Introduction
Odin, the All-Father, is the chief of the Aesir gods and the most complex figure in Norse mythology, presiding over war, death, wisdom, poetry, prophecy and magic (seidr). Unlike a simple sky-father figure, Odin is restless and secretive, constantly seeking knowledge at great personal cost, and closely associated with the dead, whom he gathers in his hall Valhalla in preparation for the final battle at Ragnarok.
This article follows Old Norse mythological tradition, chiefly the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, noting where the two sources differ.
Family
- Father: Bor
- Mother: Bestla
- Wives: Frigg, Jord, Gridr, Rindr
- Sons: Baldr, Hodr, Thor, Vidar, Vali, Tyr, Bragi
- Siblings: Vili, Ve
Sacrifices for wisdom
Odin's defining trait is his relentless pursuit of hidden knowledge, paid for again and again with pain and sacrifice. He gave up one of his eyes at Mimir's well beneath Yggdrasil in exchange for a drink granting wisdom. In the Poetic Edda's Havamal, he describes hanging himself, pierced by his own spear, from the world tree Yggdrasil for nine days and nights, given to himself as a sacrifice to himself, until he perceived and seized the runes, the magical alphabet, gaining knowledge no one had possessed before.
Ravens, wolves and Valhalla
Odin is accompanied by two ravens, Huginn ("thought") and Muninn ("memory"), who fly across the world each day and report back to him, and by two wolves, Geri and Freki. He rules over Valhalla, the hall of the slain, where half of all warriors who die in battle are brought by the Valkyries to feast and train in preparation for Ragnarok, the final battle.
Family
Odin's wife is Frigg, with whom he fathers Baldr and Hodr. Through other unions, notably with the giantesses Jord, Gridr and Rindr, he fathers Thor, Vidar and Vali respectively. He is also the blood-brother of the trickster Loki, though not by blood descent.
Ragnarok
At Ragnarok, the prophesied final battle, Odin is fated to be killed by the great wolf Fenrir, whom his son Vidar then avenges by tearing the wolf's jaws apart.
Worship and legacy
Odin was widely worshipped across the Germanic world, known in Old English as Woden and in Old High German as Wotan, and Wednesday ("Woden's day") is named for him in English and other Germanic languages. He remains one of the most recognisable figures of Norse mythology, embodying both the wisdom-seeking sage and the grim lord of war and death.