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| Odin (Woden, Woutan), Ruler of Asgard | |
| Birth: | 215 in ASGARD, ASIA OR, EAST EUROPE |
| Death: | |
| Sex: | M |
| Father: | Frithuwald (Bor) b. 190 in ASGARD, ASIA OR, EAST EUROPE |
| Mother: | Beltsa b. 194 in ASGARD, ASIA OR, EAST EUROPE |
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Individual:
In Viking belief Odin, the All-Father, was ruler of Asgard, inheriting the spear of Tiwaz which gave him control of battles. His predecessor Woden was the supreme god of the Langobards ans other Germanic tribes. Odin, like Wodan, has close links with the underworld and the dead. He was the god of kings, supporting promising young princes and giving them magic swords and other gifts as pledges of his favour, but ruthlessly destroying them when the time came. Cremation, often necessary to dispose of the dead after battle, was linked with Odin's cult.
There are many tales of Odins dedicated followers, the Berserks, wearing bear or wolf skins in battle and seized with ecstasy, making them impervious to pain. Odin's gift of ecstasy was also available to poets and orators, and there are many references in Icelandic poetry to his winning of the magic mead which gave inspiration. He also brought wealth to his followers, symbolized by his ring Draupnir, which multiplied itself to ensure a supply of gold.
In addition, Odin was a god of magic and divination, especially in a military context. Sacrifices were made to him of captives taken in war, despatched by stabbing and hanging. Such sacrifices could be a form of divination, as the last movements of the victim were held to foretell victory or defeat. Odin himself hung as a sacrifice on the World Tree in order to gain knowledge of the runic symbols used in divination. He also gave one of his eyes for the sake of knowledge, and appeared on earth as an old one-eyed man, in a cloak and broad-brimmed hat or a hood. His constant companions were creatures of the battlefield, wolves and ravens; and two ravens brought him news of battles from all over the world. Odin was an accomplished shape-changer, sending out his spirit in bird or animal form, and this, together with his ability to journey to the realm of the dead, gives him something in common with the shamans of the northern Eurasian peoples.
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