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Image(s) of Odin

Which image of Odin do you envision and/or prefer?

  • The Grey Wanderer

    Votes: 6 66.7%
  • The Warrior

    Votes: 3 33.3%

  • Total voters
    9

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
For some oddball reason I've latched onto the image of Odin as the grey-cloaked and grey-hatted old man who, not unlike Loki though to a lesser degree, likes to stir up mischief.

odin-beard.jpg


Yet most images of him are the wing-helmed, spear-wielding, armored, consummate Norse warrior. Personally I do prefer this image.

odin1.png


For the first time that I can recall, I read a description of him as "shining in all his glory" (paraphrased) from Tales of the Norse Gods by Barbara Leonie Picard, which I just finished, in the chapter Odin and Rind.

So, which image do you envision or prefer? Maybe I'll make this a poll. :)
 

Dionysus

┏(°.°)┛┗(°.°)┓┗(°.°)┛┏(°.°)┓
I like to remember the wise wanderer who sacrificed his eye in order to gain wisdom.
 

Sees

Dragonslayer
The Wandering Wizard/Sage image more so for me - Gandalf on steroids. I do flip-flop aspects a lot and think of the changing, adapting roles but still - I think of Tyr, Thor, and even Frey as warriors before Odin.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
I voted for the Warrior but there's something to be said for the Wanderer. I wonder if it's something inside of us that is drawn to one aspect or the other... um I know that's kind of a "well duh!" but what I mean is lately I've been drawn to the more martial aspects of the Gods. That may be because I'm becoming somewhat more assertive and I daresay belligerent when I think necessary... smite first, talk later. :D
 

Sees

Dragonslayer
I voted for the Warrior but there's something to be said for the Wanderer. I wonder if it's something inside of us that is drawn to one aspect or the other... um I know that's kind of a "well duh!" but what I mean is lately I've been drawn to the more martial aspects of the Gods. That may be because I'm becoming somewhat more assertive and I daresay belligerent when I think necessary... smite first, talk later. :D

I think much of the Warrior aspect is largely part of the Wild Huntsman aspect, which would be somewhere between the Warrior-Chieftain and Wandering-Sage aspects o_O

In the many of the myths he is sort of like a movie's eldest Shaolin monk/Abbot - the wisest, wittiest, most mystical...yet still able to do kick anybody's butt at any given moment.
 

Adramelek

Setian
Premium Member
Odin or Wotan of the One Eye. Sacrificed his left eye to gain the knowledge of the Runes, and bestowed the knowledge unto mankind.

wotan_study_1_by_andrekosslick-d3ejtpg.jpg


Reyn Til Runa!
 
Last edited:

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
I definitely think of him more as the Wanderer than the Warrior.

Largely because when I think of Woden, I tend to think of his aspect as an embodiment of opposites. He's a King, but he behaves like a beggar. His name illustrates mastery of wode, yet he is stoic in demeanor. He's described and depicted as male, yet engaged in a practice associated with femininity. (While nothing has survive to directly attest to this, I suspect he may have had transsexual qualities).

Plus, I'm very much a Bard, and so when I invoke Woden, it's more for his knowledge and poetry aspects.
 

Faybull

Well-Known Member
I definitely think of him more as the Wanderer than the Warrior.

Largely because when I think of Woden, I tend to think of his aspect as an embodiment of opposites. He's a King, but he behaves like a beggar. His name illustrates mastery of wode, yet he is stoic in demeanor. He's described and depicted as male, yet engaged in a practice associated with femininity. (While nothing has survive to directly attest to this, I suspect he may have had transsexual qualities).

Plus, I'm very much a Bard, and so when I invoke Woden, it's more for his knowledge and poetry aspects.
Don't give to much away.
 

EyeofOdin

Active Member
Depends on my mood and Odin's. Sometimes I hail Odin, Lord of war, battles' strife and victory, others I honor Odin, master of knowledge, death, arts and mysticism.

There is another aspect which IMO can be talked about distinctly (even though all three overlap greatly). It's Odin as "the whole one", "the cosmic one" or "the mighty one" and Odin of the "mighty pillar", being the Allfather, inventor of societal order and progenitor of royal families.

How the Germanic peppers viewed him is way is found in the history and reconstructive lore. He was originally PIE Xārjomēn/ Leughjos ("tribal unity/oath"), lord of social order, healing, magic, the mind, oaths, the crossroads, merchants and death. Then something happened as he became Ur-Germnc Ermunaz/Leugjaz ("cosmic/unified one"/"oath"). The people sought his magic to win wars, parallel to the celts with Lugus, and as lord of war and victory he was given the name "Wōdhinaz" ("master of rage/divine mania/poetic fury") as the magician who decides the fate of battles and warriors. In the same period, Leugjaz changes its meaning from "oath" to "lie" and eventually is viewed as an independent entity. His name Ermunaz continues to be used until the Viking age but declines in popularity. He's venerated as this aspect as the divine ancestor of the Teutonic Germans and Anglo kings as well as the founder of the indigenous culture, traditions and law.

For Old Norse, with Leugjaz, the eu- shortens to an o-, the g- changes to k- in accordance with Grimm's law, -az is dropped to fit the grammar and consonant j- lengthens to vowel i-, which spells Loki.

Most germanically originally, Odin is Wōdhin, The Magical Warlord, bringer of victory, berserkers' madness and strength, Ermun, The Cosmic Culture Hero, lord of chieftains, social order, culture and society, and Leugi, The Shamanic Seeker, god of the cosmic crossroads, magic, travels, knowledge and guide to the souls. It's Leugi who would seek the runes and well of wisdom before he was called Gangleri by the Vikings.

The way I see it, this is a good way to understand the Allfather as long as it's remembered that this is simplified and he's much more complex and abstract. The Cosmic Culture Hero is also patron of shamans, having been those who would settle legal disputes or community conflicts, who also practiced magic. The Magical Warlord also was fond of mysticism and cause conflict between nations to result in war. Leugi is a trickster causer of conflict and magician as well. The Shamanic Seeker shares the role of death with Wōdhin, who was Odin as the chieftain of Asgard, overlapping with Ermun the father of kings.

Looking more closely we see all three are magic related, two arguably trickster, one culture hero (two closely related archetypes), all reflect different skills and influences of Germanic shamans (victory magicians/ legal councils/ journeying, spirit workers). To put it simply, at his core, Odin is a trickster and culture hero of magic and the crossroads of the worlds, and everything else is interpretation or variation based off of those roles.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm seeing the complexity and different facets of Odin more clearly as I am reading different works. There is a book by Padraic Colum, 'The Children of Odin', which paints him in a more down to earth, regular person light, as well as occasionally as the king and warrior. It's quite enlightening and giving me a more personal view of the All-Father and how complex he is.
 

EyeofOdin

Active Member
I'm seeing the complexity and different facets of Odin more clearly as I am reading different works. There is a book by Padraic Colum, 'The Children of Odin', which paints him in a more down to earth, regular person light, as well as occasionally as the king and warrior. It's quite enlightening and giving me a more personal view of the All-Father and how complex he is.

There are some heathens who actually question the trustworthiness of Odin based on Prechristian Germanic morality.

Allfather in mythology approached a giant having shapeshifted in the form of like kin, with the etin's mead of knowledge in mind, and promised to marry his giantess daughter with all these oaths and sacred promises. He layed with her for three night and as soon as the mead was snatch able, he turned into an eagle and ran away with it.

Also in the fable of Loki's imprisonment, Loki had to remind him that they are oathed blood brothers, which Odin disregarded in the end anyway.

Thirdly, Odin's only half god, half giant. His father is the god Borr and mother the jotun Bestla, the granddaughter of Ymir. We all know the creation myth, but not everyone can cite that Ymir was Odin's great grandfather, even though he slew the giant.

Odin broke oaths and slew a kinsman. He broke the two most fundamental laws in Common Viking culture. There's actually a lecture on that subject on youtube.

That's the reasoning they have for the argument, even though they probably still hail The Allfather when socially appropriate

(Personally I find these events say the gods don't work under a system of morality. Makes sense 'cause we invented morality. Why would ancient, spiritually skilled beings who, although they use its beauty, use nature's natural disasters to express themselves, ie wickedly powerful, look at this thing that doesn't actually exist made by very young, finite, bald primates and think "that's it! Let's do what they're doing!"

No, morality as we know it evolved in Homo sapiens. The six core concepts (value of purity, authority, equality, loyalty, freedom and caregiving) are programmed into our minds from birth by evolution to keep the community or social group together in a good way for most of the members. Gods didn't need that. They were doing just fine beforewards.)
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
For some oddball reason I've latched onto the image of Odin as the grey-cloaked and grey-hatted old man who, not unlike Loki though to a lesser degree, likes to stir up mischief.

odin-beard.jpg


Yet most images of him are the wing-helmed, spear-wielding, armored, consummate Norse warrior. Personally I do prefer this image.

odin1.png


For the first time that I can recall, I read a description of him as "shining in all his glory" (paraphrased) from Tales of the Norse Gods by Barbara Leonie Picard, which I just finished, in the chapter Odin and Rind.

So, which image do you envision or prefer? Maybe I'll make this a poll. :)

I tend to see the Grey Wanderer/Wise-Man image more so then the Warrior. But I respect the need for both aspects. The wanderer fits my personality type more I think.
 
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