Odin (in Old Norse Óðinn, Old English and Old Saxon Woden, Old High German Wuotan, Wotan or Wodan, Proto-Germanic *Woðanaz, ‘Master of Ecstasy’) is a complicated god who combines many contradictory qualities. There are known around 200 of his acronyms, called heiti in Old Norse, which are poetic names that describe his various character attributes. He is the ruler of all the Æsir, but also the god of magic, war and slain warriors, hangmen, pilgrims and poetry. He was worshipped by kings as well as outlaws, for his character is also of a changeable nature. Those who claimed Odin as their patron were, like himself, always exceptional in some way. Many royal families regarded him as their ancestor and founder of their lineage.
According to mythology, Odin’s father was Borr, son of Búri, who was licked from the salty ice by the proto-cow Audhumla. Odin’s mother was Bestla, daughter of the giant Bölthorn. Odin, together with his brothers Vili and Ve, created the cosmos from the body of the primeval giant Ymir, whom they killed and dismembered. From his body, they created the various parts of the world of Midgard.
Odin is sometimes called the Allfather (ON Alföðr), although he is not actually the father of all the gods. Nevertheless, he is the ruler of all the Æsir, and perhaps this moniker reflects his original creative function and subsequent gift to humans, which were life and consciousness.
Odin’s consort is the goddess Frigg, although Fjörgyn is sometimes mentioned as well. Odin can also be identified with Odr (ON Óðr), the partner of the goddess Freyja.
The most important of Odin’s sons is the god Thor, whom he fathered with Fjörgyn, who represents the personified earth. With the giantess Rind he has other sons, Vali and Vidar, who survive Ragnarök Vidar even avenging his fathers death by killing Fenrir. With his rightful wife Frigg, he had a son Baldr who was tragically killed by his blind brother, went to the realm of Hel and returned after Ragnarök to live in Asgard again.
Odin/Wodan appears as a prominent god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of the regions of Germania (c. 2 BC), the era of the migration (4th-6th centuries AD), to the Viking Age (8th-11th centuries AD). After Christianization, he can be encountered as a figure in rural folklore, where he is, for example, the leader of the Wild Hunt.
Tacitus identified Wodan with the Roman god Mercury, probably because of his psychopomp role, but maybe also due to his eloquence, which the Roman messenger of the gods and the Germanic god of poetry share. In his Germania, he mentions the religion of the confederation of Germanic tribes of the Suebi, and notes that among the many gods they worshipped mainly Mercury, to whom they offered human and other sacrifices. The cult of Wodan is also attested to by the medieval German historian Adam of Bremen, who writes that the temple in Uppsala had statues of Thor, Wodan and Fricco (Frey). He describes Wodan with the words ‘Wodan, id est furor’, which can be translated as ‘Wodan is frenzy’.
The same ‘frenzy’ also confirms Odin’s Old Norse name. The first part of the ON name Óðinn consists of the noun óðr, which could be translated as “inspiration”, “ecstasy” or “fury”. Óðr was a frenzied and exalted state that was so overpowering and consuming that it was intrinsically felt to be of divine origin, whether it manifested itself as the fury of a berserker in battle, creative inspiration, sudden insight, the unlimited power of a king or chieftain, or the trance of an oracle or sorcerer. The second part of Odin’s name, -inn, is the definite article. Odin’s name is thus best translated as The Furious One, The Inspired One, The Ecstatic One.
In the Viking Age, some of Odin’s former competencies were transformed, hand in hand with social changes. Although he still rides his eight-legged steed Sleipnir, his role as equine healer and patron, as we know it from the Second Merseburg Charm and from bracteates (thin, single-sided gold medal worn as jewellery, mostly dating from the 5th to 7th centuries AD) disappears. He no longer shares the foremost place with Tyr, but becomes the supreme ruler of the gods, looking down on all nine worlds from his magical throne Hlidskjálf.
The Norse had several gods associated with war. Each of them had a slightly different role. Thor represents the simple fighter in the field, while the prototype of the ideal of the honourable chieftain is Tyr. Odin is known for breaking his oaths and often betrays even his own allies to get his way. Although the sources are not very specific in describing how Odin fights, he initiates battles by thrusting his spear into the rows of his enemies. In addition to the einherjar (lonely warriors), he is also the patron of martial initiation societies whose members revealed their ecstatic and animalistic nature, such as the berserkr (translated as ‘bear shirt’) and ulfhednar (wolf warrior brotherhoods).
He is also the god of warriors slain in battle, of whom he chooses a half, as also evidenced by the name Valföðr (father of the slain). The other half goes to the goddess Freyja. He rules over Valkyries (choosers of the slain) who help him carry the fallen warriors to Valhalla, where they also serve them in the hall and pour them mead. It is a place where the selected einherjar prepare for Ragnarök, the final battle.
Odin’s complex and multifaceted personality combines many traits. One of his strongest motivations is his desire for wisdom, as evidenced by numerous stories from Norse mythology. Therefore, he is also the god of wisdom and magicians. He does not hesitate to sacrifice his eye, pluck it out and throw it into Mimir’s well to drink its water that contains wisdom and intelligence. He undertakes an adventurous journey to obtain the mead of poetry (Óðrœrir, ‘The Stirrer of óðr’). He learns the magic of seidhr (ON seiðr) from Freyja, and pays no heed to be called effeminate because of it. He sacrifices himself by hanging and stabbing himself with a spear; he then hangs on a tree for nine nights without food or drink in order to discover the runes and their magic in a shamanic trance. The discovery of the runes is described in the section called Rúntál, which is a part of the Eddic poem Hávamál (The Sayings of the High-One). Here he also reveals his knowledge of how to carve and treat runes. To demonstrate his skill, he shows his knowledge of magical chants (galdrs), with the help of which he can calm stormy seas, get rid of fetters, or protect his friends in battle. In addition, this poem contains wise advice in which the older man advises the younger on how to behave in various situations in life. Odin also describes his erotic adventures, whether he was successful in getting what he wanted or not. Odin’s erotic stories often have elements of magical sexual ecstasy, which can serve as evidence of his ‘frenzy’ as well.
One of his typical attributes is his spear, called Gungnir (‘rocking’), which is why the Norse skald Bragi Boddason calls him Gungnis váfaðr (‘Gungnir’s shaker’). Gungnir, the best spear in the entire universe that never misses its target, served as a convincing image of the magical and royal power of the ruler of the gods. Therefore, his followers hurled the spear over the enemy army with the cry, “Óðinn á yðr alla!” (‘Odin owns you all!’).
In his travels, Odin is accompanied by a pair of wolves called Geri and Freki (ON, both meaning ‘the ravenous’ or ‘greedy one’) and the ravens Huginn and Muninn (ON, ‘thought’ and ‘memory’). Here too, the liminal distribution of the aspects of his character that he combines in his persona is evident, from the instinctive and savage qualities of the wolves, to the attributes of consciousness. Odin nourishes his dark side and feeds his wolves, since according to legend he lives only on wine. Odin’s ravens fly around the world every day, bringing him information. Once again, we can see the full range of Odin’s functions as a seeker of information, including communication with the dead. It is surely no coincidence that Odin, as ‘Lord of the Hanged’, receives information from the scavenging ravens. Odin fears that they may not return to him one day, with greater worry for Muninn. This expresses the importance of memory and its superiority over thought.
In Norse tradition, Odin is referred to as the god or lord of the hanged men (Hangatýr, Hangaguð, Hangadróttinn). He receives information from hanged men, he “speaks to them”, for these dead men hover between life and death, trapped between two worlds, like himself when he sacrificed himself by hanging from Yggdrasil, the World Tree.
We can follow this up with his hidden side, described, for example, by the Old Norse name Grímnir (Masked One). Richard Rudgley judges that his disguise does not only relate to his physical appearance but is also indicative of his hidden nature as a sage and magician who deals in the esoteric, secret and forbidden sciences.
Odin is also sometimes reproached for his friendship with the trickster Loki, who admittedly solves many of the problems of the Æsir, and is also the mother of Odin’s steed Sleipnir. In the saddle of this eight-legged horse, the Allfather rides out and crosses the boundaries of the different worlds, which can also be interpreted to mean that Odin’s relationships with the darker part of the psyche are like necessary pacts that serve to achieve a desired outcome. Odin’s efforts to relate consciously to the shadow could also be summed up in the words of C. G. Jung, who sees consciousness as the path to free will. According to him, if we are not aware of the inner situation, it appears to us externally as fate. In this vein, Jung also speaks in his famous essay on the Wotan archetype that the difference lies between unconscious (instinctive) attraction and conscious acceptance.
Specifically, Odin’s rune is the ansuz rune, which means ‘god’. While in the Icelandic rune poem the name ós refers directly to Odin, in the Old English rune poem the rune translates as ‘mouth’, which is related not only to poetry but also to the sending down of magical formulas and chants (galdrs).
Odin’s day of the week is Wednesday, Wōdnesdæg in Old English, óðinsdagr in Old Norse.
During Ragnarök, Odin will fight against the wolf Fenrir who devours him. He will be avenged by his son Vidar, who will tear open the wolf’s mouth.
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S. Sedlakova, Brno, CZE