Norse Mythology: Odin and Others
In Norse mythology, Bestla the giantess married Bor, who was son of the ancestor of the gods, and gave birth to three sons , one of them the well-known Odin. In this article, you will learn about his legacy, information on his brothers, and details behind other prominent gods and goddesses of Norse mythology.
Odin , One of the most known of Norse gods and goddesses, Odin served as the chief god of Germanic mythology. Born to Bor and Bestla, it was the Vikings who elevated the prestige of Odin. It wasn’t before too long that he was marked as the ‘supreme god’ during the 8th and 9th centuries. Odin’s love for participating in battle is what drew the Vikings to this god. He was also given the name of ‘father of the slain.’
Odin represents the importance of warfare in regards to the traditions of the Norse and Germanic peoples. He enjoyed watching the shift of power and he was not above being in the middle of causing conflict. In one tale, Odin spent years guided a Danish king named Harald , telling him how to plan his strategies and allowing him to win many victories. However, when it came time for the king to engage in what he did not know was his last battle, Odin became the king’s charioteer and drove him to his end.
With characteristics that combined violence, war, and dishonesty, Odin also possessed a range of admirable qualities. For one, he was highly knowledgeable and loved to indulge in pearls of wisdom.
As the doom of the gods (Ragnarok) came closer and closer, Odin constructed Valhalla , known as the great hall of the “heroic dead.” When heroes and warriors were killed in battle, Odin would collect them and transport them to Valhalla so they could fight beside the gods on the Vigrid plain. This was his attempt to make the gods stronger in numbers, as Odin hoped it would save them in the last battle against the frost giants who marked a decisive point in the ‘death of all gods.’
Valhalla was large with more than 500 doors , each spacious enough to accommodate 800 warriors that he hoped would march out at the time of Ragnarok. The structure served as the heaven of Vikings and was a place that the living strived to become worthy of. At Valhalla, the Vikings ate their endless fill of meat and any wounds they had accumulated healed with speed.
Sadly, the collected warriors were not enough when Ragnarok took place. Odin was killed by the wolf Fenir , the grotesque child of the fire god Loki and the frost giantess Angrboda. When reading Anglo-Saxon myths, you will find that Odin is sometimes referred to as Woden or Wotan.
Vili and Ve
In Norse mythology, it was the three brothers (Vili, Odin and Ve) who were responsible for putting the first humans on land. Using driftwood to create the humans, Villi gave them intelligence and emotion, while Ve blessed them with the ability to see and hear.