God of Knowledge
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 learned them,
then fell down thence.
Havamal Codex Regius (translation Benjamin Thorpe)
Odin is associated with wisdom, healing, magic, death, war, battle, poetry, and the runes. Freya taught Odin the knowledge of Seidr, in exchange for his knowledge of the runes. Odin sacrificed an eye to the giant Mimir to drink from the pool of wisdom. With that knowledge, he became all-knowing. He acquired the knowledge of the runes by hanging on a tree, wounded by a spear. While he is known as a god of war, he never pushed people to go to war. If Odin went to war, he was fierce, he could shapeshift and convince everyone with words. Under the protection of Odin, it was said that the Vikings could go berserk, a form of rage and fierceness that was feared by their enemies.
All-Father and His Strange Animals
Odin is the ruler of Asgard, the domain of the gods. On his throne are the words 'father of all'. All gods and all of humankind are produced by him. Two ravens named Huginn and Muninn sit on Odin’s shoulders. They tell him everything they hear. On both sides of his throne stand two wolves named Geri and Freki. He travels through all the worlds on his horse with eight legs, called Sleipnir.
Valhalla
Valhalla, the hall of the slain, is a majestic hall located in Asgard and ruled by Odin. Half of those who die in combat can enter Valhalla. The warriors can feast there until Ragnarok when they will march out of one of the five hundred and forty doors into battle to fight in aid for Odin against the Jotnar (frost giants) that represent the forces of chaos and destruction.
Ragnarok, The Reset of the Planet
Ragnarok is the final destination of the realm of the gods and humankind. It is basically the end of the world as we know it, a significant reset. We can ask ourselves if that would be a bad thing, but that is up for discussion, since I really don’t want to live during the time it happens. There will be an end battle between gods and giants. The fire giant Surt will destroy almost everything. After the battle, the world will be tormented with disasters and eventually disappear into the sea. After all but two people are dead, the world will be reborn and repopulated by the two survivors. As Odin represents the maker of all, he will be part of the apocalypse (reset) as well.
One of Many Names
More than 150 names are known that refer to Odin. This amount makes him the god with the most known names amongst European people. We even use the name Odin every day (in Dutch 'woensdag' / in English 'Wednesday') comes from the Old English 'Wodnesdaeg', meaning 'day of Wodan'. The old German word for midweek was 'wotanstag', but was changed under Christian influences to midweek. One of Odin's names was the wanderer because he always was among humans to gain new knowledge.
Odin Lives On
Looking up information about Odin? Well, then you noticed that you find a lot of games, movies, and other references to Odin, Valhalla, and Ragnarok. Odin is still very much alive, as he has lived on through the centuries in folk tales, movies, and games. His presence will continue in modern times, maybe until the time of the Ragnarok?
