Odin is the Allfather of the Norse gods, the chief of the Aesir, and the ruler of Asgard. He presides over wisdom, war, poetry, magic, and death, and is revered as the most complex and driven deity in the Norse pantheon. No sacrifice is too great for him when knowledge or victory is the prize.
Who is Odin?
Odin stands at the summit of the Norse cosmos. He governs Valhalla, the hall where warriors slain in battle are welcomed and prepared for the final conflict at Ragnarok. He is a god of contradictions: a war god who values cunning over brute force, a death god who breathed life into the first humans, and a king who wanders the world disguised as a cloaked traveler seeking wisdom wherever it hides. Poets and skalds called him by nearly two hundred names.
Origins and the name
Odin's name derives from Old Norse Óðinn, tracing to Proto-Germanic Wōðanaz and the word óðr, meaning fury or inspired possession. In Old English his name became Woden, giving Wednesday its name. The Continental Germanic peoples knew him as Wodan or Wotan. The Romans equated him with Mercury as a guide of the dead and patron of travelers. He is attested across the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, skaldic verse, runic inscriptions, and Scandinavian place-names containing the element Ods- or Odens-.
The search for wisdom
Two myths define Odin's hunger for knowledge. At Mimir's well, a spring beneath Yggdrasil whose waters carry the memory of all that has ever happened, Odin offered one of his eyes in exchange for a draught of wisdom. From that moment the sacrificed eye gazed up from the depths, perceiving the hidden workings of fate.
The second ordeal took place on Yggdrasil itself. To win the runes, Odin hung from the world-tree pierced by his own spear Gungnir for nine days and nine nights without food or water. At the ordeal's end the runes revealed themselves and he claimed them. This initiation is recorded in the poem Havamal and marks Odin as the god who transmits runic knowledge to gods and humans alike.
Myths and deeds
Odin also won the mead of poetry, brewed from the blood of the wise being Kvasir and granting any drinker the gift of perfect verse. He infiltrated the giant Suttungr's stronghold as a serpent, spent three nights with the giantess Gunnlod, and escaped as an eagle with all three vats. With his brothers Vili and Ve he also slew the primordial giant Ymir, fashioned the cosmos from his body, and breathed life into the first humans, Ask and Embla.
Symbols and attributes
Odin's spear Gungnir, forged by the dwarven Sons of Ivaldi, never misses its mark. His eight-legged horse Sleipnir, born of Loki in mare-form, travels between worlds faster than any other mount. Two ravens, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory), fly across the nine worlds each day and report back to him. Two wolves, Geri and Freki, sit at his feet in Valhalla. The Valknut, three interlocked triangles, is his most recognized emblem alongside the image of a one-eyed wanderer in hat and cloak.
Family and relationships
Odin's primary wife is Frigg, queen of Asgard and goddess of foresight. Together they parent Baldr, the god of light whose death sets the countdown to Ragnarok in motion. Odin is also the father of Thor by the earth goddess Jord. His blood-brotherhood with Loki is a recurring thread: an oath made long ago forces Odin to tolerate Loki's increasingly dangerous schemes. Odin shares the warriors killed in battle with the Vanir goddess Freya, who takes half the slain for her hall Folkvangr while the other half come to Valhalla.
Odin at Ragnarok
When Ragnarok comes, Odin leads the einherjar into the final battle on the plain of Vigrid. He faces the wolf Fenrir and is swallowed whole. His son Vidarr avenges him by tearing Fenrir's jaws apart. Baldr then returns from the realm of the dead to rule the renewed world, carrying Odin's wisdom forward.
Worship and legacy
Odin was worshipped across the Germanic world, his cult strongest among aristocracy, warriors, and poets. Hanging sacrifices at Uppsala in Sweden echoed his ordeal on Yggdrasil. Wednesday preserves his name in English and most Germanic languages. In modern Heathenry and Asatru he is invoked for wisdom and inspiration. He appears in Marvel's Thor films, Neil Gaiman's American Gods, and Norse-inspired games, standing as one of the most recognizable figures from pre-Christian European religion.
Frequently asked questions
What is Odin the god of?
Odin presides over wisdom, war, poetry, magic, and death. He is the chief of the Aesir and the ruler of Asgard.
Why does Odin have one eye?
Odin sacrificed an eye at Mimir's well in exchange for a draught of cosmic wisdom.
What are Odin's ravens called?
Odin's ravens are named Huginn and Muninn, meaning thought and memory. They fly across all the worlds each day and bring him news.
What is Odin's role at Ragnarok?
Odin leads the gods into battle at Ragnarok and is swallowed by the wolf Fenrir.
Is Odin the same as Woden or Wotan?
Yes. Woden is the Old English name and Wotan is the Continental Germanic name for the same god.