2

Odin

Odin, chief god of the Norse pantheon and lord of wisdom, war and runic magic

Curated byUpdated on

2
DenmarkNorwaySwedenScandinavia(Denmark, Norway, Sweden)
👁️
Rank
AllfatherLV. 98
Hierarchy
Norse PantheonLV. 94

Origin

"

Odin, with brothers Vili and Vé, emerged from primordial giant Ymir. They slew Ymir and formed the world from his body: Midgard for humans. Odin leads the Aesir in Asgard.

Sacrifices for Wisdom

Odin sacrificed an eye at Mimir's well for infinite wisdom. Hung nine days from Yggdrasil, pierced by his spear, to discover runes. Sends ravens Huginn and Muninn to watch the world.

War, Death and Ragnarök

Lord of Valhalla, selects einherjar slain in battle for Ragnarok. His spear Gungnir never misses. Leader of Valkyries, foretells world's end but seeks to avert it. Odin leads gods against giants in final battle. Dies devoured by Fenrir, but sons Víðarr and Váli survive for new cycle.

"

Also known as

"Wotan" "Allfather"

Relics

🏺 Gungnir

Odin's spear that never misses its mark.

🏺 Draupnir

Ring that produces eight equal rings every nine nights.

Symbology

🔥

Element

Wind and storm

🔢

Number

Nine

🎨

Color

Storm gray

🦁

Animals

Raven (Huginn and Muninn), Wolf (Geri and Freki)

Sigils:

Valknut (knot of the slain)

🏷️ Traits

Powers

💔

Weaknesses

🧠

Behavioral

🛡️

Resistances

🔗 Relations with other beings

🌍

Cultural parallel of

Supreme kings of Indo-European pantheons, both lords of thunder and sovereignty.

🗺️In the Atlas

Travel the beings’ world of origin and the cosmos of their dimensions.

📜 Mythologies

📍 Scandinavia
📅 c. 800-1100 AD

Asgard, Ragnarok, and Aesir/Vanir gods.

Sources

📚

Poetic Edda

Anónimo · c. 1270

Collection of anonymous Old Norse poems preserved chiefly in the 13th-century Icelandic Codex Regius. It gathers the mythological and heroic lays that are the primary source for the gods, giants and other beings of Scandinavian paganism.

📚

Prose Edda

Snorri Sturluson · c. 1220

Handbook of Norse poetics and mythology written around 1220 by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson. It systematizes the myths of the Æsir, the giants and the cosmology of the Nine Worlds, and is key to understanding the creatures of Scandinavian tradition.

🔖Cite this entry

If you cite this article in an academic, journalistic or editorial publication, use any of these formats:

Bestiarypedia. (2026). Odin. Bestiarypedia. https://bestiarypedia.com/en/beings/odin

Free citation with attribution and canonical link for editorial, academic or journalistic use. Full commercial reuse or creation of derivative products requires prior agreement.