The following tales were about the god Odin's search for wisdom and magical powers to avoid his doom and the destruction of the gods and the Nine Worlds at Ragnarök. His search leads him to break solemn oaths and terrible sacrifices.
By Jimmy Joe
Knowledge is power, so the saying goes. Which means that secret knowledge is secret power. Odin did not seek knowledge for its own sake. Rather, he tried to find a way to circumvent the destruction of the gods and the world that he helped to creat...
The dialogue in Vafthrudnismal ("Vafthrudnir's Sayings") begin with Odin telling his wife Frigg that he would visit the giant Vafthrudnir, who was reputed to be the wisest of giants. Frigg would have preferred that Odin stay at home, rather than f...
Odin: The Norse King of the Gods Odin was the chief of all the gods in Norse mythology. Because of his high status as king of the gods, he was also called the All-Father. He was a warrior, poet, and magician, and he ruled over the Aesir tribe of t...
Doom of Odin from Prophecy of the Sibyl "I find no comfort in the shadeUnder the branch of the Great Ash.I remember the mistof our ancient past.As I speak to you in the present,My ancient eyessee the terrible future. "Do you not see what I see?Do ...
The Well of Knowledge was near one of the three roots of Yggdrasill. Yggdrasill or the World Tree was the giant cosmic ash tree that covered the nine worlds. The roots extended from three of the worlds: one from Asgard, the next one from the world...
The wisest god of the Aesir. During the peace between two warring tribes of gods, the Aesir and Vanir, the two sides exchanged hostages. The Aesir received Njörd (Njord) and Freyr, while the Vanir received Mimir and Hoenir. When they discovered th...
In the Havamal ("Sayings of the High One"), Odin recorded the time he spent learning the magic from runes. 138 I know that I hanged on a windy treenine long nightswounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,myself to myself,on that tree of which no ma...
Ruler of universe and leader of the Aesir. Odin was the son of the giants Bor and Bestla. He, along with his brothers, Ve (Lodur) and Vili (Hœnir) created the universe. When he and his brothers created the first man and woman, named Askr and Embla...
There was a different story on how Odin gained knowledge from Mimir, but this version took place in a different circumstance that had nothing to do with the Well of Mimir. After the war against the Vanir, the Aesir and Vanir exchanged hostages as ...
Kvasir Shortly after the war between Aesir and Vanir, there was a hostage exchange between the two warring tribes. Kvasir, the wisest among the Vanir, joined Njörd and his son Freyr as hostages to the Aesir. Receiving these three gods gained Aesir...
