Odin, the mighty Norse God, is well known for his desire for knowledge. Indeed,
I have already covered on the channel the story of Odin sacrificing willingly one of his own eyes
in pursuit of wisdom, make sure you check that one out, I will leave a link in the description.
You may think losing an eye is extreme enough, but Odin was unable to rest whilst aware that
others possessed information and power that he did not. This brings us to another story of Odin,
and his discovery of the ancient Norse runes. The runes are the written letters that were used
by the Norse and other Germanic peoples before the adoption of the Latin alphabet in the later
Middle Ages. They were comprised of symbols that represented some of the most powerful forces in
the cosmos. It was known that these runes allowed one to access, interact with and influence the
world shaping forces they symbolised. No wonder then, that Odin desired mastery over them.
At the center of the Norse cosmos stands the great tree Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil’s upper branches
cradle Asgard, the home and fortress of the Aesir gods and goddesses, of whom Odin is the chief.
Yggdrasil grows out of the Well of Urd, a pool whose fathomless depths hold many of the most
powerful forces and beings in the cosmos. Among these beings are the Norns, three sagacious
maidens who create the fates of all beings. One of the foremost techniques they use to shape fate
is carving runes into Yggdrasil’s trunk. The symbols then carry these intentions throughout
the tree, affecting everything in the Nine Worlds. Odin watched the Norns from his seat in Asgard and
envied their powers and their wisdom. And he bent his will
toward the task of coming to know the runes. Since the runes’ native home is in the Well of Urd
with the Norns, and since the runes do not reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves
worthy of such fearful insights and abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil,
pierced himself with his spear, and peered downward into the shadowy waters below.
He forbade any of the other gods to grant him the slightest aid,
not even a sip of water. And he stared downward, and stared downward, and called to the runes.
He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice that separates the living from the dead,
for no less than nine days and nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last perceived shapes
in the depths: the runes! They had accepted his sacrifice and shown themselves to him,
revealing to him not only their forms, but also the secrets that lie within them. Having fixed
this knowledge in his formidable memory, Odin ended his ordeal with a scream of joy.
Having been initiated into the mysteries of the runes, Odin recounted:
Then I was fertilized and became wise; I truly grew and thrived.
From a word to a word I was led to a word, From a work to a work I was led to a work.
Equipped with the knowledge of how to wield the runes, he became one of the mightiest and most
accomplished beings in the cosmos. He learned chants that enabled him to heal emotional and
bodily wounds, to bind his enemies and render their weapons worthless, to free himself
from constraints, to put out fires, to expose and banish practitioners of malevolent magic,
to protect his friends in battle, to wake the dead, to win and keep a lover,
and to perform many other feats like these. Once more, Odin is shown to be willing to do
whatever it takes to absorb knowledge, to grow and evolve. A metaphor perhaps,
for the importance of learning and pursuit of continuous improvement of oneself.