Hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of Mythos, The Historian.
Because many people asked me to create a video about Odin,
it's time to talk a little about the supreme god in Norse Mythology.
Odin is the most important god in Norse mythology,
the father of all gods and the ruler of the land of Asgard.
Together with his brothers, Vili and Ve,
he built the Universe from the corpse of the primordial giant Ymir.
He lived in Asgard with his wife Frigg and all the other gods he ruled.
His role, like that of many of the Norse gods, is complex. Odin is a major member of Aesir,
the major group of the Northern Pantheon, and he is associated with war, battle,
victory, and death, but also wisdom, shamanism, magic, poetry, prophecy, and hunting.
Let's talk a little about the large family of the god.
With his current wife Frigg, he had two sons: Baldur and Hod. Baldur is best known for the
fact that his death marks the beginning of the end of the world. And Hod is best known
for being blind and for being the murderer of his brother Baldur, whom he killed by mistake.
Odin had a love affair with the giantess Jord. The product of this love was Thor
the god of Thunder and Storm, the most famous of his sons and all gods of Norse mythology.
One day, Odin was walking along the seashore, he came across nine beautiful ladies who were
the giantesses falling asleep on the beach. They were actually the sea maidens. Odin was so
impressed and indulged in the beauty of the nine maidens that he decided to marry them on the spot.
This gave birth to the beautiful god Heimdall who later became the watchman of Asgard.
Odin had a child with the giantess Grid. His name was Vidar. He had an immeasurable power,
probably even greater than Thor’s. But no one knew of his power, because
he spent all the time in his garden taking care of his plants, without being noticeable.
He had a love affair with Rinda as well. She was recognized in Norse mythology as a giant female,
but also as a goddess, and sometimes as a mortal princess.
From their seed emerged Vali, the god of revenge and family.
Odin is often linked to Sleipnir, his eight-legged magic horse given by Loki,
and to Gungnir, the spear that always reaches its target.
In Asgard, he lives in the great Gladsheim hall
where he rules and takes the most important decisions for the realms.
Here he sits on the throne of Hlidskjalf from where he sees the entire Earth.
Another residence is Valhalla, a golden hall with 540 gates,
lined with shields and spears, where the fallen heroes called Einherjar
gather along with the Valkyries, and await the last battle, Ragnarok.
The Valkyries were maidens who served the god Odin,
sent by him to the battlefields to choose the slain who were worthy of a place in Valhalla.
The god had also different objects and animals that helped him to rule the other Gods.
Odin preserved the head of Mimir who could see the future,
a magic gold ring called Draupnir, which had the ability to multiply itself: Every ninth night,
eight new rings 'drip' from Draupnir, each one of the same size and weight as the original.
The God also had two crows - Huginn and Muninn,
namely Thought and Memory, but also two wolves - Geri and Freki.
The two crows do not only have the role of a pet,
but they tell the god absolutely everything that happens in the world.
Odin is at the same time a god of the dead and of war. He magically protects the great heroes,
but in the end betrays them so that they are killed by their opponents.
The explanation for this behavior is the desire to have with him, in Valhalla,
the greatest heroes, to be helped by them on the day of Ragnarok, in the final battle against the
giants. And Valhalla received only the souls of those who died heroically on the battlefield.
On the apocalyptic day of Ragnarok, Odin will be torn apart and devoured by the giant wolf,
Fenrir, but he will be avenged by his youngest son, Vidar,
the one I told you about earlier that he had an incredible power.
What is your opinion about Odin? Do you think he deserves to be the king of the Norse gods?
Do you think he did a wise thing when he betrayed his greatest heroes in order
to get to Valhalla faster to be helped on the day of the apocalypse? Would you have waited?