View source for Odin

{{short description|Widely revered deity in Germanic mythology}}
{{about |the Germanic deity|other uses|Odin (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Woden}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Georg von Rosen - Oden som vandringsman, 1886 (Odin, the Wanderer).jpg|thumb|upright|Odin, in his guise as a wanderer, as imagined by [[Georg von Rosen]] (1886)]]
'''Odin''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|oʊ|d|ᵻ|n}}; from {{langx|non|Óðinn}}) is a widely revered [[Æsir|god]] in [[Norse mythology]] and [[Germanic paganism]]. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of [[Northern Europe]]. This includes the [[Roman Empire]]'s partial occupation of [[Germania]] ({{circa | 2 }} BCE), the [[Migration Period]] (4th–6th centuries CE) and the [[Viking Age]] (8th–11th centuries CE). Consequently, Odin has [[List of names of Odin|hundreds of names and titles]]. Several of these stem from the reconstructed [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] [[theonym]] ''Wōðanaz'', meaning "lord of frenzy" or "leader of the possessed", which may relate to the god's [[Mead of poetry|strong association with poetry]]. 

Most mythological stories about Odin survive from the 13th-century [[Prose Edda|''Prose Edda'']] and an earlier collection of Old Norse poems, the [[Poetic Edda|''Poetic Edda'']], along with other Old Norse items like ''[[Ynglinga saga]]''. The ''Prose Edda'' and other sources depict Odin as the head of the pantheon, sometimes called the [[Æsir]],{{Efn|The term "Æsir" is of unclear meaning. For example, some use the term as meaning all of the gods while others use it to refer a particular group of gods, excluding the [[Vanir]].}} and bearing [[Gungnir|a spear]] and [[Draupnir|a ring]]. Wider sources depict Odin as the son of [[Bestla]] and [[Borr]]; brother to [[Vili and Vé]]; and husband to the goddess [[Frigg]], with whom he fathered [[Baldr]]. Odin has [[Sons of Odin|many other sons]], including [[Thor]], whom he sired with the earth-goddess [[Jörð]]. He is sometimes accompanied by animal familiars, such as the ravens [[Huginn and Muninn]] and the wolves [[Geri and Freki]]. The ''Prose Edda'' describes Odin and his brothers' [[Creation myth|creation of the world]] through slaying the primordial being [[Ymir]], and his giving of life to [[Ask and Embla|the first humans]]. Odin is often referred to as long-bearded, sometimes as an old man, and also as possessing only one eye, having [[Mímisbrunnr|sacrificed the other]] for wisdom. 

Odin is widely regarded as a god of the dead and warfare. In this role, he receives slain warriors—the ''[[einherjar]]''—at [[Valhalla|Valhöll]] ("Carrion-hall" or "Hall of the Slain") in the realm of [[Asgard]]. The ''Poetic Edda'' associates him with [[Valkyrie|valkyries]], perhaps as their leader. In the mythic future, Odin leads the ''einherjar'' at [[Ragnarök]], where he is killed by the monstrous wolf [[Fenrir]]. Accounts by early travellers to Northern Europe describe [[Human sacrifice|human sacrifices]] being made to Odin. In Old English texts, Odin is [[euhemerism|euhemerized]] as an ancestral figure for royalty and is frequently depicted as a founding figure for various Germanic peoples, such as the [[Langobards]]. In some later folklore, he is a leader of the [[Wild Hunt]], a ghostly procession of the dead. 

Odin has an attested history spanning over a thousand years. He is an important subject of interest to [[Germanic studies|Germanic scholars]]. Some scholars consider the god's relations to other figures—as reflected, for example in the etymological similarity of his name to the name of {{lang|non|Freyja|italic=no}}'s husband {{lang|non|[[Óðr]]|italic=no}}. Others discuss his historical lineage, exploring whether he derives from [[Proto-Indo-European mythology]] or developed later in [[Germanic society]]. In modern times, most forms of the new religious movement [[Heathenry (new religious movement)|Heathenry]] venerate him; in some, he is the central deity. The god regularly features across all forms of modern media, especially [[genre fiction]], and—alongside others in the Germanic pantheon—has lent his name to a day of the week, [[Wednesday]], in many languages.

==Name==
=== Etymological origin ===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| background color  = #0000
| width             = 160
| image1            = RibeSkullFragment.jpg
| alt1              = Photograph of the fragment, showing bored hole and inscription.
| image2            = RibeSkullFragmentRunes.png
| alt2              = Drawing of the fragment, highlighting the runic inscription.
| footer_background = 
| footer_align      = center
| footer            = Picture of the [[Ribe skull fragment]] and illustration showing runes
| direction         = vertical
}}
The [[Old Norse]] [[theonym]] {{lang|non|Óðinn}} (runic {{script|Runr|{{lang|non|ᚢᚦᛁᚾ|italic=no}}}} on the [[Ribe skull fragment]])<ref>{{citation 
 | title = The transformation of the older fuþark: Number magic, runographic or linguistic principles?
 | work = Arkiv för nordisk filologi
 | volume = 121
 | year = 2006
 | last = Schulte
 | first = Michael
 | pages = 41–74}}</ref> is a [[cognate]] of other medieval Germanic names, including [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|Wōden}}, [[Old Saxon]] {{lang|osx|Wōdan}}, [[Old Dutch]] {{lang|odt|Wuodan}}, and [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|Wuotan}} ([[Bavarian language|Old Bavarian]] {{lang|bar|Wûtan}}).<ref name=":1" /><ref>Ernst Anton Quitzmann, Die heidnische Religion der Baiwaren, {{ISBN|978-5877606241}}, 1901</ref><ref>W.J.J. Pijnenburg (1980), Bijdrage tot de etymologie van het oudste Nederlands, Eindhoven, hoofdstuk 7 'Dinsdag – Woensdag'</ref> They all derive from the [[Linguistic reconstruction|reconstructed]] [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] masculine theonym ''*Wōðanaz'' (or ''*Wōdunaz'').<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=de Vaan|first=Michiel|title=Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages|date=2018|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-16797-1|pages=656|language=en}}</ref> Translated as 'lord of frenzy',{{sfn|West|2007|p=137}} or as 'leader of the possessed',{{sfn|Lindow|2001|p=28}} ''*Wōðanaz'' stems from the Proto-Germanic adjective ''*wōðaz'' ('possessed, inspired, delirious, raging') attached to the suffix ''*-naz'' ('master of').{{sfn|West|2007|p=137}}

[[Internal reconstruction|Internal]] and [[Comparative reconstruction|comparative]] evidence all point to the ideas of a divine possession or inspiration, and an [[ecstatic]] [[divination]].{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=592}}{{sfn|Koch|2020|p=140}} In his {{lang|la|[[Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum]]}} (1075–1080 AD), [[Adam of Bremen]] explicitly associates ''Wodan'' with the Latin term {{lang|la|furor}}, which can be translated as 'rage', 'fury', 'madness', or 'frenzy' ({{lang|la|Wodan id est furor}} : "Odin, that is, {{lang|la|furor}}").<ref name="ORCHARD168-169" /> As of 2011, an attestation of [[Proto-Norse]] ''Woðinz'', on the [[Strängnäs stone]], has been accepted as probably authentic, but the name may be used as a related adjective instead meaning "with a gift for (divine) possession" (ON: ''øðinn'').<ref>Gustavsson, Helmer & Swantesson, Jan O.H. 2011. ''[http://kulturarvsdata.se/raa/fornvannen/html/2011_306 Strängnäs, Skramle och Tomteboda: tre urnordiska runinskrifter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425161808/https://app.raa.se/open/arkivsok/resolve/7fdc8e57-b85e-4b9a-be8c-9853810f4251 |date=25 April 2023 }}'', in ''[[Fornvännen]]''.</ref>

Other Germanic cognates derived from ''*wōðaz'' include [[Gothic language|Gothic]] {{lang|got|woþs}} ('possessed'), Old Norse {{lang|non|óðr}} ('mad, frantic, furious'), Old English {{lang|ang|wōd}} ('insane, frenzied') and [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{lang|nl|woed}} ('frantic, wild, crazy'), along with the [[Nominalization|substantivized]] forms Old Norse {{lang|non|óðr}} ('mind, wit, sense; song, poetry'), Old English {{lang|ang|wōþ}} ('sound, noise; voice, song'), Old High German {{lang|goh|wuot}} ('thrill, violent agitation') and [[Middle Dutch]] {{lang|dum|woet}} ('rage, frenzy'), from the same root as the original adjective. The Proto-Germanic terms ''*wōðīn'' ('madness, fury') and ''*wōðjanan'' ('to rage') can also be reconstructed.<ref name=":1">{{harvnb|de Vries|1962|p=416}}; {{harvnb|Orel|2003|p=469}}; {{Harvnb|Kroonen|2013|p=592}}</ref> Early epigraphic attestations of the adjective include ''un-wōdz'' ('calm one', i.e. 'not-furious'; 200 CE) and ''wōdu-rīde'' ('furious rider'; 400 CE).{{sfn|Koch|2020|p=140}}[[File:Runic_Inscription_Sö_Fv2011;307.jpg|thumb|200x200px|''Woðinz'' (read from right to left), a probably authentic attestation of a pre-Viking Age form of Odin, on the [[Strängnäs stone]]]]Philologist [[Jan de Vries (philologist)|Jan de Vries]] has argued that the Old Norse deities Óðinn and [[Óðr]] were probably originally connected (as in the doublet [[Ullr|Ullr–Ullinn]]), with ''Óðr'' (*''wōðaz'') being the elder form and the ultimate source of the name {{lang|non|Óðinn}} (''*wōða-naz''). He further suggested that the god of rage Óðr–Óðinn stood in opposition to the god of glorious majesty Ullr–Ullinn in a similar manner to the Vedic contrast between [[Varuna]] and [[Mitra]].{{Sfn|de Vries|1970b|p=104}}

The adjective ''*wōðaz'' ultimately stems from a [[Germanic parent language|Pre-Germanic]] form ''*uoh₂-tós'', which is related to the [[Proto-Celtic language|Proto-Celtic]] terms ''*[[Vates|wātis]]'', meaning 'seer, sooth-sayer' (cf. [[Gaulish]] ''wāteis'', [[Old Irish]] {{lang|sga|fáith}} 'prophet') and *''wātus'', meaning 'prophesy, poetic inspiration' (cf. Old Irish {{lang|sga|fáth}} 'prophetic wisdom, maxims', [[Old Welsh]] {{lang|owl|guaut}} 'prophetic verse, panegyric').{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=592}}{{sfn|Koch|2020|p=140}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|publisher=Brill|year=2009|isbn=978-90-04-17336-1|pages=404–405}}</ref> According to some scholars, the [[Latin]] term {{lang|la|vātēs}} ('prophet, seer') is probably a Celtic loanword from the Gaulish language, making ''*uoh₂-tós ~ *ueh₂-tus'' ('god-inspired') a shared religious term common to Germanic and Celtic rather than an inherited word of earlier [[Proto-Indo-European]] (PIE) origin.{{Sfn|Kroonen|2013|p=592}}{{sfn|Koch|2020|p=140}} In the case a borrowing scenario is excluded, a PIE [[etymon]] ''*(H)ueh₂-tis'' ('prophet, seer') can also be posited as the common ancestor of the attested Germanic, Celtic and Latin forms.<ref name=":0" />

=== Other names ===
[[List of names of Odin|More than 170 names]] are recorded for Odin; the names are variously descriptive of attributes of the god, refer to myths involving him, or refer to religious practices associated with him. This multitude makes Odin the god with the most known names among the Germanic peoples.<ref name="SIMEK-248">Simek (2007:248).</ref> Steve Martin has pointed out that the name Odinsberg (Ounesberry, Ounsberry, Othenburgh)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Graves|first=John|title=The History of Cleveland|publisher=Patrick and Shotton|year=1972|isbn=0-903169-04-5|pages=212–215}}</ref> in [[Cleveland, Yorkshire|Cleveland Yorkshire]], now corrupted to [[Roseberry Topping|Roseberry (Topping)]], may derive from the time of the Anglian settlements, with nearby Newton under Roseberry and Great Ayton<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mills|first=David|title=A Dictionary of British Place Names|publisher=OUP|year=2011|isbn=978-0199609086|pages=Passim}}</ref> having Anglo Saxon suffixes. The very dramatic rocky peak was an obvious place for divine association, and  may have replaced Bronze Age/Iron Age beliefs of divinity there, given that a hoard of bronze votive axes and other objects was buried by the summit.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Poyer|first=A|date=2015|title=The Topographic Settings of Bronze Age Metalwork Deposits in North East England|url=http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14248/1/A.%20Poyer%20-%20Thesis.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=19 March 2021|website=etheses.whiterose.ac.uk|archive-date=26 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926073045/https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14248/1/A.%20Poyer%20-%20Thesis.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Elgee Frank|first=Elgee Harriet Wragg|title=The Archaeology of Yorkshire|publisher=Methuen and Company Ltd|year=1933}}</ref> It could be a rare example, then, of Nordic-Germanic theology displacing earlier Celtic mythology in an imposing place of tribal prominence.

In his opera cycle ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'', [[Richard Wagner]] refers to the god as ''Wotan'', a spelling of his own invention which combines the Old High German {{lang|goh|Wuotan}} with the [[Low German]] ''Wodan''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Haymes|first=Edward R.|title=Studies in Medievalism XVII: Redefining Medievalism(s)|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|year=2009|page=223|chapter=''Ring of the Nibelungen'' and the ''Nibelungenlied'': Wagner's Ambiguous Relationship to a Source}}</ref>

=== Origin of ''Wednesday'' ===
The modern English [[Names of the days of the week|weekday name]] ''Wednesday'' derives from Old English ''Wōdnesdæg'', meaning 'day of Wōden'. Cognate terms are found in other Germanic languages, such as [[Middle Low German]] and Middle Dutch ''Wōdensdach'' (modern Dutch ''woensdag''), [[Old Frisian]] ''Wērnisdei'' (≈ ''Wērendei'') and [[Old Norse]] ''Óðinsdagr'' (cf. Danish, Norwegian, Swedish ''onsdag''). All of these terms derive from Late Proto-Germanic *''Wodanesdag'' ('Day of Wōðanaz'), a [[calque]] of Latin ''Mercurii dies'' ('Day of [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]'; cf. modern Italian ''mercoledì'', French ''mercredi'', Spanish ''miércoles'').{{sfn|de Vries|1962|p=416}}<ref name="SIMEK-371">Simek (2007:371)</ref>

==Attestations==

===Roman era to Migration Period===
[[File:Bronsplåt 2 fr Torslunda sn, Öland (Stjerna, Hjälmar och svärd i Beovulf (1903) sid 103).jpg|thumb|One of the [[Torslunda plates]]. The figure to the left was cast with both eyes, but afterwards the right eye was removed.{{sfn|Price|2019|p=309}} ]]
[[File:Wōðnas inscription - Vindelev Hoard, bracteate X 13 - IMG 3633 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The name ''Wōđnas'' on a bracteate from the early 5th century AD written as a mirrored text]]
The earliest records of the Germanic peoples were recorded by the Romans, and in these works Odin is frequently referred to—via a process known as {{lang|la|[[interpretatio romana]]}} (where characteristics perceived to be similar by Romans result in identification of a non-Roman god as a Roman deity)—as the Roman god [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]]. The first clear example of this occurs in the Roman historian [[Tacitus]]'s late 1st-century work {{lang|la|[[Germania (book)|Germania]]|italic=yes}}, where, writing about the religion of the {{lang|la|[[Suebi]]|italic=no}} (a confederation of [[Germanic peoples]]), he comments that "among the gods Mercury is the one they principally worship. They regard it as a religious duty to offer to him, on fixed days, human as well as other sacrificial victims. Hercules and Mars they appease by animal offerings of the permitted kind" and adds that a portion of the {{lang|la|Suebi|italic=no}} also venerate "Isis". In this instance, Tacitus refers to the god Odin as "Mercury", Thor as "[[Hercules]]", and {{lang|non|[[Týr]]|italic=no}} as "[[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]". The [["Isis" of the Suebi]] has been debated and may represent "[[Freyja]]".<ref name="BIRLEY41">Birley (1999:42, 106–07).</ref>

[[Anthony Birley]] noted that Odin's apparent identification with Mercury has little to do with Mercury's classical role of being messenger of the gods, but appears to be due to Mercury's role of [[psychopomp]].<ref name="BIRLEY41"/> Other contemporary evidence may also have led to the equation of Odin with Mercury; Odin, like Mercury, may have at this time already been pictured with a staff and hat, may have been considered a trader god, and the two may have been seen as parallel in their roles as wandering deities. But their rankings in their respective religious spheres may have been very different.<ref name="SIMEK244">Simek (2007:244).</ref> Also, Tacitus's "among the gods Mercury is the one they principally worship" is an exact quote from [[Julius Caesar]]'s {{lang|la|[[Commentarii de Bello Gallico]]|italic=yes}} (1st century BCE) in which Caesar is referring to the [[Gauls]] and not the Germanic peoples. Regarding the Germanic peoples, Caesar states: "[T]hey consider the gods only the ones that they can see, the Sun, Fire and the Moon", which scholars reject as clearly mistaken, regardless of what may have led to the statement.<ref name="BIRLEY41"/>

There is no direct, undisputed evidence for the worship of Odin/Mercury among the [[Goths]], and the existence of a cult of Odin among them is debated.{{sfn|Dunn|2013|p=17}} Richard North and [[Herwig Wolfram]] have both argued that the Goths did not worship Odin, Wolfram contending that the use of Greek names of the week in Gothic provides evidence of that.{{sfn|Steuer|2021|p=646}} One possible reading of the Gothic [[Ring of Pietroassa]] is that the inscription "gutaniowi hailag" means "sacred to Wodan-Jove", but this is highly disputed.{{sfn|Dunn|2013|p=17}}

The earliest clear reference to Odin by name is found on a C-[[bracteate]] discovered in Denmark in 2020. Dated to as early as the 400s, the bracteate features a Proto-Norse [[Elder Futhark]] inscription reading "He is Odin’s man" (''iz Wōd[a]nas weraz'').<ref name="Brooks-ABC">Brooks (2023).</ref> Although the English kingdoms were nominally [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|converted to Christianity]] by the end of the 7th century, Woden is [[Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies|frequently listed]] as a founding figure among the Old English royalty.<ref name="HERBERT-7">Herbert (2007 [1994]:7).</ref>

Odin is also either directly or indirectly mentioned a few times in the surviving Old English poetic corpus, including the ''[[Nine Herbs Charm]]'' and likely also the ''[[Old English rune poem]]''. Odin may also be referenced in the riddle ''[[Solomon and Saturn]]''. In the ''Nine Herbs Charm'', Woden is said to have slain a {{lang|ang|wyrm}} (serpent, [[Germanic dragon]]) by way of nine "glory twigs". Preserved from an 11th-century manuscript, the poem is, according to Bill Griffiths, "one of the most enigmatic of Old English texts". The section that mentions Woden is as follows:

{{Verse translation |lang=ang
|1=<nowiki/> + wyrm com snican, toslat he nan,
ða genam woden VIIII wuldortanas,
sloh ða þa næddran  þæt heo on VIIII tofleah
Þær gaændade   æppel and attor
þæt heo næfre ne wolde on hus bugan.<ref name="GRIFFITHS-183">Griffiths (2006 [2003]:183).</ref>
|2= A serpent came crawling (but) it destroyed no one
when Woden took nine twigs of glory,
(and) then struck the adder so that it flew into nine (pieces).
There archived apple and poison
that it never would re-enter the house.<ref name="GRIFFITHS-183"/>
|attr2=Bill Griffiths (2006)
}}

The emendation of {{lang|ang|nan}} to 'man' has been proposed. The next [[stanza]] comments on the creation of the herbs [[chervil]] and [[fennel]] while hanging in heaven by the 'wise lord' ({{lang|ang|witig drihten}}) and before sending them down among mankind. Regarding this, Griffith comments that "In a Christian context 'hanging in heaven' would refer to [[crucifixion of Jesus|the crucifixion]]; but (remembering that Woden was mentioned a few lines previously) there is also a parallel, perhaps a better one, with Odin, as his crucifixion was associated with learning."<ref name="GRIFFITHS-183"/> The Old English gnomic poem ''[[Maxims (Old English poems)|Maxims I]]'' also mentions Woden by name in the (alliterative) phrase {{lang|ang|Woden worhte [[vé (shrine)|weos]]}}, ('Woden made idols'), in which he is contrasted with and denounced against the [[God in Christianity|Christian God]].<ref name="MAXIMS-I">North (1997:88).</ref>

[[File:Runic letter os.svg|thumb|upright=0.45|The Old English rune {{lang|ang|ós}}, which is described in the Old English rune poem]]

The Old English [[rune poems|rune poem]] recounts the Old English runic alphabet, the [[Anglo-Saxon runes|futhorc]]. The stanza for the rune {{lang|ang|[[ansuz (rune)|ós]]}} reads as follows:
{{Verse translation |lang=ang
|1= ōs byþ ordfruma ǣlcre sprǣce
wīsdōmes wraþu and wītena frōfur
and eorla gehwām ēadnys and tō hiht<ref name="POLLINGTON-46">Pollington (2008:46).</ref>
|2= god is the origin of all language
wisdom's foundation and wise man's comfort
and to every hero blessing and hope<ref name="POLLINGTON-46"/>
|attr2=Stephen Pollington (2008)
}}

The first word of this stanza, {{lang|la|ōs}} (Latin 'mouth') is a [[homophone]] for Old English {{lang|ang|os}}, a particularly heathen word for 'god'. Due to this and the content of the stanzas, several scholars have posited that this poem is censored, having originally referred to Odin.<ref name="OE-RUNE-ODIN">For example, Herbert (2007 [1994]:33), Pollington (2008 [1995]:18).</ref> [[Kathleen Herbert]] comments that "{{lang|ang|Os}} was cognate with {{lang|non|As}} in Norse, where it meant one of the {{lang|non|[[Æsir]]|italic=no}}, the chief family of gods. In Old English, it could be used as an element in first names: Osric, Oswald, Osmund, etc. but it was not used as a word to refer to the God of Christians. Woden was equated with Mercury, the god of eloquence (among other things). The tales about the Norse god Odin tell how he gave one of his eyes in return for wisdom; he also won the mead of poetic inspiration. Luckily for Christian rune-masters, the Latin word {{lang|la|os}} could be substituted without ruining the sense, to keep the outward form of the rune name without obviously referring to Woden."<ref name="HERBERT-33">Herbert (2007 [1994]:33).</ref>

In the prose narrative of ''[[Solomon and Saturn]]'', "Mercurius the Giant" ({{lang|ang|Mercurius se gygand}}) is referred to as an inventor of letters. This may also be a reference to Odin, who is in Norse mythology the founder of the runic alphabets, and the gloss a continuation of the practice of equating Odin with Mercury found as early as Tacitus.<ref name="WODEN-MERCURIUS">Cross and Hill (1982:34, 36, 122–123).</ref> One of the ''Solomon and Saturn'' poems is additionally in the style of later Old Norse material featuring Odin, such as the Old Norse poem {{lang|non|[[Vafþrúðnismál]]|italic=yes}}, featuring Odin and the {{lang|non|[[jötunn]] [[Vafþrúðnir]]|italic=no}} engaging in a deadly game of wits.<ref name="WILLIAMSON-14">Williamson (2011:14).</ref>

[[Image:Wodan Frea Himmelsfenster by Emil Doepler.jpg|thumb|Odin and Frea look down from their window in the heavens to the Winnili women in an illustration by [[Emil Doepler]], 1905.]]
[[Image:Wodan Frea Himmelsfenster II by Emil Doepler.jpg|thumb|Winnili women with their hair tied as beards look up at Godan and Frea in an illustration by Emil Doepler, 1905.]]
The 7th-century {{lang|la|[[Origo Gentis Langobardorum]]|italic=yes}}, and [[Paul the Deacon]]'s 8th-century {{lang|la|[[Historia Langobardorum]]|italic=yes}} derived from it, recount a founding myth of the Langobards ([[Lombards]]), a Germanic people who ruled a region of the [[Italian Peninsula]]. According to this legend, a "small people" known as the {{lang|la|[[Winnili]]}} were ruled by a woman named [[Gambara (Lombard)|Gambara]] who had two sons, [[Ybor and Aio]]. The [[Vandals]], ruled by [[Ambri and Assi]], came to the Winnili with their army and demanded that they pay them tribute or prepare for war. Ybor, Aio, and their mother Gambara rejected their demands for tribute. Ambri and Assi then asked the god Godan for victory over the Winnili, to which Godan responded (in the longer version in the {{lang|la|Origo|italic=yes}}): "Whom I shall first see when at sunrise, to them will I give the victory."<ref name="FOULKE-315-316">Foulke (2003 [1974]:315–16).</ref>

Meanwhile, Ybor and Aio called upon Frea, Godan's wife. Frea counselled them that "at sunrise the Winnil[i] should come, and that their women, with their hair let down around the face in the likeness of a beard should also come with their husbands". At sunrise, Frea turned Godan's bed around to face east and woke him. Godan saw the Winnili and their whiskered women and asked, "who are those Long-beards?" Frea responded to Godan, "As you have given them a name, give them also the victory". Godan did so, "so that they should defend themselves according to his counsel and obtain the victory". Thenceforth the Winnili were known as the ''Langobards'' ('long-beards').<ref name="FOULKE-316-317">Foulke (2003 [1974]:316–17).</ref>

Writing in the mid-7th century, [[Jonas of Bobbio]] wrote that earlier that century the Irish missionary [[Columbanus]] disrupted an offering of beer to Odin (''vodano'') "(whom others called Mercury)" in [[Swabia]].<ref name="MUNRO31-32">Munro (1895:31–32).</ref> A few centuries later, 9th-century document from what is now [[Mainz]], Germany, known as the ''[[Old Saxon Baptismal Vow]]'' records the names of three Old Saxon gods, {{lang|osx|UUôden}} ('Woden'), {{lang|osx|[[Seaxnēat|Saxnôte]]}}, and {{lang|osx|Thunaer}} ('Thor'), whom pagan converts were to renounce as [[demon]]s.<ref name="SIMEK276">Simek (2007:276).</ref>

[[File:Wodan Heilt Balders Pferd by Emil Doepler.jpg|thumb|''Odin Heals Balder's Horse'' by Emil Doepler, 1905]]
A 10th-century manuscript found in [[Merseburg]], Germany, features a heathen invocation known as the [[Merseburg Incantations|Second Merseburg Incantation]], which calls upon Odin and other gods and goddesses from the continental Germanic pantheon to assist in healing a horse:
{{Verse translation |lang=goh
|1= Phol ende uuodan uuoran zi holza.
du uuart demo balderes uolon sin uuoz birenkit.
thu biguol en [[sinthgunt]], [[sól (sun)|sunna]] era suister,
thu biguol en friia, [[fulla|uolla]] era suister
thu biguol en uuodan, so he uuola conda:
sose benrenki, sose bluotrenki, sose lidirenki:
ben zi bena, bluot si bluoda,
lid zi geliden, sose gelimida sin!<ref name="GRIFFITHS-174">Griffiths (2006 [2003]:174).</ref>
|2= {{lang|ang|Phol|italic=no}} and {{lang|ang|Woden|italic=no}} travelled to the forest.
Then was for {{lang|ang|Baldur|italic=no}}'s foal its foot wrenched.
Then encharmed it {{lang|ang|Sindgund|italic=no}} (and) {{lang|ang|Sunna|italic=no}} her sister,
then encharmed it {{lang|ang|Frija|italic=no}} (and) {{lang|ang|Volla|italic=no}} her sister,
then encharmed it {{lang|ang|Woden|italic=no}}, as he the best could,
As the bone-wrench, so for the blood wrench, (and) so the limb-wrench
bone to bone, blood to blood,
limb to limb, so be glued.<ref name="GRIFFITHS-174"/>
|attr2=Bill Griffiths translation
}}

===In Old English Pedigrees===

[[Old English royal genealogies]] record Woden as an ancestor of the kings of [[Kingdom of Lindsey|Lindsey]], [[Mercia]], [[Deira]] and [[Bernicia]] (which eventually became [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]], [[Kingdom of Wessex|Wessex]], and [[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]] accounting for in 7 of the 8 genealogies, and all but Essex, who instead traced their ancestry to [[Saxnot]].<ref name="Cult assim davis">{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=Craig |title=Cultural assimilation in the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies |journal=Anglo-Saxon England |date=1992 |volume=21 |pages=23–36 |doi=10.1017/S0263675100004166 |jstor=44509935 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44509935. |access-date=6 July 2024|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Some of these genealogies expand on ancestry beyond Woden, giving his father as Frealaf beginning in the 8th century.<ref name="Cult assim davis" />

The Welsh 9th centurry [[Historia Brittonum]] also includes Woden in its pedigree of Hengist, and shows Woden's ancestry as "VVoden, filii Frealaf, filii Fredulf, filii Finn, filii Fodepald, filii Geta",<ref name="Nennius in latin">{{cite web |last1=Nennius |title=Historia Brittonum |url=https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/histbrit.html |publisher=The Latin Library |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> who is said to be the son of a god other than Yahweh.<ref name="Brittonum yale">{{cite web |translator=J. A. Giles |author1=Nennius |title=Historia Brittonum |url=https://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/nenius.asp |publisher=Yale Law School}}</ref>  This lines up with the Lindsey genealogy which says that Frealaf was the son of Friothulf, son of Finn, son of Godulf, son of Geat,<ref name="Cult assim davis" /> although Nennius seems to have replaced Godulf with Fodepald.  Other genealogies of Odin include further ancestry beyond Geat, giving Geat's father as Tætwa son of Beaw son of Sceldi son of Heremod son of Itermon son of Hathra son of Guala son of Bedwig son of Sceaf, who is the son of [[Noah (Bible)|Noah]] from the [[Bible]].<ref name="A.S. Chronicle-Giles on wikisource">{{cite web |last1=Giles |first1=J. A. |title=The Anglo Saxon Chronicle |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Anglo-Saxon_Chronicle_(Giles) |website=Wikisource |publisher=Wikimedia Foundation |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref>

===Viking Age to post-Viking Age===

[[File:Olaus Magnus - On the three Main Gods of the Geats.jpg|thumb|A 16th-century depiction of Norse gods by [[Olaus Magnus]]: from left to right, [[Frigg]], Odin, and Thor]]
In the 11th century, chronicler [[Adam of Bremen]] recorded in a [[scholion]] of his {{lang|la|[[Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum]]|italic=yes}} that a statue of Thor, whom Adam describes as "mightiest", sat enthroned in the [[Temple at Uppsala]] (located in Gamla Uppsala, Sweden) flanked by Wodan (Odin) and "[[Fricco]]". Regarding Odin, Adam defines him as "frenzy" ({{lang|la|Wodan, id est furor}}) and says that he "rules war and gives people strength against the enemy" and that the people of the temple depict him as wearing armour, "as our people depict Mars". According to Adam, the people of Uppsala had appointed priests ([[gothi]]) to each of the gods, who were to offer up sacrifices ([[blót]]), and in times of war sacrifices were made to images of Odin.<ref name="ORCHARD168-169">Orchard (1997:168–69).</ref>

In the 12th century, centuries after Norway was "officially" Christianised, Odin was still being invoked by the population, as evidenced by a stick bearing a runic message found among the [[Bryggen inscriptions]] in Bergen, Norway. On the stick, both Thor and Odin are called upon for help; Thor is asked to "receive" the reader, and Odin to "own" them.<ref name="MCLEOD-MEES-30">McLeod, Mees (2006:30).</ref>

====''Poetic Edda''====
[[Image:Ask and Embla by Robert Engels.jpg|thumb|upright|The trio of gods giving life to the first humans, [[Ask and Embla]], by Robert Engels, 1919.]]
Odin is mentioned or appears in most poems of the ''[[Poetic Edda]]'', compiled in the 13th century from traditional source material reaching back to the pagan period.

The poem {{lang|non|[[Völuspá]]|italic=yes}} features Odin in a dialogue with an undead [[völva]], who gives him wisdom from ages past and foretells the onset of {{lang|non|[[Ragnarök]]|italic=no}}, the destruction and rebirth of the world. Among the information the {{lang|non|völva|italic=no}} recounts is the story of the first human beings ([[Ask and Embla]]), found and given life by a trio of gods; Odin, {{lang|non|[[Hœnir]]|italic=no}}, and {{lang|non|[[Lóðurr]]|italic=no}}:
In stanza 17 of the ''Poetic Edda'' poem {{lang|non|Völuspá|italic=yes}}, the {{lang|non|völva}} reciting the poem states that {{lang|non|Hœnir|italic=no}}, {{lang|non|Lóðurr|italic=no}} and Odin once found Ask and Embla on land. The {{lang|non|völva}} says that the two were capable of very little, lacking in {{lang|non|ørlög}} and says that they were given three gifts by the three gods:
<blockquote>
{|
|-style="vertical-align: top;" 
| lang="non"| 
:''Ǫnd þau né átto, óð þau né hǫfðo,''
:''lá né læti né lito góða.''
:''Ǫnd gaf Óðinn, óð gaf Hœnir,''
:''lá gaf Lóðurr ok lito góða.''

:<small>Old Norse:</small><ref name=DRONKE11>Dronke (1997:11).</ref>
|
:Spirit they possessed not, sense they had not,
:blood nor motive powers, nor goodly colour.
:Spirit gave {{lang|non|Odin|italic=no}}, sense gave {{lang|non|Hœnir|italic=no}},
:blood gave {{lang|non|Lodur|italic=no}}, and goodly colour.

:<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation:</small><ref name=THORPE5>Thorpe (1866:5).</ref>
|
:Soul they had not, sense they had not,
:Heat nor motion, nor goodly hue;
:Soul gave {{lang|non|Othin|italic=no}}, sense gave {{lang|non|Hönir|italic=no}},
:Heat gave {{lang|non|Lothur|italic=no}} and goodly hue.

:<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation:</small><ref name=BELLOWS8>Bellows (1936:8).</ref>
|
|}
</blockquote>
The meaning of these gifts has been a matter of scholarly disagreement and translations therefore vary.<ref name="SCHACH93">Schach (1985:93).</ref>

Later in the poem, the {{lang|non|völva|italic=no}} recounts the events of the [[Æsir–Vanir War|{{lang|non|Æsir–Vanir|nocat=y|italic=no}} War]], the war between {{lang|non|[[Vanir]]|italic=no}} and the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}}, two groups of gods. During this, the first war of the world, Odin flung his spear into the opposing forces of the {{lang|non|Vanir|italic=no}}.<ref name="DRONKE-13">Dronke (1997:42).</ref><!-- She actually says the conventional thing, that he flung it over them. --> The {{lang|non|völva|italic=no}} tells Odin that she knows where he has hidden his eye; in the spring {{lang|non|[[Mímisbrunnr]]|italic=no}}, and from it "{{lang|non|[[Mímir]]|italic=no}} drinks mead every morning".<ref name="DRONKE-14">Dronke (1997:14).</ref> After Odin gives her necklaces, she continues to recount more information, including a list of [[valkyrie]]s, referred to as {{lang|non|nǫnnor Herians}} 'the ladies of War Lord'; in other words, the ladies of Odin.<ref name="DRONKE-15">Dronke (1997:15).</ref> In foretelling the events of {{lang|non|Ragnarök|italic=no}}, the {{lang|non|völva|italic=no}} predicts the death of Odin; Odin will fight the monstrous wolf {{lang|non|[[Fenrir]]|italic=no}} during the great battle at {{lang|non|Ragnarök|italic=no}}. Odin will be consumed by the wolf, yet Odin's son {{lang|non|[[Víðarr]]|italic=no}} will avenge him by stabbing the wolf in the heart.<ref name="DRONKE-21-22">Dronke (1997:21–22).</ref> After the world is burned and renewed, the surviving and returning gods will meet and recall Odin's deeds and "ancient runes".<ref name="DRONKE-23">Dronke (1997:23).</ref>

[[File:The Sacrifice of Odin by Frølich (vector).svg|thumb|upright|Odin sacrificing himself upon {{lang|non|[[Yggdrasil]]|italic=no}} as depicted by {{lang|da|[[Lorenz Frølich]]|italic=no}}, 1895]]
The poem {{lang|non|[[Hávamál]]|italic=yes}} (Old Norse 'Sayings of the High One') consists entirely of wisdom verse attributed to Odin. This advice ranges from the practical ("A man shouldn't hold onto the cup but drink in moderation, it's necessary to speak or be silent; no man will blame you for impoliteness if you go early to bed"), to the mythological (such as Odin's recounting of his retrieval of {{lang|non|[[Óðrœrir]]|italic=no}}, the vessel containing the [[mead of poetry]]), and to the mystical (the final section of the poem consists of Odin's recollection of eighteen charms).<ref name="HAVAMAL-SUMMARY">Larrington (1999 [1996]:14–38).</ref> Among the various scenes that Odin recounts is his self-sacrifice:
{|
|-style="vertical-align: top;"
|
:I know that I hung on a wind-rocked tree,
:nine whole nights,
:with a spear wounded, and to Odin offered,
:myself to myself;
:on that tree, of which no one knows
:from what root it springs.
:Bread no one gave me, nor a horn of drink,
:downward I peered,
:to runes applied myself, wailing learnt them,
:then fell down thence.

:<small>[[Benjamin Thorpe]] translation:</small><ref name="THORPE-44-45">Thorpe (1907:44–45).</ref>
|
:I ween that I hung on the windy tree,
:Hung there for nine nights full nine;
:With the spear I was wounded, and offered I was,
:To Othin, myself to myself,
:On the tree that none may know
:What root beneath it runs.
:None made me happy with a loaf or horn,
:And there below I looked;
:I took up the runes, shrieking I took them,
:And forthwith back I fell.

:<small>[[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Henry Adams Bellows]] translation:</small><ref name="BELLOWS-60-61">Bellows (1923:60–61).</ref>
|
:I know that I hung on a windy tree
:nine long nights,
:wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
:myself to myself,
:on that tree of which no man knows
:from where its roots run.
:No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn,
:downwards I peered;
:I took up the runes, screaming I took them,
:then I fell back from there.

:<small>[[Carolyne Larrington]] translation:</small><ref name="LARRINGTON-34">Larrington (1999 [1996]:34).</ref>
|
|}

While the name of the tree is not provided in the poem and other trees exist in Norse mythology, the tree is near universally accepted as the cosmic tree {{lang|non|[[Yggdrasil]]|italic=no}}, and if the tree is {{lang|non|Yggdrasil|italic=no}}, then the name {{lang|non|Yggdrasil|italic=yes}} (Old Norse 'Ygg's steed') directly relates to this story. Odin is associated with hanging and [[gallows]]; [[John Lindow]] comments that "the hanged 'ride' the gallows".{{sfn|Lindow|2001|pp=319–322}}

[[File:Ring48.jpg|upright|thumb|After being put to sleep by Odin and being awoken by the hero {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}}, the valkyrie {{lang|non|Sigrdrífa|italic=no}} says a pagan prayer; illustration (1911) by [[Arthur Rackham]].]]
In the prose introduction to the poem {{lang|non|[[Sigrdrífumál]]|italic=yes}}, the hero [[Sigurd]] rides up to {{lang|non|Hindarfell|italic=no}} and heads south towards "the land of the [[Franks]]". On the mountain {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} sees a great light, "as if fire were burning, which blazed up to the sky". {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} approaches it, and there he sees a {{lang|non|skjaldborg}} (a [[tactical formation]] of [[shield wall]]) with a banner flying overhead. {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} enters the {{lang|non|skjaldborg}}, and sees a warrior lying there—asleep and fully armed. {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} removes the helmet of the warrior, and sees the face of a woman. The woman's [[corslet]] is so tight that it seems to have grown into the woman's body. {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} uses his sword [[Gram (mythology)|Gram]] to cut the corslet, starting from the neck of the corslet downwards, he continues cutting down her sleeves, and takes the corslet off her.<ref name="THORPE180">Thorpe (1907:180).</ref>

The woman wakes, sits up, looks at {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}}, and the two converse in two stanzas of verse. In the second stanza, the woman explains that Odin placed a sleeping spell on her which she could not break, and due to that spell she has been asleep a long time. {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} asks for her name, and the woman gives {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} a [[drinking horn|horn]] of [[mead]] to help him retain her words in his memory. The woman recites a heathen prayer in two stanzas. A prose narrative explains that the woman is named {{lang|non|[[Sigrdrífa]]|italic=no}} and that she is a valkyrie.<ref name="LARRINGTON166-167">Larrington (1999:166–67).</ref>

A narrative relates that {{lang|non|Sigrdrífa|italic=no}} explains to {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} that there were two kings fighting one another. Odin had promised one of these—{{lang|non|Hjalmgunnar|italic=no}}—victory in battle, yet she had "brought down" {{lang|non|Hjalmgunnar|italic=no}} in battle. Odin pricked her with a sleeping-thorn in consequence, told her that she would never again "fight victoriously in battle", and condemned her to marriage. In response, {{lang|non|Sigrdrífa|italic=no}} told Odin she had sworn a great oath that she would never wed a man who knew fear. {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} asks {{lang|non|Sigrdrífa|italic=no}} to share with him her wisdom of all worlds. The poem continues in verse, where {{lang|non|Sigrdrífa|italic=no}} provides {{lang|non|Sigurd|italic=no}} with knowledge in inscribing [[runic alphabet|runes]], mystic wisdom, and [[prophecy]].<ref name="LARRINGTON167">Larrington (1999:167).</ref>

====''Prose Edda''====
Odin is mentioned throughout the books of the ''[[Prose Edda]]'', composed in the 13th century and drawing from earlier traditional material. The god is introduced at length in chapter nine of the ''Prose Edda'' book ''Gylfaginning'', which explains that he is described as ruling over [[Asgard]], the domain of the gods, on his throne, that he is the 'father of all', and that from him all the gods, all of humankind (by way of [[Ask and Embla]]), and everything else he has made or produced. According to ''Gylfaginning'', in Asgard:

:There the gods and their descendants lived and there took place as a result many developments both on earth and aloft. In the city there is a seat called [[Hlidskialf]], and when Odin sat in that throne he saw over [[Norse cosmology|all worlds]] and every man's activity and understood everything he saw. His wife was called [[Frigg|Frigg Fiorgvin's daughter]], and from them is descended the family line that we call the Æsir race, who have resided in Old Asgard and the realms that belong to it, and that whole line of descent is of divine origin. And this is why he can be called All-father, that he is father of all gods and of men and of everything that has been brought into being by him and his power. [[Jörð|The earth was his daughter and his wife]]. Out of her he begot the first of his ons, that is [[Thor|Asa-Thor]].<ref name="FAULKES-12-13">Faulkes (1995:12–13).</ref>

In the ''Prose Edda'' book {{lang|non|[[Gylfaginning]]|italic=yes}} (chapter 38), the enthroned figure of [[High, Just-As-High, and Third|High]] (Harr), tells {{lang|non|Gangleri|italic=no}} (king {{lang|non|[[Gylfi]]|italic=no}} in disguise) that two ravens named [[Huginn and Muninn]] sit on Odin's shoulders. The ravens tell Odin everything they see and hear. Odin sends Huginn and Muninn out at dawn, and the birds fly all over the world before returning at dinner-time. As a result, Odin is kept informed of many events. High adds that it is from this association that Odin is referred to as "raven-god". The above-mentioned stanza from {{lang|non|Grímnismál|italic=yes}} is then quoted.<ref name="FAULKES33">Faulkes (1995:33).</ref>

In the same chapter, the enthroned figure of High explains that Odin gives all of the food on his table to his wolves [[Geri and Freki]] and that Odin requires no food, for wine is to him both meat and drink.<ref name=FAULKES33/>

====''Heimskringla'' and sagas====
[[File:Æsir-Vanir war by Frølich.jpg|right|thumb|{{lang|non|Óðinn|italic=no}} throws his spear at the {{lang|non|Vanir|italic=no}} host in an illustration by {{lang|da|[[Lorenz Frølich]]|italic=no}} (1895)]]
Odin is mentioned several times in the sagas that make up {{lang|non|[[Heimskringla]]|italic=yes}}. In the {{lang|non|[[Ynglinga saga]]|italic=yes}}, the first section of {{lang|non|Heimskringla}}, an [[euhemerism|euhemerised]] account of the origin of the gods is provided. Odin is introduced in chapter two, where he is said to have lived in "the land or home of the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}}" ({{langx|non|Ásaland eða Ásaheimr}}), the capital of which being {{lang|non|[[Ásgarðr]]|italic=no}}. {{lang|non|Ásgarðr|italic=no}} was ruled by Odin, a great chieftain, and was "a great place for sacrifices". It was the custom there that 12 temple priests were ranked highest; they administered sacrifices and held judgements over men. "Called {{lang|non|diar}} or chiefs", the people were obliged to serve under them and respect them. Odin was a very successful warrior and travelled widely, conquering many lands. Odin was so successful that he never lost a battle. As a result, according to the [[saga]], men came to believe that "it was granted to him" to win all battles. Before Odin sent his men to war or to perform tasks for him, he would place his hands upon their heads and give them a {{lang|non|bjannak}} ('[[blessing]]', ultimately from Latin {{lang|la|benedictio}}) and the men would believe that they would also prevail. The men placed all of their faith in Odin, and wherever they called his name they would receive assistance from doing so. Odin was often gone for great spans of time.{{sfnp|Hollander|1964|p=7}}

Chapter 3 says that Odin had two brothers, [[Vili and Vé|Vé and Vili]]. While Odin was gone, his brothers governed his realm. Once Odin was gone for so long that the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}} believed that he would not return, his brothers began to divvy up Odin's inheritance, "but his wife {{lang|non|Frigg|italic=no}} they shared between them. However, afterwards, [Odin] returned and took possession of his wife again".{{sfnp|Hollander|1964|p=7}} Chapter 4 describes the {{lang|non|Æsir–[[Vanir]]|italic=no}} War. According to the chapter, Odin "made war on the {{lang|non|[[Vanir]]|italic=no}}". The {{lang|non|Vanir|italic=no}} defended their land and the battle turned to a stalemate, both sides having devastated each other's lands. As part of a peace agreement, the two sides exchanged hostages. One of the exchanges went awry and resulted in the {{lang|non|Vanir|italic=no}} decapitating one of the hostages sent to them by the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}}, {{lang|non|[[Mímir]]|italic=no}}. The {{lang|non|Vanir|italic=no}} sent {{lang|non|Mímir|italic=no}}'s head to the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}}, whereupon Odin "took it and embalmed it with herbs so that it would not rot, and spoke charms [Old Norse {{lang|non|[[galdr]]}}] over it", which imbued the head with the ability to answer Odin and "tell him many [[occult]] things".{{sfnp|Hollander|1964|pp=7–8}}

In {{lang|non|[[Völsunga saga]]|italic=yes}}, the great king {{lang|non|[[Rerir]]|italic=no}} and his wife (unnamed) are unable to conceive a child; "that lack displeased them both, and they fervently implored the gods that they might have a child. It is said that {{lang|non|Frigg|italic=no}} heard their prayers and told Odin what they asked", and the two gods subsequently sent a [[Valkyrie]] to present {{lang|non|Rerir|italic=no}} an apple that falls onto his lap while he sits on a burial mound and {{lang|non|Rerir|italic=no}}'s wife subsequently becomes pregnant with the namesake of the {{lang|non|[[Völsung]]|italic=no}} family line.{{sfnp|Byock|1990|p=36}}

[[File:Odin, Sleipnir, Geri, Freki, Huginn and Muninn by Frølich.jpg|thumb|Odin sits atop his steed {{lang|non|Sleipnir|italic=no}}, his ravens [[Huginn and Muninn]] and wolves [[Geri and Freki]] nearby (1895) by {{lang|da|[[Lorenz Frølich]]|italic=no}}.]]
In the 13th century legendary saga {{lang|non|[[Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks]]|italic=yes}}, the poem {{lang|non|[[Heiðreks gátur]]|italic=yes}} contains a riddle that mentions {{lang|non|[[Sleipnir]]|italic=no}} and Odin:
<blockquote>
36. {{lang|non|[[Gestumblindi]]|italic=no}} said:
:Who are the twain
:that on ten feet run?
:three eyes they have,
:but only one tail.
:All right guess now
:this riddle, {{lang|non|Heithrek|italic=no}}!

{{lang|non|[[Heidrek|Heithrek]]|italic=no}} said:
:Good is thy riddle, {{lang|non|Gestumblindi|italic=no}},
:and guessed it is:
:that is Odin riding on {{lang|non|Sleipnir|italic=no}}.<ref name="HOLLANDER91">Hollander (1936:99).</ref>
</blockquote>

===Modern folklore===
[[File:Odin's hunt (Malmström).jpg|thumb|upright|Odin's hunt ([[August Malmström]])]]
Local folklore and folk practice recognised Odin as late as the 19th century in [[Scandinavia]]. In a work published in the mid-19th century, [[Benjamin Thorpe]] records that on [[Gotland]], "many traditions and stories of Odin the Old still live in the mouths of the people". Thorpe notes that, in {{lang|sv|[[Blekinge]]|italic=no}} in Sweden, "it was formerly the custom to leave a sheaf on the field for Odin's horses", and cites other examples, such as in {{lang|sv|Kråktorpsgård|italic=no}}, {{lang|sv|[[Småland]]|italic=no}}, where a [[tumulus|barrow]] was purported to have been opened in the 18th century, purportedly containing the body of Odin. After Christianization, the mound was known as {{lang|sv|Helvetesbackke}} (Swedish "Hell's Mound"). Local legend dictates that after it was opened, "there burst forth a wondrous fire, like a flash of lightning", and that a coffin full of flint and a lamp were excavated. Thorpe additionally relates that legend has it that a priest who dwelt around {{lang|sv|Troienborg|italic=no}} had once sowed some rye, and that when the rye sprang up, so came Odin riding from the hills each evening. Odin was so massive that he towered over the farm-yard buildings, spear in hand. Halting before the entry way, he kept all from entering or leaving all night, which occurred every night until the rye was cut.<ref name="Thorpe-1851-50-51">Thorpe (1851:50–51).</ref>

Thorpe relates that "a story is also current of a golden ship, which is said to be sunk in {{lang|sv|Runemad|italic=no}}, near the {{lang|sv|Nyckelberg|italic=no}}, in which, according to tradition, Odin fetched the slain from the [[Battle of Brávellir|battle of {{lang|sv|Bråvalla|nocat=y|italic=no}}]] to {{lang|sv|Valhall|italic=no}}", and that {{lang|sv|Kettilsås|italic=no}}, according to legend, derives its name from "one {{lang|sv|Ketill Runske|italic=no}}, who stole Odin's runic staves" ({{lang|non|runekaflar}}) and then bound Odin's dogs, bull, and a [[mermaid]] who came to help Odin. Thorpe notes that numerous other traditions existed in Sweden at the time of his writing.<ref name="THORPE51">Thorpe (1851:51).</ref>

Thorpe records (1851) that in Sweden, "when a noise, like that of carriages and horses, is heard by night, the people say: 'Odin is passing by{{'"}}.<ref name="THORPE-1851-199">Thorpe (1851:199).</ref>

Odin and the gods {{lang|non|[[Loki]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|[[Hœnir]]|italic=no}} help a farmer and a boy escape the wrath of a bet-winning {{lang|non|jötunn|italic=no}} in {{lang|non|[[Loka Táttur]]|italic=yes}} or {{lang|fo|Lokka Táttur|italic=yes}}, a Faroese ballad dating to the [[Late Middle Ages]].<ref name="HIRSCHFELD-30-31">Hirschfeld (1889:30–31).</ref>

==Archaeological record==
[[File:Bracteate from Funen, Denmark (DR BR42).jpg|thumb|A C-type bracteate ([[Alu (runic)#DR BR42|DR BR42]]) featuring a figure above a horse flanked by a bird]]
[[File:Del av hjälm vendel vendeltid möjligen oden.jpg|thumb|A plate from a [[Sweden|Swedish]] Vendel era helmet featuring a figure riding a horse, accompanied by two ravens, holding a spear and shield, and confronted by a serpent]]

References to or depictions of Odin appear on numerous objects. [[Migration Period]] (5th and 6th century CE) gold bracteates (types A, B, and C) feature a depiction of a human figure above a horse, holding a spear and flanked by one or two birds. The presence of the birds has led to the iconographic identification of the human figure as the god Odin, flanked by {{lang|non|Huginn|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|Muninn|italic=no}}. Like the ''Prose Edda'' description of the ravens, a bird is sometimes depicted at the ear of the human, or at the ear of the horse. Bracteates have been found in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and, in smaller numbers, England and areas south of Denmark.<ref name=SIMEK43AND164>Simek (2007:43, 164).</ref> Austrian Germanist [[Rudolf Simek]] states that these bracteates may depict Odin and his ravens healing a horse and may indicate that the birds were originally not simply his battlefield companions but also "Odin's helpers in his veterinary function."<ref name=SIMEK164>Simek (2007:164).</ref>

[[Vendel Period]] helmet plates (from the 6th or 7th century) found in a grave in Sweden depict a helmeted figure holding a spear and a shield while riding a horse, flanked by two birds. The plate has been interpreted as Odin accompanied by two birds; his ravens.<ref name=SIMEK164LINDOW187>Simek (2007:164) and Lindow (2005:187).</ref>

Two of the 8th century picture stones from the island of Gotland, Sweden depict eight-legged horses, which are thought by most scholars to depict {{lang|non|Sleipnir|italic=no}}: the [[Tjängvide image stone]] and the [[Ardre image stones|Ardre VIII image stone]]. Both stones feature a rider sitting atop an eight-legged horse, which some scholars view as Odin. Above the rider on the {{lang|sv|Tjängvide|italic=no}} image stone is a horizontal figure holding a spear, which may be a valkyrie, and a female figure greets the rider with a cup. The scene has been interpreted as a rider arriving at the world of the dead.{{sfn|Lindow|2001|p=277}} The mid-7th century [[Eggja stone|{{lang|non|Eggja|nocat=y|italic=no}} stone]] bearing the Odinic name {{lang|non|haras}} (Old Norse 'army god') may be interpreted as depicting {{lang|non|Sleipnir|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK140">Simek (2007:140).</ref>

A pair of identical [[Archaeology of Northern Europe#Germanic Iron Age|Germanic Iron Age]] bird-shaped brooches from {{lang|da|[[Bejsebakke]]|italic=no}} in northern Denmark may be depictions of {{lang|non|Huginn|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|Muninn|italic=no}}. The back of each bird features a mask-motif, and the feet of the birds are shaped like the heads of animals. The feathers of the birds are also composed of animal-heads. Together, the animal-heads on the feathers form a mask on the back of the bird. The birds have powerful beaks and fan-shaped tails, indicating that they are ravens. The brooches were intended to be worn on each shoulder, after Germanic Iron Age fashion.<ref name=PETERSEN62>Petersen (1990:62).</ref> Archaeologist {{lang|da|Peter Vang Petersen|italic=no}} comments that while the symbolism of the brooches is open to debate, the shape of the beaks and tail feathers confirms the brooch depictions are ravens. {{lang|da|Petersen|italic=no}} notes that "raven-shaped ornaments worn as a pair, after the fashion of the day, one on each shoulder, makes one's thoughts turn towards Odin's ravens and the cult of Odin in the Germanic Iron Age." {{lang|da|Petersen|italic=no}} says that Odin is associated with [[disguise]], and that the masks on the ravens may be portraits of Odin.<ref name=PETERSEN62/>

The [[Oseberg tapestry fragments|{{lang|no|Oseberg|nocat=y|italic=no}} tapestry fragments]], discovered within the Viking Age {{lang|no|Oseberg|italic=no}} ship burial in Norway, features a scene containing two black birds hovering over a horse, possibly originally leading a wagon (as a part of a procession of horse-led wagons on the tapestry). In her examination of the tapestry, scholar {{lang|no|Anne Stine Ingstad|italic=no}} interprets these birds as {{lang|non|Huginn|italic=no}} and {{lang|non|Muninn|italic=no}} flying over a covered cart containing an image of Odin, drawing comparison to the images of [[Nerthus]] attested by Tacitus in 1 CE.<ref name=INGSTAD141-142>Ingstad (1995:141–42).</ref>

Excavations in [[Ribe]], Denmark have recovered a [[Viking Age]] lead metal-caster's mould and 11 identical casting-moulds. These objects depict a moustached man wearing a helmet that features two head-ornaments. Archaeologist Stig Jensen proposes these head-ornaments should be interpreted as Huginn and Muninn, and the wearer as Odin. He notes that "similar depictions occur everywhere the [[Vikings]] went—from eastern England to Russia and naturally also in the rest of Scandinavia."<ref name=JENSEN178>Jensen (1990:178).</ref>

A portion of [[Manx Runestones#Thorwald's Cross: Br Olsen;185A (Andreas (III), MM 128)|Thorwald's Cross]] (a partly surviving runestone erected at [[Andreas (parish)|Kirk Andreas]] on the [[Isle of Man]]) depicts a bearded human holding a spear downward at a wolf, his right foot in its mouth, and a large bird on his shoulder.<ref name=PLUSKOWSKI158>Pluskowski (2004:158).</ref>{{full citation needed|date=December 2024}} Andy Orchard comments that this bird may be either {{lang|non|Huginn|italic=no}} or {{lang|non|Muninn|italic=no}}.<ref name=ORCHARD115>Orchard (1997:115).</ref> [[Rundata]] dates the cross to 940,<ref name="BrOlsen;185A">Entry Br Olsen;185A in Rundata 2.0</ref> while Pluskowski dates it to the 11th century.<ref name=PLUSKOWSKI158/> This depiction has been interpreted as Odin, with a raven or eagle at his shoulder, being consumed by the monstrous wolf {{lang|non|Fenrir|italic=no}} during the events of {{lang|non|Ragnarök|italic=no}}.<ref name=PLUSKOWSKI158/><ref name=JANSSON>Jansson (1987:152)</ref>

[[File:Ledbergsstenen 2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[Ledberg stone]] at Ledberg Church, {{lang|sv|Östergötland|italic=no}}, Sweden]]
The 11th century [[Ledberg stone]] in Sweden, similarly to Thorwald's Cross, features a figure with his foot at the mouth of a four-legged beast, and this may also be a depiction of Odin being devoured by {{lang|non|Fenrir|italic=no}} at {{lang|non|Ragnarök|italic=no}}.<ref name=JANSSON/> Below the beast and the man is a depiction of a legless, helmeted man, with his arms in a prostrate position.<ref name=JANSSON/> The [[Younger Futhark]] inscription on the stone bears a commonly seen memorial dedication, but is followed by an encoded runic sequence that has been described as "mysterious,"<ref name="MACLEOD145">MacLeod, Mees (2006:145).</ref> and "an interesting magic formula which is known from all over the ancient Norse world."<ref name=JANSSON/>

In November 2009, the [[Roskilde Museum]] announced the discovery and subsequent display of a [[niello]]-inlaid silver figurine found in {{lang|da|[[Lejre]]|italic=no}}, which they dubbed ''[[Odin from Lejre]]''. The silver object depicts a person sitting on a throne. The throne features the heads of animals and is flanked by two birds. The Roskilde Museum identifies the figure as Odin sitting on his throne {{lang|non|[[Hliðskjálf]]|italic=no}}, flanked by the ravens Huginn and Muninn.<ref name="ROSKILDEMUSEUMNOV09">Roskilde Museum. [http://roskildemuseum.dk/Default.aspx?ID=310 Odin fra Lejre] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626055746/http://www.roskildemuseum.dk/Default.aspx?ID=310 |date=26 June 2010 }} and [http://www.roskildemuseum.dk/Default.aspx?ID=306&Purge=True additional information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719130919/http://www.roskildemuseum.dk/Default.aspx?ID=306 |date=19 July 2011 }}. Retrieved 16 November 2009.</ref>
[[File:Sacrificial scene on Hammars - Valknut.png|thumb|right|upright|{{lang|sv|Valknut|italic=no}} on the [[Stora Hammars stones|Stora Hammars I stone]]]]

Various interpretations have been offered for a symbol that appears on various archaeological finds known modernly as the {{lang|sv|[[valknut]]|italic=no}}. Due to the context of its placement on some objects, some scholars have interpreted this symbol as referring to Odin. For example, [[Hilda Ellis Davidson]] theorises a connection between the {{lang|sv|valknut|italic=no}}, the god Odin and "mental binds":
{{blockquote|For instance, beside the figure of Odin on his horse shown on several memorial stones there is a kind of knot depicted, called the {{lang|sv|valknut}}, related to the [[triskelion|triskele]]. This is thought to symbolize the power of the god to bind and unbind, mentioned in the poems and elsewhere. Odin had the power to lay bonds upon the mind, so that men became helpless in battle, and he could also loosen the tensions of fear and strain by his gifts of battle-madness, intoxication, and inspiration.{{sfn|Davidson|1990|p=147}}}}

Davidson says that similar symbols are found beside figures of wolves and ravens on "certain cremation urns" from [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|Anglo-Saxon]] cemeteries in [[East Anglia]]. According to Davidson, Odin's connection to [[cremation]] is known, and it does not seem unreasonable to connect with Odin in [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon England]]. Davidson proposes further connections between Odin's role as bringer of [[ecstasy (emotion)|ecstasy]] by way of the etymology of the god's name.{{sfn|Davidson|1990|p=147}}

==Origin and theories==
Beginning with Henry Petersen's doctoral dissertation in 1876, which proposed that [[Thor]] was the indigenous god of Scandinavian farmers and Odin a later god proper to chieftains and poets, many scholars of Norse mythology in the past viewed Odin as having been imported from elsewhere. The idea was developed by [[Bernhard Salin]] on the basis of motifs in the [[petroglyph]]s and [[bracteate]]s, and with reference to the Prologue of the ''Prose Edda'', which presents the Æsir as having migrated into Scandinavia. Salin proposed that both Odin and the [[runes]] were introduced from [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]] in the [[Iron Age]]. Other scholars placed his introduction at different times; [[Axel Olrik]], during the [[Migration Age]] as a result of [[Gauls|Gaulish]] influence.{{sfn|de Vries|1970b|pp=89–90}}

More radically, both the archaeologist and comparative mythologist {{lang|lt|[[Marija Gimbutas]]|italic=no}} and the Germanicist [[Karl Helm]] argued that the {{lang|non|Æsir|italic=no}} as a group, which includes both Thor and Odin, were late introductions into [[Northern Europe]] and that the indigenous religion of the region had been {{lang|non|[[Vanir|Vanic]]|italic=no}}.{{sfn|Polomé|1970|p=60}}{{sfn|Gimbutas|Robbins Dexter|1999|p=191}}

In the 16th century and by the entire [[Vasa dynasty]], Odin (Swedish: {{lang|sv|Oden}}) was officially considered the first king of Sweden by that country's government and historians. This was influenced by an embellished list of rulers invented by [[Johannes Magnus]].<ref>Erik Pettersson in ''Den skoningslöse, en biografi över Karl IX'' [[Natur & Kultur]] 2008 {{ISBN|978-91-27-02687-2}} pp. 13 & 24</ref>

Under the [[trifunctional hypothesis]] of [[Georges Dumézil]], Odin is assigned one of the core functions in the [[Proto-Indo-European religion|Indo-European pantheon]] as a representative of the first function (sovereignty) corresponding to the Hindu {{lang|sa-Latn|[[Varuṇa]]|italic=no}} (fury and magic) as opposed to {{lang|non|Týr|italic=no}}, who corresponds to the Hindu {{lang|sa-Latn|[[Mitra (Vedic)|Mitrá]]|italic=no}} (law and justice); while the {{lang|non|Vanir|italic=no}} represent the third function (fertility).{{sfn|Turville-Petre|1964|p=103}}{{sfn|Polomé|1970|pp=58–59}}

Another approach to Odin has been in terms of his function and attributes. Many early scholars interpreted him as a wind-god or especially as a death-god.{{sfn|de Vries|1970b|p=93}} He has also been interpreted in the light of his association with ecstatic practices, and [[Jan de Vries (linguist)|Jan de Vries]] compared him to the Hindu god [[Rudra]] and the Greek [[Hermes]].{{sfn|de Vries|1970b|pp=94–97}}

==Modern influence==

{{further|Tolkien and the Norse}}

[[File:Wotan takes leave of Brunhild (1892) by Konrad Dielitz.jpg|thumb|upright|''Wotan takes leave of Brunhild'' (1892) by {{lang|de|[[Konrad Dielitz]]|italic=no}}]]

The god Odin has been a source of inspiration for artists working in fine art, literature, and music. Fine art depictions of Odin in the modern period include the pen and ink drawing {{lang|sv|Odin byggande Sigtuna|italic=yes}} (1812) and the sketch ''King Gylfe receives Oden on his arrival to Sweden'' (1816) by {{lang|sv|[[Pehr Hörberg]]|italic=no}}; the drinking horn relief {{lang|sv|Odens möte med Gylfe|italic=yes}} (1818), the marble statue ''Odin'' (1830) and the colossal bust ''Odin'' by {{lang|sv|[[Bengt Erland Fogelberg]]|italic=no}}, the statues ''Odin'' (1812/1822) and ''Odin'' (1824/1825) by {{lang|de|[[Hermann Ernst Freund]]|italic=no}}, the [[sgraffito]] over the entrance of [[Wahnfried|Villa Wahnfried in Bayreuth]] (1874) by {{lang|de|R. Krausse|italic=no}}, the painting ''Odin'' (around 1880) by [[Edward Burne-Jones]], the drawing {{lang|de|Thor und Magni|italic=yes}} (1883) by {{lang|de|K. Ehrenberg|italic=no}}, the marble statue ''Wodan'' (around 1887) by H. Natter, the oil painting {{lang|de|Odin und Brunhilde|italic=yes}} (1890) by {{lang|de|Konrad Dielitz|italic=no}}, the graphic drawing {{lang|de|Odin als Kriegsgott|italic=yes}} (1896) by {{lang|de|[[Hans Thoma]]|italic=no}}, the painting ''Odin and Fenris'' (around 1900) by Dorothy Hardy, the oil painting {{lang|de|Wotan und Brünhilde|italic=yes}} (1914) by {{lang|de|[[Koloman Moser]]|italic=no}}, the painting ''The Road to Walhall'' by {{lang|de|S. Nilsson|italic=no}}, the wooden Oslo City Hall relief {{lang|no|Odin og Mime|italic=yes}} (1938) and the coloured wooden relief in the courtyard of the Oslo City Hall {{lang|no|Odin på Sleipnir|italic=yes}} (1945–1950) by {{lang|no|[[Dagfin Werenskiold]]|italic=no}}, and the bronze relief on the doors of the [[Swedish Museum of National Antiquities]], ''Odin'' (1950) by {{lang|sv|[[Bror Marklund]]|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK245">Simek (2007:245).</ref>

Works of modern literature featuring Odin include the poem {{lang|de|Der Wein|italic=yes}} (1745) by {{lang|de|[[Friedrich von Hagedorn]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|de|Hymne de Wodan|italic=yes}} (1769) by {{lang|de|[[Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|da|Om Odin|italic=yes}} (1771) by {{lang|da|[[Peter Frederik Suhm]]|italic=no}}, the tragedy {{lang|sv|Odin eller Asarnes invandring|italic=yes}} by {{lang|sv|K. G. Leopold|italic=no}}, the epic poem {{lang|da|Odin eller Danrigets Stiftelse|italic=yes}} (1803) by [[Jens Baggesen]], the poem {{lang|da|Maskeradenball|italic=yes}} (1803) and {{lang|da|Optrin af Norners og Asers Kamp: Odin komme til Norden|italic=yes}} (1809) by {{lang|da|[[N. F. S. Grundtvig]]|italic=no}}, poems in {{lang|da|Nordens Guder|italic=yes}} (1819) by {{lang|da|[[Adam Oehlenschläger]]|italic=no}}, the four-part novel {{lang|sv|Sviavigamal|italic=yes}} (1833) by {{lang|sv|[[Carl Jonas Love Almqvist]]|italic=no}}, "The Hero as Divinity" from ''[[On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History]]'' (1841) by [[Thomas Carlyle]], the poem ''Prelude'' (1850) by [[William Wordsworth]], the poem ''Odins Meeresritt'' by {{Interlanguage link|Aloys Schreiber|de}} set to music by [[Karl Loewe]] (1851), the [[canzone]] {{lang|de|Germanenzug|italic=yes}} (1864) by {{lang|de|[[Robert Hamerling]]|italic=no}}, the poem {{lang|de|Zum 25. August 1870|italic=yes}} (1870) by [[Richard Wagner]], the ballad ''Rolf Krake'' (1910) by F. Schanz, the novel {{lang|no|Juvikingerne|italic=yes}} (1918–1923) by {{lang|no|[[Olav Duun]]|italic=no}}, the comedy {{lang|de|Der entfesselte Wotan|italic=yes}} (1923) by {{lang|de|[[Ernst Toller]]|italic=no}}, the novel ''Wotan'' by {{lang|de|[[Karl Hans Strobl]]|italic=no}}, {{lang|de|Herrn Wodes Ausfahrt|italic=yes}} (1937) by {{lang|de|[[Hans-Friedrich Blunck]]|italic=no}}, the poem {{lang|de|An das Ich|italic=yes}} (1938) by {{lang|de|H. Burte|italic=no}}, and the novel {{lang|de|Sage vom Reich|italic=yes}} (1941–1942) by {{lang|de|Hans-Friedrich Blunck|italic=no}}.<ref name="SIMEK245-246">Simek (2007:244–45).</ref>

Music inspired by or featuring the god includes the ballets {{lang|de|Odins Schwert|italic=yes}} (1818) and {{lang|de|Orfa|italic=yes}} (1852) by {{lang|de|J. H. Stunz|italic=no}} and the opera cycle {{lang|de|[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]|italic=yes}} (1848–1874) by Richard Wagner.<ref name="SIMEK246">Simek (2007:246).</ref>

Odin was adapted as [[Odin (Marvel Comics)|a character]] by [[Marvel Comics]], first appearing in the ''[[Journey into Mystery]]'' series in 1962.<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=261}}</ref> Sir [[Anthony Hopkins]] portrayed the character in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] films ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'' (2011), ''[[Thor: The Dark World]]'' (2013), and ''[[Thor: Ragnarok]]'' (2017). Also adapted as a character portrayed by [[Ian McShane]] Mr. Wednesday, a con artist and the god Odin in '''''[[American Gods (TV series)|American Gods]]''''' an American [[fantasy drama]] television series based on [[Neil Gaiman]]'s 2001 [[American Gods|novel of the same name]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shattuck |first=Kathryn |date=2019-03-08 |title=Ian McShane Puts All His [Expletives] in the Right Place |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/arts/television/ian-mcshane-american-gods.html |access-date=2025-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Odin is featured in a number of video games. In the 2002 [[Ensemble Studios]] game ''[[Age of Mythology]]'', Odin is one of three major gods Norse players can worship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/age-of-mythology/The_Major_Gods |title=Age of Mythology Wiki Guide: The Major Gods |work=IGN |date=23 April 2014 |access-date=20 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803201819/https://www.ign.com/wikis/age-of-mythology/The_Major_Gods }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/Age_of_Mythology/page/n11/mode/2up |title=Age of Mythology |page=27 |via=webarchive.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/Age_of_Mythology_Reference_Manual/page/n29/mode/2up |title=Age of Mythology Reference Guide |page=32 |via=webarchive.org}}</ref> Odin is also mentioned through [[Santa Monica Studio]]'s 2018 game ''[[God of War (2018 video game)|God of War]]'' and appears in its 2022 sequel ''[[God of War Ragnarök]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/god-war-ragnarok-sequel-odin-zeus-pandoras-box/ |title=God of War's Odin Differs From Zeus in a Big Way, but the Ragnarok Sequel Could Explain That |work=Gamerant |last=Duckworth |first=Joshua |date=1 January 2021 |access-date=20 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=31 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731010642/https://gamerant.com/god-war-ragnarok-sequel-odin-zeus-pandoras-box/ }}</ref> He is a major influence in the 2020 [[Ubisoft]] game ''[[Assassin's Creed Valhalla]]'' in the form of an Isu (a godlike, humanoid species within the ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' universe) of the same name. The primary protagonist, Eivor, who the player controls throughout the game is revealed to be a sage, or human reincarnation, of Odin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-odin/ |title=Odin's Role in Assassin's Creed Valhalla |work=Gamerant |last=Dolen |first=Rob |date=4 May 2020 |access-date=20 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=31 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731010648/https://gamerant.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-odin/ }}</ref> Odin is also one of the playable gods in the [[Third-person (video games)|third-person]] [[multiplayer online battle arena]] game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smitegame.com/gods/ |title=Gods |website=smitegame.com |access-date=20 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=31 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731071415/https://www.smitegame.com/gods/ }}</ref>
==Explanatory notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==

=== Notes ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* [[Henry Adams Bellows (businessman)|Bellows, Henry Adams]] (Trans.) (1936). ''The Poetic Edda''. [[Princeton University Press]]. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
* [[Anthony Birley|Birley, Anthony R.]] (Trans.) (1999). ''Agricola and Germany''. Oxford World's Classics. {{ISBN|978-0-19-283300-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Byock |first=Jesse |author-mask=Byock, Jesse (Trans.) |year=1990 |title=The Saga of the Volsungs |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-520-27299-6}}
* Brooks, James. 2023. [https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/oldest-reference-norse-god-odin-found-denmark-treasure-97704338 "Oldest reference to Norse god Odin found in Danish treasure"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308211940/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/oldest-reference-norse-god-odin-found-denmark-treasure-97704338 |date=8 March 2023 }}. ABC News. 8 March 2023. Accessed 8 March 2023.
* [[Hector Munro Chadwick|Chadwick, H. M.]] (1899). ''The Cult of Othin: An Essay in the Ancient Religion of the North''. Clay & Sons. {{OCLC|8989833}}
* Cleasby, Richard and [[Guðbrandur Vigfússon]]. Rev. Craigie, William A. (1975) ''An Icelandic–English Dictionary''. 2nd ed., repr. Oxford Clarendon Press. {{ISBN|978-0198631033}}
* [[James E. Cross|Cross, James E.]] and [[Thomas D. Hill]] (1982). ''The Prose Solomon and Saturn and Adrian and Ritheus''. University of Toronto Press.
* {{Citation | last =Davidson | first =Hilda Ellis | author-link =Hilda Ellis Davidson| year =1990 | title =Gods and Myths of Northern Europe | publisher =Penguin Books | isbn =0-14-013627-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=de Vries|first=Jan|title=Altnordisches Etymologisches Worterbuch|date=1962|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-05436-3|edition=1977|author-link=Jan de Vries (linguist)}}
* {{Citation | last =de Vries  |first =Jan | year =1970a | author-link =Jan de Vries (linguist) | title =Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, volume 1. 2nd ed. repr. as 3rd ed | publisher =Walter de Gruyter | oclc =466619179|language=de}}
* {{Citation | last =de Vries  |first =Jan | year =1970b | author-link =Jan de Vries (linguist) | title =Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte, volume 2. 2nd ed. repr. as 3rd ed | publisher =Walter de Gruyter | oclc =466619179|language=de}}
* [[Ursula Dronke|Dronke, Ursula]] (Trans.) (1997). ''The Poetic Edda: Volume II: Mythological Poems''. [[Oxford University Press]]. {{ISBN|0-19-811181-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Dunn |first=Marilyn|title=Belief and Religion in Barbarian Europe, c. 350–700 |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2013}}
* Faulkes, Anthony (Trans.) (1995). ''Edda''. [[Everyman's Library|Everyman]]. {{ISBN|0-460-87616-3}}
* [[William Dudley Foulke|Foulke, William Dudley]] (Trans.) Ed. Edward Peters. (2003 [1974]). ''History of the Lombards''. University of Pennsylvania Press. {{ISBN|978-0812210798}}
* {{Citation | last1 =Gimbutas | first1 =Marija | author-link =Marija Gimbutas | last2 =Robbins Dexter | first2 =Miriam | year =1999 | title =The Living Goddesses | publisher =University of California | isbn =978-0520213937 | url =https://archive.org/details/livinggoddesses00gimb }}
* Griffiths, Bill (2006 [2003]). ''Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Magic''. Anglo-Saxon Books. {{ISBN|1-898281-33-5}}
* Herbert, Kathleen (2007 [1994]). ''Looking for the Lost Gods of England''. Anglo-Saxon Books. {{ISBN|1-898281-04-1}}
* Hirschfeld, Max (1889). ''[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_1XYKAAAAIAAJ Untersuchungen zur Lokasenna]'', Acta Germanica 1.1, Berlin: Mayer & Müller. {{in lang|de}}
*{{cite book|last=Koch|first=John T.|title=Celto-Germanic, Later Prehistory and Post-Proto-Indo-European vocabulary in the North and West|publisher=Aberystwyth Canolfan Uwchefrydiau Cymreig a Cheltaidd Prifysgol Cymru, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies|year=2020|url=https://www.wales.ac.uk/Resources/Documents/Centre/2020/Celto-Germanic2020.pdf|isbn=978-1907029325|author-link=John T. Koch|access-date=13 November 2021|archive-date=25 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125063756/https://www.wales.ac.uk/Resources/Documents/Centre/2020/Celto-Germanic2020.pdf|url-status=live}}
* [[Lee Milton Hollander|Hollander, Lee Milton]] (1936). ''Old Norse Poems: The Most Important Nonskaldic Verse Not Included in the Poetic Edda''.  Columbia University Press
* {{cite book|last=Hollander|first=Lee Milton (Trans.)|year=1964|url=https://archive.org/details/heimskringla00snor|url-access=registration|title=Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|isbn=0-292-73061-6}}
* {{Cite book|last=Kroonen|first=Guus|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic|publisher=Brill|year=2013|isbn=978-9004183407}}
* Larrington, Carolyne (Trans.) (1999). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=nBzuQZ4MCPIC The Poetic Edda] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425161733/https://books.google.com/books?id=nBzuQZ4MCPIC |date=25 April 2023 }}''. [[Oxford World's Classics]]. {{ISBN|0-19-283946-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Lindow|first=John|title=Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-19-983969-8|author-link=John Lindow}}
* MacLeod, Mindy & Mees, Bernard (2006). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=hx7UigqsTKoC Runic Amulets and Magic Objects] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419093047/https://books.google.com/books?id=hx7UigqsTKoC |date=19 April 2023 }}''. [[Boydell Press]]. {{ISBN|1-84383-205-4}}
* Munro, Dana Carleton (Trans.) (1895). ''Life of St. Columban''. The Department of History of the University of Pennsylvania.
* North, Richard (1997). ''Heathen Gods in Old English Literature''. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0521551830}}
* {{Cite book|last=Orchard|first=Andy|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnors0000orch|title=Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend|date=1997|publisher=Cassell|isbn=978-0-304-34520-5|author-link=Andy Orchard|url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book|last=Orel|first=Vladimir E.|url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofgerman0000orel|title=A Handbook of Germanic Etymology|date=2003|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-12875-0|language=en|author-link=Vladimir Orel|url-access=registration}}
* {{Citation | last =Polomé | first =Edgar Charles | author-link =Edgar Charles Polomé | year =1970 | chapter =The Indo-European Component in Germanic Religion | title =Myth and Law Among the Indo-Europeans: Studies in Indo-European Comparative Mythology | editor-last =Puhvel  |editor-first =Jaan | publisher =University of California | isbn =978-0520015876}}
* Pollington, Stephen (2008). ''Rudiments of Runelore''. Anglo-Saxon Books. {{ISBN|978-1898281498}}
*{{cite book |last=Price|first=Neil|author-link=Neil Price (archaeologist)|title=The Viking Way, Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia|edition=2|title-link=The Viking Way (book)|publisher=Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia |year=2019|isbn=978-1842172605}}
* Schach, Paul (1985). "Some Thoughts on ''Völuspá''" as collected in Glendinning, R. J. Bessason, Heraldur (Editors). ''Edda: a Collection of Essays.'' [[University of Manitoba Press]]. {{ISBN|0-88755-616-7}}
* [[Rudolf Simek|Simek, Rudolf]] (2007) translated by Angela Hall. ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. [[Boydell & Brewer|D.S. Brewer]]. {{ISBN|0-85991-513-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Steuer |first=Heiko |title=Germanen aus Sicht der Archäologie: Neue Thesen zu einem alten Thema |publisher=de Gruyter |year=2021}}
* [[Benjamin Thorpe|Thorpe, Benjamin]] (1851). ''Northern Mythology, Compromising the Principal Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany, and the Netherlands: Compiled from Original and Other Sources''. 3 vols. Volume 2 ''Scandinavian Popular Traditions and Superstitions''. Lumley. {{OCLC|314195407}}
* Thorpe, Benjamin (Trans.) (1866). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WGUCAAAAQAAJ&q=Edda+S%C3%A6mundar Edda Sæmundar Hinns Frôða: The Edda of Sæmund the Learned] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405015736/https://books.google.com/books?id=WGUCAAAAQAAJ&q=Edda+S%C3%A6mundar |date=5 April 2023 }}.'' Part I. London: Trübner & Co.
* {{Citation | last =Turville-Petre | first =Gabriel | author-link =Gabriel Turville-Petre | year =1964 | title =Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia | publisher =Weidenfeld and Nicolson | oclc =645398380}}
* {{Cite book|last=West|first=Martin L.|title=Indo-European Poetry and Myth|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-928075-9}}
* Williamson, Craig (2011). ''A Feast of Creatures: Anglo-Saxon Riddle-Songs''. University of Pennsylvania Press. {{ISBN|978-0812211290}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Odin}}
* [https://myndir.uvic.ca/OdiN01.html MyNDIR (My Norse Digital Image Repository)] Illustrations of Óðinn from manuscripts and early print books.

{{Odin}}
{{Death in Germanic mythology}}
{{Norse mythology}}
{{Anglo-Saxon paganism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Odin| ]]
[[Category:Æsir]]
[[Category:Arts gods]]
[[Category:Creator gods]]
[[Category:Death gods]]
[[Category:Dragonslayers]]
[[Category:Germanic gods]]
[[Category:Hunting gods]]
[[Category:Killed deities]]
[[Category:Life-death-rebirth gods]]
[[Category:Magic gods]]
[[Category:Semi-legendary kings of Sweden]]
[[Category:Mythological rapists]]
[[Category:Norse gods]]
[[Category:Oracular gods]]
[[Category:Völsung cycle]]
[[Category:War gods]]
[[Category:Wisdom gods]]
[[Category:Norse underworld]]
[[Category:Wolf deities]]
[[Category:Raven deities]]