life and the god of death, the allfather and the one who will die to Fenrir at Ragnarök [S1][S2]. He is the patron of the skalds and of the poetic art, and his name is associated with the 'Odinic' trance (the 'Riding Out,' or hamingja) [S3].

Worth knowing

Sacrificed an eye for wisdom at Mímir's well [S2].
Hung on Yggdrasil for nine nights to win the runes [S1].
Ruler of Valhalla, receiving the slain for Ragnarök [S2].
Two ravens (Huginn, Muninn), two wolves (Geri, Freki), eight-legged horse Sleipnir [S2].
Dies to the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarök [S1][S2].

Uncertainties & variants

Odin's 'war' aspect and his 'death' aspect are both genuine; the sources present him as both the god who wins battles and the god of the slain [S1][S2][S3].
Some scholars see Odin as a 'culture-hero' who brought the runes and poetry; this is interpretation, not a source claim [S3].

Relationships (15)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFBorr — Borr (with Bestla) is the parent of Odin.[S2]

PARENT_OFBestla — Bestla (with Borr) is the parent of Odin.[S2]

SIBLING_OFVili — Odin, Vili, and Vé are brothers.[S2]

SIBLING_OFVé — Odin and Vé are brothers.[S2]

PARENT_OFBaldr — Odin (with Frigg) is the parent of Baldr.[S2]

PARENT_OFThor — Odin is the parent of Thor.[S2]

PARENT_OFHeimdall — Odin is (in one account) the parent of Heimdall.[S2]

PARENT_OFVíðarr — Odin is the parent of Víðarr.[S2]

PARENT_OFVáli — Odin is the parent of Váli.[S2]

Partners

PARTNER_OFFrigg — Odin and Frigg are the king and queen of the Æsir.[S2]

Conflict & enmity

KILLEDYmir — Odin, Vili, and Vé killed Ymir and made the world from his body.[S2]

KILLEDFenrir — Fenrir will kill Odin at Ragnarök.[S1] [S2]

Artifacts

OWNSGungnir — Gungnir is Odin's spear; it never leaves his hand in the myths.[[S1]]

OWNSDraupnir — Draupnir is Odin's self-replicating ring.[[S1]]

OWNSSkíðblaðnir — Skíðblaðnir is the folding ship of the gods.[[S1]]

Local graph

Their corner of the divine world

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Myths featuring Odin

4 stories

The Creation of the World from Ymir

Between the ice of Niflheim and the fire of Muspelheim, in the void of Ginnungagap, the rime formed the giant Ymir and the cow Auðhumbla. From the salt Auðhumbla licked came the first god, Búri. His descendants — Odin, Vili, and Vé — killed Ymir and made the world from his body: his blood the seas, his flesh the earth, his bones the mountains, his skull the sky [S2].

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Odin and the Runes

To win the runes, Odin hung himself on the world-tree Yggdrasil for nine nights, pierced by his own spear, until the runes revealed themselves to him [S1]. The runes are the source of wisdom and of the poetic art, and Odin is their patron [S1][S3].

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The Death of Baldr

Baldr, the brightest of the gods, had dreams of his death. His mother Frigg extracted oaths from all things not to harm him — except the mistletoe. Loki, disguised as an old woman, learned of this and guided Baldr's blind brother Höðr to throw a mistletoe dart at Baldr, killing him [S2]. Baldr's death is the beginning of the end, setting the chain of events that leads to Ragnarök [S1][S2].

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Ragnarök (The Fate of the Gods)

At the end of the world, a great winter (the Fimbulwinter) precedes Ragnarök. The bonds break: Fenrir breaks free, Jörmungandr rises from the sea, and the ship Naglfar (built from the nails of the dead) sails with the hosts of the dead. Heimdall sounds the horn Gjallarhorn; the gods ride to the field of Vígríðr. In the great battle, Odin is swallowed by Fenrir (avenged by Víðarr), Thor slays Jörmungandr but dies of his venom, Freyr is slain by Surt (having given away his sword), and Heimdall and Loki kill each other. Surt's fire destroys the world; from the ashes, a new world rises [S1][S2].