Norse Mythology PDF

## The God Odin The god Odin is a major figure in Norse Mythology. He is associated with war, death, wisdom, and the hunt. ### Odin's Promises - Odin promised Harald victory in battle if he would dedicate all the slain to him. - He frequently broke his promises to his followers. In a poem from...

## The God Odin The god Odin is a major figure in Norse Mythology. He is associated with war, death, wisdom, and the hunt. ### Odin's Promises - Odin promised Harald victory in battle if he would dedicate all the slain to him. - He frequently broke his promises to his followers. In a poem from the tenth century, it is said that Odin let Eric Bloodaxe be robbed of victory because "The grey wolf is watching the abode of the gods". This implies that Odin, like all the gods, was not invincible and would eventually be devoured by the wolf. ### Battle Sacrifices - There are many stories of kings who promised Odin those slain in battle. - Sacrifices to Odin as god of the dead are also frequently mentioned in the literature. - Objects found in the bog offerings of Denmark and Sweden provide astounding confirmation for these stories. - Offerings from the Celtic Iron Age to the 6th Century AD include swords, shields, spears, bows and arrows, war canoes, clothes, ornaments, metal vessels and valuable possessions. - Some weapons were bent and broken before being offered. ### Ritual Hanging - Skeletons of horses and human bodies have been found in the bogs. - The Tollund man was found with a rope around his neck and was likely killed by strangulation. - Odin was associated with hanging sacrifices, and there are numerous stories of captives, or even kings sacrificing their own children, being hung from trees. ### The Spear of Odin - Odin's spear, Gungnir, was a mighty weapon used for battle and sacrifice. - The spear determined victory by the direction it took on the battlefield. - It is believed that the spearhead was the weapon of choice for Odin's followers and would be buried with them in heathen times. ### The Ring of Odin - Warriors dedicated to Odin fought without armour and were considered those who fought "for the glory of Odin". ## Images ### Image 1: * A bronze wind instrument called a lurs. * These are found in Denmark and were used for religious and ceremonial purposes. ### Image 2: * The head of the Tollund Man, a body found in a bog. * He was likely killed by strangulation. * The rope is still in place around his neck. ### Image 3: * A young girl preserved in peat soil. * She was blindfolded. * She has been put to death by strangling. * This is a common method of sacrifice found in the Roman period and later. ### Image 4: * A detail from a stone with a depiction of a warrior being hung from a tree. * The stone comes from Lärbro Stora Hammars Or. * The warrior has a twisted knot around his neck. * This is one of the most common methods of sacrifice to Odin. ### Image 5: * A Spearhead from the Viking Age. * The spearhead has delicate inlaid ornamentation which suggests it had a ceremonial function. * The spear was the weapon of the god Odin and a symbol for his cult. ### Image 6: * A Fjord at Gloppedalsur in Norway dominated by mountains and rocks. * The fjord is in the background. * In the foreground, a spearhead is pictured on a small piece of what appears to be stone or wood.