Knowra Odin Odin Odin is a principal god in Norse mythology, associated with wisdom, war, poetry, magic, and sovereignty. He is depicted as a seeker of knowledge who sacrifices greatly to gain it.
Norse mythology : The religious narratives and traditions of pre-Christian Scandinavia and related Germanic cultures. Odin is one of its central gods, appearing across its surviving mythic sources.
Mímir's well : A well beneath Yggdrasil whose water grants wisdom in Norse mythology. Odin gives an eye to drink from it, exchanging bodily wholeness for insight.
Völuspá : An Old Norse poem in which a seeress recounts the creation and destruction of the world. Odin questions the seeress, seeking knowledge of cosmic origins and Ragnarök.
Poetic Edda : A collection of Old Norse mythological and heroic poems preserved in a medieval Icelandic manuscript. Its poems provide major accounts of Odin, including his quests, wisdom, and doom.
Germanic mythology : The myths and religious traditions of ancient Germanic-speaking peoples. Odin’s Norse identity belongs to a wider Germanic tradition with related divine figures.
Æsir : The principal group of gods in Norse mythology, associated with Asgard and opposed to the Vanir in myth. Odin leads this divine group and belongs to its central stories.
Runes : The characters used in ancient Germanic writing systems, also endowed with magical significance in Norse sources. Odin wins knowledge of the runes through a self-sacrifice on Yggdrasil.
Hávamál : An Old Norse wisdom poem presented largely as Odin’s counsel on conduct, hospitality, and knowledge. It gives Odin a speaking voice as teacher and collector of hard-won wisdom.
Prose Edda : A medieval Icelandic handbook of Norse mythology and poetics written by Snorri Sturluson. Snorri’s account organizes many traditions about Odin for explaining poetic language.
Wednesday : The weekday whose English name derives from Old English Wōdnesdæg, “Woden’s day.” Odin’s Germanic counterpart survives in the name of a familiar day.
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