Odin

Odin is one of the chief gods of Norse mythology. The Odin we’re most familiar with is the one inspired by the Viking Age but this god was originally formed in Germanic mythologies before the Common Era as Wōđinaz widely associated with the concept of “poetic fury” – alternately meaning “excited, manic, violent” and “mind, wit, soul”. In other words, Odin is generally viewed as both frenzied and wise. By the Viking Age (8th to 12th centuries) he became more fully developed as the Old Norse Óðinn. In the beginning, Odin was regarded as the Father of all gods and men, a wise seer with all-knowing mental agility, the gift of shape-shifting and the ability to travel to any of the nine Nordic realms. Each day Odin would send his two ravens across the land to spy and return revealing vital information about the happenings of the world. By the Viking Age, Odin became associated with war and battle; he presided over Valhalla (“hall of the slain”), the place where all Nordic heroes went after glorious death in brave battle. The souls of the heroes of Valhalla were preparing for Ragnarök, a great battle where many gods would die (including Odin, Thor and Loki) and when the earth would fall under water before being renewed again. During Ragnarök, Odin was swallowed whole by the monstrous wolf Fenrir. When the Romans came in contact with the Scandinavians they correlated Odin with Mercury, their god of trade, commerce and gain (and they related the Nordic god Thor to Mars, the god of war). For more information on the mythologies of Odin, please see literary references below. The mythological name Odin is a Top 100 favorite in Norway and used with mild frequency in the United States, Canada and Australia.