Odin: The Chief of the Norse Gods

Odin was the chief of all Norse gods. He was the god of magic, poetry, and knowledge, among other things. He was old, and sported a beard. He wore a hat, as he believed that it kept him from being spotted, and also donned a cloak.

Odin was also worshiped by Vikings, as they believed that he determined the fate of all people. He also has other names, such as Ygg, Jalk, Sidhot, and Sidskeg. He had two birds, Huginn, which meant thought, and Minnin, which symbolized memory. These birds flew all over the world and brought him news from everywhere.

Odin was the god of thinking and reasoning. He lived in Asgard, which was home to all the Norse gods. His devotees included the berserkers. The fourth day of the week, Wednesday, was named after Odin, though, weirdly, it is supposed to stand for the day of Mercury. The confusion arose from the differing interpretations of the German word for Odin, Woden.

His father was Bor, whose father was Buri, the first god. His wife was Frigga, after whom the sixth day of the week, Friday, was named. The most prominent among his sons was Thor, the god of thunder. Odin sat on a throne which allowed him to see the whole world.

Odin decided who won and lost in wars. He chose the warriors who died in wars as well. These dead warriors were known as einherjar. The valkyries, who were his female assistants, accompanied the dead warriors to Valhalla, a hall in heaven.

In Valhalla, the dead warriors were given food and beer. The food was the meat from a boar that was cooked in a very large boiling pot. The boar would incredibly come alive before the next feast.

Afterwards, all the gods would practice fighting against the dead warriors, so that they were prepared for the final battle of Ragnarok. All the warriors who would die in this mock fight, would come alive again before the next feast. These warriors helped Odin in the battle of Ragnarok.

In Norse mythology, there was a holy tree called Yggdrasil. Odin is believed to have pierced himself with his own spear, so that he could hang himself from Yggdrasil. Subsequently, there was a writing on the rocks below him, and he derived wisdom from this writing.

He passed on this knowledge to mankind. He had only one eye, because he threw the other one into the Mimisbrunnr, the well of wisdom, for a drink from it.

Odin had a spear called Gungnir, which would always hit its target. In addition, he had a bow which could shoot ten arrows at a time. He also had a golden ring called Draupnir, which created copies of itself every morning.

He placed this ring on the funeral pyre of his son Baldr. He also had an eight-legged horse called 'Sleipnir'. He had a goat which could produce an extraordinary beverage, which could turn the drinker into a poet. This beverage was stored in three containers that had three different colors―red, gold, and brown.

Odin, along with his brothers Vili and Ve, killed the frost giant Ymir, and used his body to create the world. In the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok, in which all the gods died, Odin was eaten by a wolf.