Knower, seer of all that is
Wiser even then the sages
Clarity and insights are his gifts
But he can take you deeper
Travel with him far below
Let him lead you farther down
Down so far only you remain
He will leave you forever changed.
By Arteal
When we think of Odin we often see him as a great figure on a throne surrounded by gold. We see him as the Great War God of the Viking Age sitting high up in the heavens, but this is not where his story began. Let us turn back to his origins.
Odin began as a great storm giant called Wode, which translates as Rage. He assembled the souls of the dead. He was not widely worshipped, but he was greatly feared. Odin changed as the people who worshipped him changed.
He became the Old Man with the grey beard who wore a long blue/black cloak and a matching long brimmed hat that caused a shadow to fall over his face and conceal his missing eye. He was seen as the old wise man and became connected to the harvest. In a province in
As the culture changed and Vikings rose in power so did Odin change and also rise in power. He dethroned the High God Tyr to become God of all the Norse deities. Tyr was the original God of War, but Odin became the High God of War and
It has also been suggested that after the ruling class adopted Odin he was then tainted with corruption and treachery, which led to his reputation of not being trust worthy. Of course, this side of Odin is most often seen when an oath to him is broken initially.
There is one myth that is the strongest indicator of Odin's status as shaman. Odin pierced his foot with his spear, Gungnir, and hung from Yggdrasil for nine nights without food or drink. Through this ritual he was given the runes. Even though he was given the runes he was not given the knowledge to use them. Through the sacrifice of his eye to the Well of Mimir Odin was given the knowledge of the runes and the ability to use them.
Odin faces death in the experience and gains knowledge. This is common among many shamanic cultures around the world where one must first face death and experience sacrifice before the gifts are given. "He [/---/ obtains] the flash or illumination - a mysterious light which the shaman suddenly feels in the interior of his head. He is now able to discern things hidden from other human beings (Hunkin 1987: 678)."
Shamans throughout time have been known to travel to other worlds. This is a gift of Odin, who can travel to the other worlds on his eight legged horse Sleipnir. Odin is the only God of the Norse who is able to travel to all nine worlds.
Like most Shamans Odin has a strong connection to animals that he is not only bonded with, but they also give him power. We have already seen his connection to his horse Sleipnir and how this connection empowers Odin. He also has two ravens Huginn (thoughtful) and Muninn (mindful). They fly forth each day and bring back information for Odin. There is nothing they do not see and therefore nothing Odin does not see. His two wolves are known as Geri and Freki (both mean greedy).
Odin is also know for shape shifting, a skill used by many shamans. Odin could change himself. Then, his body lay sleeping as if dead, then he became a bird or wild animal, a fish or dragon, and journeyed in an instant to far-off countries, on his own missions, or those of other people.
Shamans in many cultures are know for there connection with the dead. Odin, from the beginning, has a history with the souls of those that have passed. He is known to send the Valkyries into battle and collect the best of the fallen warriors to bring back to his hall in
Odin is not only one of the Gods of the Aesir, but he is considered Chief God of the Aesir. Frigga is Odin's wife and their son is Baldar. Odin's half brother if Loki. Some write that Odin had two brothers Vili and Ve. While others write Odin had three aspects Odin, Vili, Ve which represent warrior, shaman and wanderer.
His personal sigil is the Valknot. His main element is air and secondary element is water (remember the raging storm giant). His sacred numbers are 3 and 9. His day of the week is Wednesday, originally Wodensday. Odin is invoked for wisdom, inspiration, occult knowledge, power, invisibility, war, healing, revenge and cursing.
Runes of Odin are Ansur, Gefu, Wyn, Eihwaz, Othel, Daeg, and Gar (Odin's spear).Ehwaz is the rune of Odin's horse Sleipnir.
He is known by Wodanaz (primitive Germanic), Wodan (Dutch), Woden (English), Wotan (German) and Odin (Norse).
