Dustin Yarc - Norse Mythology: A Guide To Ancient Viking Religion and Beliefs

Odin is one of the main, and most complex, characters of Norse mythology. He is the head of the Aesir clan and had a tendency to venture from Asgard on solitary wanderings on self-interested quests. Odin was always looking to discover new things and loved sharing his wisdom. On the other hand, he had little regard for fairness, justice, common values, or for the respect of convention and law. He is the patron of outcasts and rulers, among other things.

Odin is also a war and poetry god and has qualities that are considered effeminate; conditions that would have brought shame to many ancient warriors. People that are looking for nobility, honor, and prestige would often worship him. He was also known to be a fickle trickster. Odin had quite an odd combination of characteristics, so how could one person house all of the qualities?

Odin can be translated to "Master of Ecstasy." When broken down into two parts, odr means "inspiration, fury, ecstasy," and inn is a masculine definite article which means "the master of." The ecstasy that Odin has is what brings together the many different areas that he is associated with: the dead, poetry, shamanism, magic, wisdom, sovereignty, and war.

In pop-culture depictions of him today, he is viewed as the battlefield commander and honorable ruler, but he was nothing like that to the Norse. In comparison to the truly noble gods of war like Thor or Tyr, Odin would incite peaceful people to meaningless strife with sinister glee.

Odin didn't like to worry himself with the average warrior, and he preferred to lavish his blessings on the ones that he specifically considered worthy of his attention. He kept close affiliation with other warrior-shamans whose fighting and spiritual practices were centered on creating an ecstatic unification with totem animals, typically bears or wolves, and then through extension, to Odin himself. This means that as a war-god, he wasn't concerned with the reasons as to why there was a conflict, or what the outcome would be, but instead, he simply loved the chaotic and raw frenzy of battle itself.

The main difference between monotheistic and polytheistic theologies is that, with the former, God is viewed as all-knowing, powerful, and loving. Polytheistic gods are limited, just like the people they watch over. Odin considered all types of limitations as something he had to overcome, thus causing his quests to be carried out in a cruel manner to grow his wisdom, knowledge, and power.

One of Odin's common characteristics is his single eye. The story goes that Odin sacrificed his other eye in order to gain great wisdom. One day, he ventured out to Mimirs Well. Mimir, a shadowy figure, lived there and his knowledge was considered unparalleled. Mimir achieved most of his knowledge by drinking the magical water from the well, so Odin had come to ask Mimir for some of the water. Mimir refused to share the water unless Odin was willing to sacrifice his eye. Odin, either after deliberation or straight away depending on the particular rendition of the story, gouged out an eye and then dropped the eye into the well. Mimir then dipped his horn in the well and gave Odin a drink.

On a separate occasion, Odin set out to discover the runes, which are symbols carved on the trunk of Yggdrasil by the Norns. This book will discuss more about the runes, the mythical tree Yggdrasil, and the Norns later on. Odin watched the Norns as they carved thes symbols into the tree, and envied them for their wisdom and powers. The runes reside in the Well of Urd, and they only show themselves to people who prove they are worthy, Odin decided to hang himself from Yggdrasil, stabbed himself with a spear, and looked down into the waters of the well below. He wouldn't allow any of the other gods to help him in any way, not even with offerings of water. Odin stayed in this position for nine days and nights. On the ninth night, he began to see shapes in the well: the runes.