Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Odin Master Magician and War God

Odin, also known as Wotan and Woden is the Norse war god and magician who controls battles, judges the dead, and gives inspiration with magic and the runes.

Norse poets had over 150 names to describe him. Odin is the leader of the Aesir spirits and the Lord of Asgard.

Devotion to Odin once spread across the entire Germanic and Norse world. One-eyed Spirit of War, Wisdom and Death he is married to Frigga, the birth goddess: theirs is a marriage of complementary forces.

Odin is Lord of ecstasy, shamanism, and occult wisdom. He is the patriarch, occult master, wandering wizard, trickster and shaman.

Odin loves women, knowledge and hospitality. He is a spiritual seeker himself. His thirst and quest for occult wisdom is endless. 


According to the Ynglinga Saga Freya was his first teacher: She taught him the magical art called Seid which included charms and spell-casting and introduced him to the runes.

Ultimately his quest of occult wisdom, (hidden knowledge) is a solitary pursuit. Odin famously hanged himself from the World Tree, (Yggdrasil) for nine days and nights. At the very last of his endurance, Odin saw the runes written clearly and understood them, becoming a premier rune-master. 

Elsewhere we learn that he gave up one eye to drink the egg-white mead of the fountain of Mimir, thus gaining knowledge and becoming worthy of ruling the Aesir or (Asa) Gods. Both of these incidents are symbolic of shamanistic initiation experiences.


Odin's curiosity knows no bounds; he one of the original "trend setters", as he refuses to be limited by boundaries of tradition or by restrictions of gender. Odin is curious and respectful toward what was traditionally "women's magic."His myth demonstrates that he is not afraid to learn from women. 


The Valkyries are Odin's female warriors who collect his share of fallen warriors and carry them to Valhalla on their flying horses. These women wore armor and have names like Shaker, Raging Warrior and Shrieking. It is said that a man chosen to die in battle sees a Valkyrie just before the fatal blow.

Odin Bless,
Lory
any questions (lorynorsegoddess@gmail.com)







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