Wotan mythology. Who is God alone

Odin (or Wotan in Proto-Germanic) is considered the supreme god in German-Scandinavian mythology. Being the son of Bor and Bestla, the grandson of Buri, he was the leader and father of all the aces, an expert in tales and runes, a sage and shaman. At the same time, he patronized the military aristocracy, was the lord of the Valkyries and the god of war. Only he alone could infuriate the warriors during battles and battles, deprive them of the feeling of fear and make them stop feeling pain. The name Odin itself translates as obsession with military action, shamanic ecstasy. The fact that Odin was elevated to the rank of supreme god indicates the paramount role that war played in the life of the ancient Scandinavian people. Paradoxically, God himself was not subject to warlike ecstasy. He can rather be considered a sower of military disputes and actions.
Odin was also considered the god of magic and wisdom. And although he can be considered the instigator of all the wars of that time, he can be accused of bloodthirstiness and treachery, we should not forget that he was very educated. Therefore, there was always a struggle within him between good and evil.

The cult of the god Odin was at the peak of popularity among the Vikings in the 8th and 9th centuries. Pirates and sailors unquestioningly worshiped this god, so partial to battles and battles.
One often appeared to mere mortals as a one-eyed old man, wrapped in a blue cloak. His face was always hidden under a hood or under the wide brim of a hat. God lost his eye, giving it to the owner of the source of great wisdom, Mimir. In return, he was allowed to take just one sip from this source. But this was not enough to get the magic runes. Odin had to chain himself to the world tree by stabbing himself with his own spear. After hanging on a tree for 9 days, he was able to comprehend the power of the runes and become a bearer of great wisdom. Armed with a spear, Odin always appeared accompanied by two wolves or two ravens. And it was bad for everyone who, forgetting about the laws of hospitality, pushed away from his home an ugly dwarf or a poor old man wandering around the world. In this guise, being a master of disguise, Odin tested people, punishing the bad or helping the good win battles.
One was married to the goddess Frigga, who lived in Asgard. As a wife, she always sat next to him on the throne of Hlidskjalve. It was from there that the divine couple observed the events of the present and future in all nine worlds. Odin knew about everything that was happening in these worlds thanks to the help of two raven brothers - Khulig (“thought”) and Munin (“memory”). Having flown around all the worlds, the ravens returned to Odin, sat on his shoulders and whispered about everything they could find out.


With the approach of the general death of the gods of the Old Norse pantheon and the disappearance of the entire world (Regnarok), which was supposed to happen after the last battle between the gods and chthonic monsters, the clairvoyant and wise Odin became increasingly concerned. The harbinger of Regnarok was the death of one of the aces - the god of spring and light Balder. The raven brothers whispered to the supreme deity that in the Vigrid Valley, where the last battle would take place, all people would die from the forces of chthonic monsters. And Odin himself will be swallowed by Fenrir, the offspring of the fire god Loki and the giantess Angrboda in the guise of a monstrous wolf. Odin did not have so much strength and power to prevent the impending catastrophe and his own death. However, he knew that Balder would be reborn and take his place in the new world that would emerge from the depths of the sea. This knowledge served him as his only consolation.

The roots of Wodan's name are Proto-Germanic *Wodanaz, which can mean “Furious/Furious,” “Mad,” or “Inspired.” Wodan is all this and more: his existence is a wild wod that rushes through mind and body to manifest itself in skaldic inspiration, the roar of the storm, and the foaming madness of berserker warriors.
Of all the gods/goddesses, Wodan is the one who is best known to us, for his gifts to the skalds and saga-tellers of ancient days were repaid. He is the provider, the keeper, and the giver of the honey, the “kneading wod,” which he shares with those people whom he wishes to bless, so that they could speak and write with songcraft akin to his own. Like all gods/goddesses, he is multifaceted, and more of his names and manifestations have been preserved than any other deity. He is the god of battle and royal rule, as the leader of the Wild Hunt, he brings fear to the Germanic lands, but the peasants leave their last sheaf so that Wodan and his horde of spirits will make their fields fertile. He is the father of many human children and a traitor to his chosen heroes, he sits in majesty above the worlds on his throne of Hlidskjalf, and wanders the worlds in the guise of an old vagabond. Although all gods/goddesses have their own magic, he is best known as the sorcerer who mined the runes and the father of the songs of the galdr.
Wodan most often appears as a tall, one-eyed man with a long gray beard, wrapped in a dark blue (or rather blue-black) cloak with a wide-brimmed hat or hood pulled down over his face. The Volsunga Saga describes him as barefoot and wearing canvas trousers. (note - “The Saga of the Volsungs”, chapter 3) Sometimes Wodan is also seen in full armor, with chain mail, a helmet, a shield and a spear (however, not with a sword). Everything that relates to his sacred attributes tells us about his essence. The dark blue cloak that Wodan wears is the color of death and the undead; our predecessors called this shade Hel-blue, or Hel-blue. In the Icelandic sagas, a man wore a blue cloak when he was ready to kill, and Thidrek's Saga tells us that wearing this color was a sign of a "cold heart and dark nature." It is also the color of the endless depths of the night sky - the realm of divine wisdom - and its ability to hide and show itself at will. The same is the role of the hat or hood: both the face of Wodan and what he sees with the eye lying in the source of Mimir are always half hidden from humanity, his dark side is equally combined with his brilliance. Additionally, it appears differently in different times, some of the faithful have seen both of his eyes in their meditations, and some images are believed to be his, such as the mask faces on back side Some brooches with ravens from the Vendil era also have two eyes.
Although Snorri Sturluson, familiar with the dual models of both Christianity and classical mythology, carefully presents Odin as the head of the pantheon (and the majestic ruler of Asgard), the surviving evidence shows that this god was not loved by most people. Unlike the elements "Tyr" or "Freyr", "Odin" was rarely used as part of a human name: there is only one later mention of a woman named Odhinndis in the 10th century on a Swedish runestone from Vestmanland and a comparatively rare Danish the name Odinnkaur (means either “Lock of Odin” - in this case, probably a cult name, associated with the mention of the long hair of a king or other person associated with the sacred - or “given to Odin”). The latter name survived into the Christian period, and was the name of at least two bishops of royal blood. “Odinophobia” is not uncommon even today, and there are reasons for this. Many call upon him for assistance in this or that matter, and praise him as the benevolent teacher and shaman that he is in some of his aspects, but those who do so without full devotion to him must be very careful. Of all the gods/goddesses, Wodan seems to be the quickest to demand retribution for his gifts, and he often takes much more than anyone would give him. One such case is the story of how King Vikara’s mother called Odin to help brew beer. God helped her by asking in return for what “is between the belt and her.” Wondering why he wanted her dress, she agreed - only later learning that she was pregnant, and that it was about her unborn son, who, at Odin's request, was dedicated to him, and later, sacrificed to him.
Wodan can deceive those who deal with him, but he is often merciless with those who are truly devoted to him and love him most. He is a formidable god, a stirrer of discord, and as many sagas show (and perhaps most visibly in the Volsunga Saga), he is well known for testing his chosen ones, even to the point of their death. In Icelandic literature, his heroes are usually of the type known as “dark heroes” - dangerous, restless, irritable people of great strength and difficult character, such as Starkad or Egil Skallagrimsson. Wodan himself rarely appears as a god of social order, if not the opposite of it. His favorite dynasty, the Volsungs, included outlaws, werewolves, brother-sister incest; he himself speaks about himself in “Speeches of the High,” 110 - “Odin took an oath on the ring; Isn't an oath insidious? He got the drink by deception from Suttunga Gunnlöd on the mountain.” (quoted in translation by A. Korsun). Of all the gods, Wodan seems to be the one who haunts Midgard most often and who inspires the most fear among people, especially on a large scale. He forges his chosen ones harshly and brings them to death in due time - not because he enjoys their torment, but because he constantly gathers strength for the Last Battle, Ragnarok, so that a new world can be born after the death of the old one. He himself once underwent many great trials in order to gain the wisdom that would make this possible: he hung for nine nights, pierced, in order to gain the runes, he gave his eye to the source of Mimir as payment for a sip of water from it.
Despite this, Wodan is not always dark in business or heart. One of his names is Oski, from the word “wish” (probably related to the Anglo-Saxon tradition of the name Wusc-frea, “Wish-Fro”?), showing him favorably helping desires. He often comes to give advice and help to his chosen ones, like Sigurd Volsung and Hrolf Kraki, for example. In a lighter mood, he came to King Heidrek in the guise of a person familiar to him and challenged the king to a competition in riddles, he also appeared to Olav inn Digri (Olav the Fat, also known as “St. Olav”) as an old storyteller offering a blessing ( note - apparently, we are talking about the episode with sacrificial/horse meat), which the Christian king rejected, trying to throw a prayer book at God. “The Song of Harbard” depicts him as playing Thor, when he appears unrecognized before another god as an old ferryman, introducing himself: “I am called Harbard, I rarely hide my name” ((approx. - translated from English) and this is said by the god, with over a hundred famous names!) and teases his son until Thor is ready to grab his hammer.
Wodan is more than “a bit of a drinker.” “Speeches of Grimnir”, 20 tell us that he lives on wine alone, and in “Speeches of the High One” he talks, perhaps with some regret, about the three cauldrons of poetry he drank: “I was drunk, I was super drunk, in the house wise Fjalar” (approx. - translated from English). In her article “Ominnis hegri” (approx. “Oblivion Heron”, quoted from “Speeches of the High One”) Ursula Dronke even argues that ritual drinking to excess, ad nauseum, was a single act that did or did not make it more enjoyable the next morning of the young thanes who were trying to win something like the “Drink-and-Puke Prize in memory of Egil Skallagrimsson”... Wodan’s adventures with women are also well known: he is not only the progenitor of many dynasties from human women, but also seduces the maidens of the Jotuns, such as Gunnlöd, and has at least three lovers in Asgard - Fria, Frova and Skadi. In "Speech of the High One" he boasts of his spells to win the favor of women, and in "The Song of Harbard" he contrasts his many exploits in the bedroom with Thor's stories of battles with the thurs.
Among other things, Wodan is the teacher of all beings in the worlds. “The Speeches of Sigridriva” tell how he scraped the runes into “sacred honey” and sent them along all the paths, so that “the Aesir have one, the Elf have another, the wise Vanir have the sons of men” (translated by A. Korsun). The skald Tdolf of Hvinir called it hapta snytrir - “making the gods wise” (approx. - lit. wiser of the Fetters (=gods)) in “Haustleng” (approx. - shield drapery), and also makes Wodan for people. Although this is by no means the rule and has become less common in the last few years than when Trot was developing, many faithful whose lives are devoted to study and teaching find their way to Wodan.
Wodan is also called Farmatyr, “God of Cargo.” This name can be read in several ways, perhaps, like Mercury (whom he corresponds to in the interpretatio Romana), he also played the role of the god of trade. This may be a reference to the loot-laden Viking ships whose raids Odin blessed, it may also refer to his return from Jötunheim “laden” with mead that sets the spirit in motion, or it may be related to his role as a carrier of the dead, as shown in the passage “On Death” Sinfjötli." In modern practice, however, it is believed that Wodan as Farmature is a god suitable for contact in cases where it is necessary to find things that are difficult to find - not only rare or out-of-print books, but also ritual objects of all kinds.
The original appearance of Odin was that of the god of death: not the guardian of the kingdom of Hel, but the Chooser of the Dead, leading souls from world to world, and carrying the power and wisdom of the dead from the dark kingdoms to the bright lands above them. The rune *ansuz (As) is most closely associated with Wodan; the Old Icelandic rune poem specifically mentions that the rune names this god. The word *ansuz may have originally referred to the dead ancestors, whose power still helped the living; according to Jordanes, the Goths called the spirits of the ancestors with the word "anses", which the Christian chronicler interpreted as “half-gods”. As the leader of the restless dead and leader of the Wild Hunt, Wodan was known throughout the Germanic lands from ancient times - perhaps even from ancient times. Although there are no Nordic myths telling of the Hunt, the name of the Hunter is known as Wodan or Oden (or as the ancient form Wod) from Scandinavia to Sweden. The rushing flow of the power of the dead over the empty winter fields raises all the forces that were absorbed by the earth at the end of the harvest season: the last sheaf is left for them, so that their blessing will make the lands fertile again.
As the god who enters the realm of death and brings power back, Wodan becomes the god of magic and skaldic art (which is itself part of the magic of the galdr): they are from the lands of the dead, who teach the ascension and where the wod rages. As the Eddic poem “Speech of the High One” tells, he received the runes in the shamanic death-initiation. Hanged and impaled at the same time, swinging on the Gallows Tree between worlds, Wodan plunged, dead, in search of the twenty-four patterns that lay at the roots of the worlds - the forms and sounds of the power with which all things were created. As a magician, he calls upon the dead further to gain knowledge from them and hear their wisdom and predictions.
As one who travels between the worlds of life and death, Wodan becomes a king and an ancestor god, since the power of a king in Scandinavia and Saxon England was associated with the mounds of his ancestors, on which the ruler expounded his thoughts and laws, and with the sacred wisdom of those who rested in them. Wodan was the progenitor of many families, especially in Anglo-Saxon England, where almost all royal genealogies were traced back to him, and he was (together with Fro Ing, as described later) the one who helps to begin the conversation between the king lying under the mound and the ruler who sits on its top.
During the Iron Age, when the migration of Germanic peoples took place, Wodan's role as the god of battles increased, in this role he was chosen as the patron of many Germanic tribes, such as the Lombards, the Alamannis and the Cherusci. From later northern sources and references from the classical period, it follows that Wodan's place as the god of battles and, accordingly, the patron of the tribe was associated not with his strength as a warrior, but with his role as the Chooser of the Slain: the god who determines losses was, of course, the one who controlled the outcome of the battle and therefore Valfodhr (Father of the Fallen) became Sigfodhdhr (Father of Victory). In later northern sources, such as “The Strand of Styrbjorn” (note: “The Strand of Styrbjorn the Swedish hero”), the army was given to Odin by throwing a spear over him with the words “Odin owns you all!” (note - “official translation”: Eirik the Victorious launches a spear at Styrbjorn’s army with the words “I give you all to Odin!”). Numerous hoards of weapons and the number of captives and sacrifices in the Iron Age also testify to such dedication: every survivor of a battle on the losing side was already marked as belonging to a god.
Wodan was by no means the only god of the Vikings, not even for those who went to explore or conquer new lands for themselves in the south. But his presence was undoubtedly felt among them. The Raven Banner was born in Denmark in 878, as described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: “a battle banner...which they called the Raven.” The Ecomium Emmae Reginae tells us that the Danes had a flag of white silk, in the center of which a raven showed the time for wars. According to the Orkney Saga, Earl Sigurd of Orkney had a raven banner (woven by his mother) that gave victory to the one it was carried before, but death to the one who carried it - probably as a sign of sacrifice to Odin. Turville-Petre believes that this god was the personal patron of many kings of Norway, such as Harald Harfagri (Hrald Fairhair) or Eirik Blodox (Eirik the Bloody Axe). Although there are few indications of the cult of Odin in Iceland, where Thor and Frey were favorite deities, Odin was not unknown here. His veneration in these parts, however, seems to have been limited to a few individuals - skalds such as Egil Skallagrimsson, and wayward adventurers like Viga-Gloom - who not only suited him by nature, but also came from families in which there was a tradition of veneration Odin. And even in such families, devotion to Odin was by no means the rule: Egil's brother and uncle, both named Thorolf, did not share the wisdom or sullen disposition of the Odinists in the family, Kveldulf Skalla-Grím and Egil.
Although Wodan is a god of battle, it is difficult to see him fight in person. He chooses the slain, but rarely actually kills them; his decision is enough to determine their fate. As a sign of this, it can be noted that he does not carry a sword: although he provides swords and other weapons to his heroes, and appears to wear armor and a helmet, his only weapon is the spear Gungnir (“Shaker”). The spear is a sign of his power, used for consecration - but not in the same way as Thor's Hammer. Consecration with the Hammer is a blessing, consecration with the spear of fate, no matter who sends it flying, destruction in Midgard so that Wodan can receive the consecrated one in his own chambers. Although most drawings depict Gungnir as a melee spear, all references to its use, or more accurately to Vodanic use of any spear, tell us that it is a throwing spear. Many spearheads with runic inscriptions from the Migration Period are also very narrow at the handle, indicating that they were used for throwing rather than at close range. The same is true for the spear shaft from Kragehul (Denmark, 5th century), the inscription on which is controversial, but seems to refer to the ritual dedication of its victims.
Wodan is known as the ruler of Valhalla, the Chamber of the Slain, where the chosen einherjar (einherjar - “lone warriors”) fight by day and feast every night in preparation for Ragnarok. Although Snorri presents Valhalla as the Northern Heaven, accessible only to the chosen ones who are killed in battle, in contrast to Hel, where all who meet another end go, this view seems late, the development of belief in Valhalla is discussed further in the chapter “Soul, Death and Rebirth”. .
Inseparable from the belief in Valhalla is the belief in the Valkyries (walcyriges, valkyrjur) - women who choose the dead for Wodan and bring drink to the god and heroes in Valhalla. In early Asatru, the word "Valkyrie" was used to designate a woman who offered a drinking horn during a ritual, it was also an honorific for a strong woman, or otherwise a technical spiritual term for a beautiful feminine entity that protects , teaches and inspires the higher part of the soul. The Valkyries will be discussed further in the section “Creatures”, but here it is enough to say that reading about their existence, which is best confirmed by ancient sources, one can come to the conclusion that they, apparently, are parts of Wodan’s self, sent into the distance in a feminine form . The god himself is called Valkjosandi, the male reflection of the feminine Valkyries, and the names of the Valkyries are Gondul, probably related to gandr - “magic staff or rod”, a mirror of Odin's heyti Gondlir. The names of the Valkyries Herfjotur (war fetters) and Hlokk (fetters) seem to come from Wodan's skill in casting war fetters, Skogul (Screaming One) may be related to Odin's heyti Vidhhrimnir (one who screams against/cries out the opposite) )). Valkyries often act as messengers of Wodan and, as reflected in Wagner, represent his will. “The Speeches of Hakon” by Eyvind the Destroyer of the Skalds depicts Odin sending Göndul and Skögul to choose Hakon the Good in battle and bring him back to Valhalla, in the “Saga of the Volsungs” the god sends a Valkyrie with an apple of fertility for one of his heroes (note - chapter 1, to Rerir son of Sigi).
Wodan's most famous animals are ravens and wolves, described in Northern literature as those who feed on the "barley of Igg" - the bodies of those killed in battle. His two ravens, Hugin ("Thoughtful" or "Daring") and Munin ("Remembering/Attentive" or "Desiring"), fly everywhere every day, bringing him news from all worlds. The names of ravens are often incorrectly translated as “Thought” and “Memory”, but in reality they are adjectives. Our predecessors believed that seeing two ravens flying in front of us was a sign of Wodan’s great favor, especially before a battle. When Hakon Earl Hladir, forcibly baptized, managed to free himself and made his way home, “he made a great sacrifice. Then two ravens flew in and began to caw loudly. The jarl decides that it means that Odin accepted the sacrifice and will help him in battle. ” (“The Earthly Circle”, “The Saga of Olaf son of Tryggvi”, section 2, trans. M. I. Steblin-Kamensky). The raven is also associated with Wodan through its relationship to gallows, namely: “It is impossible ... to determine definitively whether the raven first became associated with Odin as a bird of gallows or a bird of battle, the Germanic practice of sacrifice by hanging prisoners after battle may in practice distinguish between the two the raven's food sources are meaningless" (Grundy, "The Raven in the Cult of Odhinn" - unpublished section of the dissertation).
Odin's wolves are called Geri and Freki, both names meaning "Greedy/Gluttonous". In his description of Valhalla, “The Speeches of Grimnir,” 20 tell us. that “Geri and Freki are fed by the warlike Rathei Father; but he himself tastes only wine, shining in armor” (translated by A. Korsun). In Northern and Anglo-Saxon poetry, "to feed the wolves" was a common designation for killing a man, but here the image of the great chief feeding the dogs in his chambers is double, showing Wodan as the brilliant ruler of the House of the Gods and as the dark ruler of the body-strewn battlefield. Wolves demonstrate the ferocious side of Wodan's fighting power. His warriors were berserkers and werewolves, often called ulfhedhnar (wolf skin) due to their use of wolf skins to enter this state of spirit, this wod. The most famous image of such a warrior is on one of the matrices for making helmet plates from Torslund (approx. a place on the island of Öland, Sweden, bronze matrices date back to the 7th century), which depicts a man in wolf skin holding a spear in front of a one-eyed armed man a dancer who wears a helmet with horns ending in bird heads. Similar figures also appear on sword scabbard plates from Gutenstein (Lower Austria) and in a grave from Kungsangen (Sweden c. 800).
In addition to ravens and wolves, Wodan also has an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir ("Sliding"), on which he travels through the worlds. A horse is depicted on the Gotlandic stone carvings Ardre VIII and Alskog Tjängvide I. There has been much speculation about the significance of Sleipnir's legs. The simplest reason is that the eight legs on the rune stones were a way to show the horse's speed, and only later became a specific feature of Odin's horse. However, in Myth and Religion of the North, Turville-Petre tells us that “visions foretelling death, often appearing on gray...(and) mutilated horses with different numbers of legs , are widely known as a harbinger of evil.” (p.57). H.R. Ellis-Davidson argues that there may be a connection between the eight-legged Sleipnir and the funeral procession with 4 people carrying the coffin, she also mentions an Asian shaman and her eight-legged horse (“Gods and Myths of the North”) Europe”, pp. 142-143 (Gods and Myths of Northern Europe)). Sleipnir's eight legs may also be a reflection of the eight worlds surrounding Midgard.
Wodan appears in person as a snake and an eagle, taking both forms during his search for the honey of poetry; his two heiti, name replacements, Ofnir and Svafnir, were also among the names of the snakes that gnaw at the roots of the World Tree.
In earlier days, the cult of Wodan especially included human sacrifice. Although he was not the only deity to whom human lives were given over, it was more accepted in his cult. This practice, of course, cannot be continued. However, there was another way of “human sacrifice”: dedicating one's own life to Wodan, the one thus dedicated is known as a feigr (doomed) – ready and willing alike to live or die for the god. Sigmund Volsung said this best, after Odin appeared and broke the sword that he had once given to the hero. When Sigmund Hjördis’s wife found him wounded on the field, she asked if she could help him, but he answered: “Many are alive when hope is small; but luck has left me (heill), so I don’t want to be treated. One does not want me to draw my sword again, since I have now broken it. I fought as long as he wanted me to.” (note - quoted from the English version). The emblem called the valknut, consisting of three interlocking triangles, is strongly associated with Vodanic sacrifice and/or death in battle, at least in this context it appears on the Gotlandic stone carvings.
Although there is still academic debate about what this sign may have meant in earlier times, pagans today believe that the valknut is the sign of those who give themselves to Wodan and should only be worn by those who wish to fall by his choice. The Old Norse reconstructed form *valknutr – “knot of the slain” – is based on the modern Norse name valknut for an embroidered or woven pattern.
Odin has two brothers with whom he created the world, their names Vili and Ve (Prose Edda) or Hoenir and Lodhurr (“Divination of the Völva”). Hoenir appears as Wodan's brother in other myths, for example as one of the hostages given to the Vanir. Lodur is often interpreted as Loki, due to myths in which Odin, Hoenir and Loki travel the worlds together. Vili and Vé mean “Will” and “Holiness” and are often seen as forms of Odin himself. De Vries pointed out that in traditional Germanic genealogies the younger generation has three alliterative names, and so the Odhin-Vili-Ve triad takes us back to the Proto-Norse (Primitive Norse, aka Proto-Scandinavian, Proto- Nordic, Ancient Nordic, Old Scandinavian and Proto-North Germanic), before losing the initial "W" before the "o" and replacing the "w" with a "v", which is one of the signs of the transition from Proto-Northern to Old Norse (Altgermanische Religionsgeschichte II, p. 281).
Sacred places dedicated to Wodan in ancient times included mountains, fields, lakes, streams, and finally swamps and graves. He himself is often presented as the god of the wind, especially the storm wind, but he also has a water aspect: in the story of the death of Sinfjotli. He is the one who steers the ship of the dead in the dark waters, and the Song of Harbard also shows him as the ferryman.
Stones that can be associated with this god today are meteorites and lapis lazuli. Since ash was used for spear shafts, it seems to be Wodan's tree, and yew is also seen as his tree due to its close association with magic (especially runic magic) and death. Mentions of the 19th century. they talk about red fly agaric as a product of the foam dripping from the lips of Sleipnir, but it seems to be a product of German romanticism. It is also highly doubtful that red fly agarics or any other psychotropic substance would be used to induce the berserker state, although fly agarics have a long history of use in shamanism. (Note: Red fly agaric is poisonous unless prepared properly - do not try this at home). European mandrake (not to be confused with American mandrake or May-Apple) may also be considered suitable for working with Wodan, as well as hawthorn and mugwort.
The drink most associated with Wodan is mead, due to the obvious connection between mead and skaldic art. The mention of “wine” in “Grimnir’s Speeches” could emphasize Wodan’s status, because wine was a rare drink brought to Scandinavia from southern countries, in an article in Skalk, Christine Fell notes that the word could be used for any kind of fermented fruit drink. Especially when used poetically, it could be a reference to alcoholic drinks in general. Also in our time, they find that akavit (approx. - a Scandinavian drink with a strength of about 40 g, alcohol made from grain or potatoes, infused with herbs) is a good drink for appealing to Wodan.

Compiled by:
Freya Aswynn, Elder
Stephan Grundy (summarized by Kveldulf Gundarsson based on a chapter in progress at the time of writing by S. Grundy: The Cult of Odhinn: God of Death?)
Kveldulfr Hagan Gundarsson, Warder of the Lore
Diana Paxson, Senior
And all members of Throt who took part in the discussion of the topic "Eyes of Odin"
Translation by Tradis (Nadezhda Topchiy)

ONE (WODAN, WOTAN)

This is the name of the supreme god, the king of the Aesir in Scandinavian mythology (among the continental Germans - respectively, Vo-dan, or Wotan). His name in translation means “gifted”, “possessed”, for his power is based not only or even not so much on strength, but on great wisdom and magical abilities. In addition, he is the father of many aesir, as well as the first king and great conqueror.

One is the patron of warriors, or more precisely, the military aristocracy, the royal ruling houses. “This social task,” noted J. Dumezil, “brilliant but limited, resulted in the fact that in toponymy his name is found much less frequently than, for example, the names Njord or Frey, familiar to a larger number of people closer to the land... »

It is interesting in this regard to pay attention to the fact that the mentioned Njord and Frey were not originally among the “divine aristocracy” - the Aesir, but were Vanir. In the social aspect, Odin acts as the leader of a squad who has lost direct ties with the bulk of the people engaged in peaceful labor. The people give names to rivers, lakes, hills and mountains, remembering those gods who patronize peaceful activities, ensure the fertility of plants and the fertility of animals.

One is not only a king, but also a magician. It bears archaic features of those times when the leader of the warriors was at the same time the chief priest and prince (king). One is gifted with the ability to transform, go into ecstasy, similar to a shamanic trance. “They tell it as a truth,” the Younger Edda narrates, “that when Odin and the Diy with him came to the Northern Countries, they began to teach people the arts that people have mastered ever since. One was the most famous of all, and from him people learned all the arts, for he mastered them all, although he did not teach them all...

When he sat with his friends, he was so beautiful and magnificent in appearance that everyone's spirits were merry. But in battle he seemed terrible to his enemies. And all because he mastered the art of changing his appearance as he wanted. He also mastered the art of speaking so beautifully and smoothly that his words seemed true to everyone who listened to him. Everything in his speech was as complex as in what is now called poetry. He and his priests are called masters of songs, because from them this art originated in the Nordic Countries. One could make it so that in battle his enemies became blind or deaf or filled with horror, and their weapons wounded no more than twigs, and his warriors rushed into battle without chain mail, raged like mad dogs or wolves, bit their shields and were strong like bears or bulls. Such warriors were called berserkers..."

From this fragment it follows that Odin and his people (gods) were not local, but came to the Northern lands, apparently from the southeast (indirect indications of this are available in the Edda). Odin's transformations make us recall the rituals of shamans associated with taking a narcotic potion and the transition to an altered state of consciousness. The same trance is experienced during battles by Odin’s warriors, who could also well have used a narcotic drug or an intoxicating drink prepared by him.

One could change his appearance. Then his body lay as if he was sleeping or dead, and at that time he was a bird or an animal, a fish or a snake, and in an instant he was transported to distant countries on his own business or the affairs of other people...” Such subjective sensations and fantasies are quite possible. But he, it turns out, is able to command the elements:

“He could also put out a fire with a word, or calm the sea, or turn the wind in any direction if he wanted; and he had a ship...on which he sailed across great seas and which could be rolled up like a handkerchief. He took Mimir's head with him, and it told him many messages from other worlds, and sometimes he called the dead from underground or sat over the hanged. Therefore he was called the lord of the dead or the lord of the hanged.”

Judging by this, Odin judged people and, like an earthly ruler, sentenced them to death.

Odin was served by two prophetic ravens - Hugin ("Thinking") and Munin ("Remembering"). At dawn he sends them around the world, and they return for breakfast. From them he learns everything that is happening in the world. In other words, Odin is capable of thinking and has a good memory.

He also possessed witchcraft, thanks to which he could find out the fate of people, foresee the future, cause illness, misfortune or death to people, take away the mind and strength of some and transfer it to others. “Odin knew about all the treasures hidden in the ground, and he knew the spells that opened the earth, rocks, stones and mounds, and with a word he took away the power of those who lived there, entered and took what he wanted.”

And yet, One is, first of all, the god of war and military valor, who grants victory or defeat and to whom the Valkyries are subordinate, hovering over the battlefield and lifting fallen brave warriors to the heavenly palace of feasts and entertainment. He started the world's first war by throwing his magic spear towards the Vanir.

One of Odin's strange magical rituals is sacrificing himself. He says:

I know, I hung in the branches in the wind for nine long nights, pierced by a spear, dedicated to Odin, as a sacrifice to myself... No one fed me, no one gave me water, I looked at the ground, I picked up the runes, groaning, I picked them up - and fell from the tree ... I learned nine songs... Thanks to this voluntary sacrifice, inspiration came to him. This time he became obsessed not with the ecstasy of battle, but with poetic inspiration.

For all his wonderful qualities, Odin is not at all a noble knight. He can be cunning and insidious, capable of evilly mocking the mighty and simple-minded Thor. Competing in wisdom with the smartest giant Vafthrudnir (the bet is the life of the loser), Odin wins not so much thanks to his extensive knowledge - in this they are equal - but because of his cunning: he offers to repeat what he whispered in the ear of his dead son Balder.

However, Odin is not omnipotent. In the last battle of the gods, Ragnarok, he is destined to die in the mouth of the giant wolf Fenrir, who, in turn, is killed by Odin's son Vidar. Thus, the mortal, human in the image of a mortal god is once again emphasized.

“In the “Acts of the Danes” by Samson Grammar (beginning of the 13th century), writes E. M. Meletinsky, “Odin and other gods appear as the most ancient kings. The Anglo-Saxon kings descend from Wodan. The Danish royal family... traces its origins to Skjold, the son of Odin... Odin stands at the beginning of the legendary royal family of the Volsungs, to which Sigurd, the famous hero of the all-Germanic epic, belongs.” However, Sigurd (Siegfried) sometimes calls himself rootless, knowing neither father nor mother, acting as the first cultural hero.

The fact that Odin embodies the features of a prince, the leader of a squad, a king and at the same time a priest is indisputable. But this does not mean that it contains the features of some historical person. Myth is a special world with connections”| with historical reality are not so simple and straightforward.