Odin: The Chief of the Norse Gods

Odin was the chief and the father of all Norse gods. He was the god of magic and knowledge. He was old and believed in sporting a beard. He wore a hat as he believed that it kept him from being spotted and also donned a cloak. Odin was also worshiped by Vikings, as they believed that he determined the fate of all people. Odin also has other names such as Ygg, Jalk, Sidhot and Sidskeg. He had two birds, Huginn, which meant thought, and Minnin, which symbolized memory. These birds flew all over the world and brought him the news from everywhere.

Odin was also the god of thinking and reasoning. He lived in Asgard, which was home to all the gods. Odin pretended to be one thing while actually being another. He ruled the other gods, such as Thor and Loki. His devotees included the Berserkers, who went to war without wearing any clothes and were absolutely berserk. The fourth day of the week, Wednesday, was named after Odin. Odin's father was Bor, whose father was Buri, the first god. Odin's wife was Frigga, after whom the sixth day of the week, Friday, was named. Odin's sons were Thor, the god of thunder, and Tyr, the god of war. Odin sat on a throne which ensured that the whole world was visible to him.

Odin decided who won and lost in wars. He chose the warriors who died in wars as well. These dead warriors were known as einherjar. The valkyries, who were Odin's female assistants, accompanied the dead warriors to Valhalla, a hall in heaven. In Valhalla, the dead warriors were given food and beer. The food was the meat from a boar that was cooked in a very large boiling pot. The boar would incredibly come alive before the next feast. Afterwards, all the gods would practice fighting against the dead warriors, so that they were prepared for the final battle of Ragnarok. All the warriors who would die in this practice fight, would come alive again before the next feast. These warriors helped Odin in the last battle of Ragnarok.

In Nordic mythology, there was a holy tree called Yggdrasil. Drops of dew fell from the tree, into a well of wisdom called Mimisbrunnr. Odin is believed to have pierced himself with his own spear, so that he could hang himself from Yggdrasil. Subsequently, there was a writing on the rocks below him and Odin derived wisdom from this writing. He passed on this learned knowledge to mankind. Odin had only one eye, because he threw the other one into the Mimisbrunnr in exchange of a drink from the well of wisdom. The drink was tastier than Kvas, an alcoholic beverage. Odin's pictures still show him holding Mimir's head, which was cut off during the war and it was this head that allowed Odin to know the future.

Odin had a spear called the 'Gugnir' which would always hit its target. In addition, he had a bow which could shoot ten arrows at a time. He also had a golden ring called the 'Draupnir', which created other rings that were copies of itself, every morning. Odin placed this ring on the funeral pile of his son Balder. Odin also had an eight-legged horse called 'Sleipnir'. He had a goat who could produce an extraordinary beverage, which if sipped, could turn the drinker into a poet. This beverage was stored in three containers that had three different colors - red, gold and brown. Like the other gods, Odin also ate special apples, that helped him stay young and strong.

Odin, along with his brothers Vili and Ve, killed the frost giant Ymir, and used his body to create the world. In the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok, in which all the gods died, Odin was eaten by a wolf. They say, that Odin has now been transformed into Santa Claus.