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scarletarosa · 4 years

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Odin

Norse god of wisdom, knowledge, poetry, war, victory, sovereignty, divination, and magick

One of Odin’s countless titles is “All-father” (Old Norse: Alfaðir), since he is essentially the father of all of the Norse gods and was believed to be the divine ancestor of countless families from all over northern Europe. He is simultaneously an Aesir god, a Vanir god (the Vanir god Odr is only an extension or transposition of Odin), and a jötunn (ancient giant). Odin’s mother, Bestla, was one of the first frost-giants. One Old Norse poem even identifies him with önd, the breath of life. Furthermore, Odin is also the discoverer of the Runic alphabet and is married to the mother-goddess Frigg.

Appearance and Roles: Old Norse texts portray Odin as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently wielding a spear named Gungnir and wearing a cloak and a broad hat. One of the most striking attributes of his appearance is his single, piercing eye. His other eye socket is empty – the eye it once held was sacrificed by himself in order to gain wisdom. Odin is often accompanied by his animal companions and familiars—the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens Huginn and Muninn, who bring him information from all over Midgard—and rides the flying, eight-legged steed Sleipnir across the sky and into the Underworld. Odin is the son of Bestla and Borr and has two brothers, Vili and Vé. Odin is attested as having many sons, most famously the gods Thor (with Jörð) and Baldr (with Frigg), and is known by hundreds of names. In these texts he frequently seeks greater knowledge, at times in disguise (most famously by obtaining the Mead of Poetry), makes wagers with his wife Frigg over the outcome of exploits, and takes part both in the creation of the world by way of slaying the primordial being Ymir and in giving the gift of life to the first two humans, Ask and Embla. Odin has a particular association with the festival of Yule, and mankind's knowledge of both the runes and poetry is also attributed to him.

Old Norse texts also state that female entities connected with the battlefield—the valkyries—were led by Odin, since he oversees Valhalla, where he receives half of those who die in battle, the einherjar, the honourable warriors. The other half are then claimed by the goddess Freyja for her afterlife location, Fólkvangr. Odin also is said to consult the disembodied, herb-embalmed head of the wise being Mímir for advice, and during the foretold events of Ragnarök Odin is told to lead the einherjar into battle before being consumed by the monstrous wolf Fenrir. In later folklore Odin appears as a leader of the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession of the dead through the winter sky. He is also associated with charms and other forms of magic, particularly in Old English and Old Norse texts.

As a god of sovereignty, Odin is paradoxically also the favourite god and helper of outlaws, those who have been banished from society for some especially heinous crime, as well. Like Odin, many such men were exceptionally strong-willed warrior-poets who were apathetic to established societal norms – Egill Skallagrímsson (Egil’s Saga) and Grettir Ásmundarson (The Saga of Grettir the Strong) are two examples. The late twelfth/early thirteenth-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus even relates a tale of Odin being outlawed from Asgard for ten years so that the other gods and goddesses wouldn’t be tarnished by the vile reputation he had acquired amongst many humans. Whatever their social stature, the humans favored by Odin are distinguished by their intelligence, creativity, and competence in the proverbial “war of all against all”. For Odin, any kind of limitation is something to be overcome by any means necessary, and his actions are carried out within the context of a relentless and ruthless quest for more wisdom, knowledge, and power, usually of a magical sort.

Odin’s competitive side once drove him to challenge the wisest of the jǫtnar (giants) to a contest to see who was more knowledgeable. The reward was to be the head of the loser, and Odin won this challenge by asking his opponent something that only he himself could know. Odin then claimed his prize and returned to Asgard. Along with Freyja, he is one of the two greatest practitioners of shamanism amongst the gods. The Ynglinga Saga records that Odin often “travels to distant lands on his own errands or those of others” while he appears to others to be asleep or dead. Another instance is recorded in the Eddic poem “Baldur’s Dreams,” where Odin rode Sleipnir, an eight-legged horse, to the Underworld in order to consult a dead seeress on behalf of his son. Odin’s mastery of necromancy, the magical art of communicating with and raising the dead, is frequently noted. While there are several reasons Odin maintains this commerce with the dead, including his desire to learn what knowledge and wisdom they possess, the most significant reason is his dread-driven desire to have as many of the best warriors as possible on his side when he must face the wolf Fenrir during Ragnarok – even though he knows that he’s doomed to die in the battle.

Myths: In myth, Odin needed to make a sacrifice of himself in order to obtain great wisdom. This myth displays the great desire for knowledge and wisdom Odin holds, as well as his unstoppable will-power. Odin All-Father was troubled deeply for the whisperings of the Yggdrasil tree had told him the prophecies of the end, of Ragnarök. He had listened and knew of how Surtr the Black would join the giants in their war against the gods, how he would arise out of the flames of Muspell and drown the earth in fire. Odin’s wisdom told him that he could not prevent this end, but he hoped that perhaps, with wisdom, something could be done to have some gods and humans to survive. Odin travelled the Bifrost to Midgard and began to search for the well of Mimir. The well lay beneath the root of Yggdrasil that grew out of Jotunheim. It was kept my Mimir, the man who drank its wisdom each morning and who kept watch over the Gjallar-horn that Heimdallr, the white watcher, will blow on the day of Ragnarök.

After many days of travel, Odin came to the edge of the well deep in Jotunheim. Mimir approached him and took up the horn Gjallar and filled it with good water from the well and gave the horn to Odin to drink. As he drank, his eyes opened and saw visions of great and terrible sufferings that would befall both men and gods. He drank again and saw the ways that gods and men might, in great noble courage, fight and defeat the evils that would surely arise, though at great cost for he saw also his death and the death of the Aesir that lived in Asgard by his side. How mighty Thor would succumb to the venom of the great serpent, and how Loki would come against Heimdallr and would kill one another, he saw his own defeat at the jaws of Fenrir, and many more deaths and failings that would come of Ragnarök.

After witnessing these things, Odin put his hand to his face and plucked out his right eye. The pain was great and searing, but he made no sound nor showed his great suffering. Mimir took the eye and threw it into the well where it sunk deep but glistened like glass, a sign to any who might pass of the price Odin All-Father paid for his wisdom. And Odin returned to Asgard and sat upon his throne and considered the things he had seen.

In another myth, Odin underwent a ritual death and rebirth in order to discover the runes. At the centre of the Norse cosmos stands the great tree Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil’s upper branches cradle Asgard, the home and fortress of the Aesir gods and goddesses, of whom Odin is the chief. Yggdrasil grows out of the Well of Urd, a pool whose fathomless depths hold many of the most powerful forces and beings in the cosmos. Among these beings are the Norns, three sagacious maidens who create the fate of all beings. One of the foremost techniques they use to shape fate is carving runes into Yggdrasil’s trunk. The symbols then carry these intentions throughout the tree, affecting everything in the Nine Worlds. Since the runes’ native home is in the Well of Urd with the Norns, and since the runes do not reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves worthy of such fearful insights and abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil, pierced himself with his spear, and peered downward into the shadowy waters below. He forbade any of the other gods to grant him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water.

And he stared downward, downward, and called to the runes. He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice that separates the living from the dead, for no less than nine days and nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last perceived shapes in the depths: the runes. They had accepted his sacrifice and shown themselves to him, revealing to him not only their forms, but also the secrets that lie within them. Having fixed this knowledge in his formidable memory, Odin ended his ordeal with a scream of exultation. Having been initiated into the mysteries of the runes, Odin recounted:

“Then I was fertilized and became wise; I truly grew and thrived. From a word to a word I was led to a word, From a work to a work I was led to a work.”

Equipped with the knowledge of how to wield the runes, he became one of the mightiest and most accomplished beings in the cosmos. He learned chants that enabled him to heal emotional and bodily wounds, to bind his enemies and render their weapons worthless, to free himself from constraints, to put out fires, to expose and banish practitioners of malevolent magic, to protect his friends in battle, to wake the dead, to win and keep a lover, and to perform many other feats like these.

Personality: In my personal experiences with Odin, he is withdrawn, reclusive, analytical, methodical, studious, very serious, loves riddles and numbers, is a physiomancer (can divine the future through many methods), and takes oaths very seriously, rarely forgiving anyone who breaks them. He can help with many things, including gaining wisdom and knowledge, magickal prowess, divination, shamanism, spiritual rebirths, cunning, and discovering what truly matters in life so we can move past lesser things. Odin says that he can also assist in protecting against the malicious god Loki, who tricks others into trusting him and then harms them unsuspectingly, or disguises himself as their loved ones in order to hurt them or get his way.

Offerings: beer (all types but prefers dark/stout), meat (pork, all game animals and birds), eggs, courgettis, oak, ash wood, runes, amber, lightning bolt imagery, any form of fortune telling tools (tarot, pendulum, etc.), crow/raven skulls or feathers, black silk, aubergine, wooden bowls, white sandalwood, black peppercorns, cedar, white daisies, cosmic tree imagery, crow/raven statuettes.

#odin #norse gods #nordic polytheism #norse mythology #deity work

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littlewitchyhippie · 4 years

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Hey guys, I have talked about not really knowing which God has been contacting me well, I have taken some time and found actually two Gods that have been speaking to me. Unlike Rhiannon being a Celtic Goddess, these are Norse Gods. Odin and Bragi/E; everyone knows more about Odin then Bragi/E; he is the God of Poetry. I love that because all of the Gods and Goddess that I have found have special meaning to me that involves my personal life. I knew for a bit about Bragi/E but I was waiting to connect with him more and Odin was recent that he had spoken to me more. I am German/ Native American/ Italian Descent, so Norse/Germanic witchcraft has been a big part of my craft as well as Celtic. so, lets get on to telling you about the Gods themselves. Since Bragi/E was the one to communicate with me first, I want to talk about him first. He was addressed as an old wise Bard or Poet of Vahalla, most know what Vahalla is but if you do not then Vahalla is the "Hall of the Fallen"; where Odin housed the dead who he deemed worthy of dwelling with Him. If you want a video of Vahalla please comment below. Old Norse poetry from the Viking Age features Bragi/E alot, he is entertaining the Einherjar {ane HAIR yar} which means " the ones that fight alone"; they are elite deceased members of Vahalla. He is also know to welcome new souls to Vahalla. One Eddic states that Bragi/E has runes carved into his tongue. Before his death Bragi was a poet, named Bragi Boddason; he created magic with his poetry. When he passed Odin appointed him the Poet of Vahalla. This quoted from the site ; The Old Norse writers of the Christian Middle Ages took this a step further and portrayed Bragi as having been nothing less than a god of poetry. One such author even claimed that one of the Old Norse words for “poetry,” bragr, was derived from Bragi’s name.[4] He was said to be the husband of the goddess Idun, whose fruits guarantee the continued immortality of the gods. Signs of a Bard is long beards and harps or other bardic interments. Symbols of comfort, luxury, and relaxation. Winter hearths and fire places. Concerts, plays and performances. Okay, let's go on to the most known Viking God, Odin. This is how you properly spell it Óðinn; Odin’s name can be translated as “Master of Ecstasy.” He is one of the most mythical character in the Norse Mythology. He is the ruler of Aseir tribe of Deities. He is known as a relentless seeker and a giver of Wisdom but he has little regard for communal values such as justice, fairness, or respect for law and convention. He is a devine patron of rules but also outlaws. He is not only a war-god but a poetry-god, he has feminine tendency that would of brought unspeakable shame to the history of a viking warrior. "He’s worshiped by those in search of prestige, honor, and nobility, yet he’s often cursed for being a fickle trickster" From how he is pretrayed in today's times, they believe that he was this great warrior like his son, Thor but that wasn't the whole truth, he was more of a peace keeping god. He never concerned himself with the average warriors, he only surrounded himself with warriors that he deemed worthy. "He maintains particularly close affiliations with the berserkers and other “warrior-shamans” whose fighting techniques and associated spiritual practices center around achieving a state of ecstatic unification with certain ferocious totem animals, usually wolves or bears, and, by extension, with Odin himself, the master of such beasts." An interesting feature of Odin's person appearance is his "missing" eye which he had sacrificed for wisdom, he is seen wearing an eye patch to cover the eye socket. He also "scarified himself for himself" by hanging for 9 days and right on the world tree "Yggdrail," the tree is said to be the mighty tree whose trunk rises at the "center" of the Norse spiritual cosmos. When he did this he received no form of nourishment from anyone. After the 9 days, he perceived the runes, this is the start of the divination of Runes. It was the written letters of the Germanic people before the Latin alphabet was constructed. The root to Odin getting his name was from the mead's old Norse name of Óðrœrir(Oh-thur-or-ear), “The Stirrer of Óðr(OH-thur),” and, as we have seen, óðr (“ecstasy, fury, inspiration”)One of his many names is "allfather" or Alfaðir, according to Snorri Sturluson, "he was the father of the Gods." As we know, his is a divine ancestor of many families all around Northern Europe, He is a Aesir God also a Vanir God and a giant; son of Bestla, one of the first frost giants. One old Norse poem even identifies him as önd or the breath of life. Odin was seen as the favorite god to outlaws or outcasted people because of how strong-willed Odin is. "Danish historian even relates a tale of Odin being outlawed from Asgard for ten years so that the other gods and goddesses wouldn’t be tarnished by the vile reputation he had acquired amongst many humans" Odin was also seen as a seidr which in the Norse culture a male seidr was not the greatest thing to be because of the gender roles they had back then. Saxo, in the passage of on Odin's exile, relates that "by his stage-tricks and his assumption of a woman's work he had brought foulest scandal on the name of the Gods." He was known to be a master in necromancy, the magic art of bring back and even speaking to the dead. One of the reasons he mastered this art was so that he could speak with the dead to gain knowledge. Another reason that possibly is the main reason is that he wanted as many amazing warriors on his side when he must face the wolf, Fenrir (FEN-rir) during Ragnarok. Odin speaks only in poems, and the ability to compose poetry is a gift that he grants at his pleasure. He stole the "mead of poetry," it is the source of the ability to speak and write beautifully, from the giants. He has dispensed it to whomever Gods, humans etc that he deems worthy. He is known to take dangerous quests to gain wisdom. So he kinda back himself away from other Gods/Goddess so that he did not tarnish them with his quests. With him being so competitive, he challenged the wisest of the giants to a contest to see who was more knowledgeable, the contest winner would receive the loser's head. Odin won by asking the giant something that only he himself could know. He with Freya were one of the two greatest seidrs and his adventures were well documented in the book called "Ynglinga Saga". He would travel to distant lands for his own errands or others while he appeared to others as asleep or dead. While like al shamans are accompanied by many familiar spirits the most known the raves Hugin and Munin, the wolves Geri and Freki and the valkyries. Shamans are suppose to go through a ritual death and rebirth and Odin was no exception, his spiritual death and rebirth is when he discovered the runes.

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