Odin

Odin is the chief of the Norse gods, and he is nothing like the calm, bearded king that the title suggests. He is restless, cunning and never satisfied with what he knows. He wanders the worlds in disguise as an old man in a cloak and a broad hat, he lies when it suits him and he is willing to pay almost any price for wisdom.

What Odin is the god of

Odin rules over a striking mix of things: wisdom, war, poetry, magic and the dead. What links them is the mind. He is the god of the inspired poet and the battle frenzy alike, and the Old Norse sources give him well over a hundred names, among them Allfather, the Hanged One and the Masked One. He was above all a god of kings, warriors and poets, the people who needed his kind of luck.

How Odin lost his eye

Beneath one root of the world tree lies the well of Mimir, and whoever drinks from it gains wisdom. Mimir, its guardian, would not give Odin a drink for nothing. The price was one of his eyes, and Odin paid it. He is one eyed in every story that follows.

Odin and the runes

In the poem Havamal, Odin describes how he won the secret of the runes. He hung on the windswept tree for nine nights, wounded with a spear, given to Odin, himself to himself, with no food and no drink. At the end he looked down, seized the runes with a cry and fell. It is the strangest and most powerful image in Norse myth, a god sacrificing himself to himself for knowledge. You can read more in our guide to rune meanings.

Ravens, wolves and an eight legged horse

Odin is rarely alone. Two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, whose names mean thought and memory, fly out over the world each morning and come back to tell him the news. Two wolves, Geri and Freki, lie at his feet, and he gives them all the food from his table because he lives on wine alone. He rides Sleipnir, a grey horse with eight legs that can gallop through the air, and he carries Gungnir, a spear that never misses.

Valhalla

Half of those who die in battle go to Odin's hall, Valhalla, chosen and brought there by the valkyries. There they fight each other all day, rise unharmed in the evening and feast all night. This is not a reward for its own sake. Odin is gathering an army, because he knows that Ragnarok is coming and he will need every warrior he can find.

The mead of poetry

Poetry itself was Odin's gift. A magic mead that made anyone who drank it a poet was hidden inside a mountain by a giant and guarded by his daughter. Odin bored into the mountain, slipped through the hole as a snake, charmed the daughter into allowing him three sips and drained all three vats. He then flew home as an eagle with the giant close behind. The Vikings said that a few drops fell on the way, and that this is where bad poets get their share.

Odin's family

Odin and his two brothers killed the first giant, Ymir, and made the world from his body. They also made the first man and woman, Ask and Embla, from two trees found on the shore. Odin's wife is Frigg, and his sons include Thor, Baldur and Vidar. He is also the blood brother of Loki, a bond that causes him a great deal of trouble.

Odin at Ragnarok

For all his knowledge, Odin cannot escape his fate. At Ragnarok he rides out at the head of his army and goes straight for the great wolf Fenrir, who swallows him. His son Vidar avenges him by tearing the wolf's jaws apart. Odin knows this ending in advance and spends his whole existence preparing for a battle he is certain to lose, which may be the most Viking thing about him.

Odin in England

The Anglo-Saxons worshipped the same god as Woden long before the Vikings arrived, and his name survives in Wednesday and in place names such as Wednesbury in the West Midlands. The German form is Wotan, the name Wagner used in his operas. Our guide to Norse gods and the days of the week explains how he came to share his day with the Roman god Mercury.

Last reviewed 12 November 2026