Odin, to this day, remains one of the most complex characters in Norse mythology. Odin rules with Aesir but often goes away from his kingdom with one goal.
According to many writings, he often wandered through the cosmos and was always exploring the unknown. Odin is the father of all the gods.
Odin is connected to wisdom, war, magic, poetry, and the runic alphabet. He started appearing in the Roman occupation period and the Viking age.
Table of Contents
Odin’s Appearance
Old writings describe Odin as an older man with an extremely long beard. He also had one eye and wore a cloak and broad hat.
His visit to the Norse God Mimir was the reason he lost his eye. He traded his eye for obtaining wisdom from Mimir’s well.
In every picture, Odin has a dark eye or a patch over one of his eyes. He is often recognized by his eye patch.
Odin’s Family
Odin was not an only child, as he had two brothers, Ve and Vili. The writings say that, with their help, he made the universe right after destroying the frost giant, Ymir.
Conquering territories was not the only thing they did together. Odin, with his brothers, made the first man and woman. Askr and Embla were created from an ash tree and elm tree.
Frigg was the wife of Odin, and together with her, he had three sons. Besides Frigg, he made love and had a child with earth goddess Jord. The name of that child was Thor (a popular comic book character, as well).
Odin was in love with many women, and according to history, he had much more than only four children.
Symbols Associated With Odin
There are many symbols linked to Odin, but the most famous one is the Valknut symbol. The emblem contains three connected triangles. This symbol is present anywhere where Odin is mentioned – from ravens to the Tangelgarda stone in Sweden.
There are many different interpretations when it comes to this symbol. According to some, it represents the slain warriors, while, according to others, it represents the heart of Hrugnir.
The spear known as Gungnir is the other symbol this god is known for. He obtained this spear from Loki after Loki tricked the dwarfs who created it.
Odin’s Powers and Responsibilities
Odin ruled the Nine Realms. He sat on his throne known as Hlidskjalf and often watched one the realms. He was a king, and ruling was his primary responsibility.
He also possessed an enormous amount of knowledge. That was one of his strongest powers, and he obtained knowledge from different places and things, for example, the runes.
Runes are the letters of the runic alphabet. The runes helped him with his wizardry a lot. Odin’s most outstanding physical ability is his superhuman strength.
Odin is also one of the most excellent practitioners of shamanism, as well. He also was a poet and spoke only in poems.
Lesser Known Facts About Odin
There are many interesting facts about Odin that not many people know. For example, he always rode an eight-legged steel horse known as Sleipnir. Let’s read some others.
- Besides everything else, Odin was a god of war. That is the main reason why he often went down to Earth and initiated violence.
- Odin was a patron to the Vikings because he was the one that decided who would win the battles. That is the main reason why many Viking champions killed in the name of Odin and in Odin’s honor.
- Many nobles, warriors, and princes loved Odin. He was the king of the gods.
- Many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters are based on Odin. For example, Gandalf looks exactly like Odin.
- Odin is also a fictional character in Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anthony Hopkins portrays him.
- Many places across the world are named after this god. Odensperg in Sweden, Wonston in England, and Mount Odin in Canada are the most famous ones.
Odin’s Importance
Odin is the leader of souls, and his contribution to literature is enormous. Every human being should know the stories around this character.
This god of war is linked to wisdom, battle, sorcery, and poetry – fields that are abundant with relevant and interesting information. This character is also known as the “Giver of Life”.
Summary
And there you have it – everything you need to know about Odin. If you would like to learn more about general mythology, take a look here for all you need to know.