Óðinn is attested heavily through many early sources across Europe. He is claimed as the ancestor of many kingly lines and is thus mentioned in ancient lineage records. More commonly known sources include Tacitus’s late 1st-century Germania, Adam of Bremen’s Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum in the 11th century, the 12th-century Bryggen inscriptions, the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, Heimskringla, and many of the sagas.

Óðinn’s image can also be found on many archaeological finds: wooden and stone carvings, statues and crosses, tapestry fragments, armor and weapons, and decorative objects.

He is considered a god of wisdom, battle, death, magic, and kinship, and popularly seen as the leader of the Æsir. In later Christian texts, he is referred to as “king” of the gods, though this reflects the structure of Christian monarchies. In older texts, the Æsir’s power structure mirrors that of human clan groups, with a community spokesperson who was involved with important decisions, represented the group at local Things, and presided over legal disputes. This leader was chosen by the community and could be replaced. Óðinn held this position of honor among the gods. As such, he is included in most of their stories, in brief cameos or to further the plot.

Óðinn is the husband of Frigga, and by her is the father of Baldr and Höðr. Pagan marriage was often broader in scope, and he had other consorts, including the giantess Jörð with whom he fathered Thor. By the giantess Gríðr, he is the father of Viðarr, and by the giantess Rindr, Váli. He is sometimes listed as the father of Bragi and Ullr, though the reference to Ullr is likely a later invention. He may have also been a husband of Freyja.

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He is the son of Borr and Bestla, and along with his brothers Vili and Vé (or sometimes Hœnir and Lóðurr) slew the first being, the giant Ýmir, and turned his body into the Earth. Walking along the shores of this new world, he and his brothers stumbled upon driftwood from the World Tree. These they fashioned into the first man, Ask, and the first woman, Embla.

As noted in the Poetic Edda:

“Spirit they possessed not, sense they had not,
blood nor motive powers, nor goodly color.
Spirit gave Óðinn, sense gave Vili,
blood gave Vé, and goodly color.”

Thus the three brothers created the human race and gifted us consciousness and all of our senses. Under the protection of the Æsir, Miðgarðr became our home.

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Óðinn is famous for his pursuit of wisdom, and many stories revolve around the sacrifices he makes to acquire knowledge and mastery. In one of his earliest mythic acts, he raises a dead seeress and questions her about the future of the gods. After learning of the death of Baldr, the coming Ragnarök, and his own death at the jaws of Fenrir, he sets off on quests to stop or at least delay the end of the world. The lore says he appears in the world as a wanderer, or sometimes as the wind itself.

He is portrayed as one-eyed because he traded his eye to the beheaded god Mímir for a drink from Mímisbrunnr, the well of wisdom. Óðinn also hangs himself upside-down from a tree (generally agreed to be Yggdrasil), denies himself food and drink, stabs himself with a spear, dies, and resurrects to gain hidden knowledge — most notably the secrets of the runes. In other stories, Ullr takes the high seat of the Æsir while Óðinn wanders the world for years at a time, seeking answers and bestowing gifts upon mortals.

In the Prose Edda, he disguises himself as three characters: High, Just As High, and Third. In answering the questions of a man named Gangleri (the king Gylfi, also in disguise to test the wisdom of the gods), we learn that Óðinn has two ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory), who fly over the world to gather information for him daily. He also has two wolf servants, Geri and Freki, to whom he gives all of his meals, preferring to sustain himself on red wine. Through other sources, we discover that Óðinn’s horse is eight-legged Sleipnir, the greatest of all horses, and the son of Loki.

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In the Poetic Edda, a disguised Óðinn seeks out the wisest of the giants, Vafþrúðnir, for a contest of knowledge to the death. The two seem matched until Óðinn asks what he whispered into the ear of his son Baldr on the funeral pyre. At that moment, the giant realizes his guest is Óðinn and concedes. These stories build the image of Óðinn as the wisest of beings — yet even he cannot prevent the fall of the Æsir or the coming Ragnarök. Norse myth is full of such paradoxes.

Óðinn has several halls within Ásgarðr. His main is Valaskjálf (“Shelf of the Slain”), which contains the tower Hliðskjálf, the high seat from which he can see everything in all worlds. The other is Valhöll (“Hall of the Slain”), which houses the Einherjar, his chosen warriors who train for Ragnarök and are served mead by valkyries.

In Germanic and English folklore, he was believed to lead the Wild Hunt, a spectral procession of dead souls that haunted the countryside. The Wild Hunt was said to ride out on Halloween, bringing frost and winter winds. Ullr was also associated with it. The tradition of jack-o-lanterns may have begun as wards against being swept up by this ghostly parade. Modern versions of the Hunt appear in Krampus parades during winter.

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Thoughts on Óðinn

Óðinn is believed to be a powerful, active figure. He is known among modern Heathens for “recruiting” people through dreams, visions, and spiritual experiences.

He is called the All-Father not only because he interacts with mortals, gods, and giants alike, but also because he is the mythic creator of humankind and a spiritual leader of the Æsir. He embodies wisdom, battle prowess, and personal agency. He is a god who participates in existence with us — in suffering, struggle, pleasure, and joy. He is associated with both war and love, with inspiration and sacrifice.

In the lore, Óðinn never asks his children to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. He even practiced seiðr to gain knowledge, a form of magic typically reserved for women. He is also master of galdr, or men’s magic — encompassing everything from chanting to persuasion to mental command. Today we might recognize galdr in the fields of hypnotism, rhetoric, or psychological influence.

Óðinn’s horse, Sleipnir, is often understood as a metaphor for trance journeys. He rides through Hel and back again, a clear image of spiritual travel and shamanic work.

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Working with Óðinn is intense. He is said to demand exchange for insight, and those who follow him often speak of his presence as commanding, sometimes relentless, but always meaningful.

He was worshiped widely throughout northern Europe, including in Celtic lands. He shares archetypal qualities with Lugh of Irish mythology. The Romans equated him with Mercury, Hades, or both.

As a god of war, Óðinn sometimes seems unreliable when it comes to protecting individual warriors. This reflects the shifting nature of war itself. Some of his warriors dressed as wolves and used trance and spirit-channeling before battle. They were said to feel no pain or fear. This cult-like practice may be the origin of werewolf legends.

Though he is often depicted as an old man in armor or a dark cloak, Óðinn can take many forms. He is kept youthful by the apples of Iðunn.

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Suggested Signs & Symbols
Spears, ravens, all runes, poetry and writing. Hanged men and the valknut. The colors gold, royal blue, and midnight blue. The wind and the breath. Travelers. Wizards. Shamans. Pirates. One-eyed imagery. The runes Óss and Odal. The numbers three and nine. Wednesday. Red wine. Werewolves.

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Associated Names
Óðinn, Woden, Wotan, Wodanaz, Wuotan, All-Father, Harbardr (grey-beard), and over 170 others.