In Norse mythology there are nine worlds, all connected by the World tree, Yggdrasil. If you saw the movie Thor, than you heard this little spiel as Thor and Jane sat by a small bonfire under the stars. Each world is significantly placed within this tree, with Asgard being at the top. Odin, father of the gods, had three places of residence in Asgard. One was known as Valhalla, or house of the fallen. Here Odin received the souls of warriors, saving them to fight for the coming battle, Ragnarök. Odin would fall to the wolf, Fenrir, in this last big battle. The souls of attractive woman warrior that came through Valhalla became Valkyries, collecting the fallen souls for Odin. The second residence, Valaskjálf, offered him a place to watch over the Earth and perceive all that would pass through it, from his special throne, Hlidskjalf. The final residence, Gladsheim, is where he presided over the twelve judges and Diar appointed in Asgard.
I think you get the picture. Odin was the Big Kahuna, the one you didn’t want to mess with, and he was Thor’s father. In honor of Thor’s tour around the world, and the launch of his own page here on the blog, I thought we would talk about his dear old dad this Immortal Monday. Odin’s a tough act to follow, but if anyone could do it, Thor was the one to step up to the challenge.
Odin could see all things within the universe.
Hold on to your pantyhose, because this gets interesting. Odin and his two brothers, Vili and Vé, slayed the ancient, primeval being (frost giant), Ymir. It is said that the brothers fashioned the earth from his flesh, from his blood the oceans, his bones the hills, and from his hair the trees. His brains became the clouds, his skull turned into the heavens, and his eyebrows are what we now call home – the middle realm – Midgard, literally meaning ‘middle enclosure.’ And so it was, the Norse brothers created the Earth. On their first stroll upon their new creation they would happen upon two fallen logs. The logs would become the first man and woman. And they would name them Ask and Embla. There was Earth, and there was life.
That’s a pretty big start. Bang. Right out of the starting gate. But Odin would go on to become one extremely wise ruler. It wasn’t without a cost. Known as the god with one eye, that shines bright like the sun, it wasn’t always so. Odin traded his eye for a drink from the Well of Wisdom. As a result, he gained great knowledge.
He is the god of war and death. But he is also the god of poetry, magic, prophecy and wisdom.
Things that are attributed to Odin: his spear, Gungnir, that never misses, and his ring, Draupnir, from which every ninth night eight more rings appear. He rode an eight-legged steed, Sleipnir, which was a gift from Loki and possessed the severed head of Mimir, which foretold the future. He kept two ravens as trusted companions, Huginn and Muninn (Thought and Memory), and commanded two wolves named Geri and Ferki.
Odin’s symbol is that of the Valknut – the slain warrior’s knot.
Odin had many offspring with his wife Frigg. Wasn’t she pretty in the movie? 😉 But she wasn’t Thor’s mother. It was through the personification of earth, Jörð,that Odin fathered his most famous son, Thor. Is Thor’s interest in the Earth starting to make a little more sense now?
Interesting facts:
- Odin didn’t eat. He lived off mead or wine.
- Wednesday is named after Odin – Woden – Another name he is known by.
- Santa Claus is said to be largely based on Odin, combined with the Christian legend of Saint Nicholas of Myra.
Do you have a father figure like Odin to live up to? How would you feel if you had to be in Thor’s or any of his siblings shoes with a Dad of such stature?
*images via Wikipedia – click on image for full credit.……………………………………………………………………………………………
Reminders: It’s never too late to jump on the Thor Tour. All you need to do is drop me a line. It’s true, you read it above, Thor has his own page now, by which you can track his progress, catch up on older updates, or just check out fun trivia, videos and pictures that will be added to on a regular basis. Check it out! Find the link at the top of the page.
Also, this blog will be relocating to a self-hosted site at some point at the beginning of November. I hope you’ll follow us to the new digs. My fabulous designer, Laird Sapir, and I have some pretty amazing ideas (I think) and I hope you’ll enjoy what we create there.
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~oOo~
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I’d heard of Odin, but wasn’t familiar with most of the details. Thanks for another fascinating Immortal Monday!
You’re welcome,Jennette. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Very cool! Of course I knew Odin from the movie and some bits from research over the years, but I didn’t know most of what you have here. I always thought Odin was a cool dude. Like, you could sit down with him and have a cup of coffee while discussing the universe. Thanks for bringing Thor’s dad to Immortal Monday.
Wouldn’t he be fun to sit down with? But I don’t think we’d be having tea. It would be wine, and he’d drink us under the table. 😀 Many a critic have compared Odin and his wandering ways to J.R.R.’s Gandalf. If Odin had been used as a guide in creating the character, that sets Gandalf pretty high, wouldn’t you agree?
I had no idea that Wednesday was named after him or that Santa Claus was inspired by him. What a great mythological guy!
I’m glad I could widen your well of knowledge a little bit more this morning. Odin is a cool dude.
My well can always use widening…
I love your Immortal Mondays. I don’t have to wonder about Wednesday any more now–thanks. I think Norse mythology is amazing–they saw way beyond themselves into the universe. The Greeks and Romans were a little self-centered in comparison. If you put Odin with Zeus/Jupiter, Odin wins hands down.
That self-centered flaw of the Greeks and Romans make them so much fun. Their like bad reality television. LOL. But I do agree with you, Odin wins, hands down. Thank you so much for your awesome compliment!
Living on mead and wine sounds good 🙂
Thanks for the fun info.
There was a time when I would have agreed with you. Now a days it would just land me in bed for much of the time. My tolerance is all but gone with the kids and my lack of sleep. Sigh. But it does sound like a nice way to go about life. Thanks, Emma.
I love the story. Odin’s my man!
How is Thor enjoying his adventures? I haven’t seen him around lately? Have I missed him somehwere. Last I saw he was sparring with Lara somewhere in Canada I think.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Oh, Jansen, I had no idea. Move over Thor, make room for your papa! 😉
You know, it’s those times of travel, when he goes dark that are the hardest. Last I heard he was on his way to the next stop. I am waiting to hear just like everyone else. With the holiday in Canada I suspect his travel got a bit delayed. Bummer. Thor’s traveling economy. LOL.
too funny. I’m going to check out Thor’s page. I wonder if he’d like to come to Calgary for a visit…
He would love to visit you, Louise. Is this official? You want to add a Thor post to your blog upon his arrival?
What? Santa Clause trivia I never knew about? Sheesh. You’re always teaching us cool stuff, Debra. Thanks for another fun and informative post. 🙂
There you go. They buried that bit of trivia. Everyone is always talking about the St. Nick side of the tale. I love Santa Clause lore. If he was real, he wouldn’t be human. 😉 Frost giant? LOL. Nah.
I’ll think differently on Wednesdays now…
Differently good? Or differently bad? 😉
How you been Ted? Long time no talk.
I have been very busy with work this summer, which I did not expect or want… hope it’s over. But I am going to Hawaii in 3 weeks to do a job… that I won’t mind.
Ooh! Hawaii! Yay!!! We are headed there soon as well! We have to wait 5 1/2 weeks for our departure. 🙁 You have us beat. Will I be seeing your handy work while I’m there?
Oh no, it’s in a private home in Honolulu. I am helping with the final trim work on a large remodel. I’ll be there almost 3 weeks, and plan a trip to the big island to meet Aloha Doug.
Where are you going?
Oh no, it’s in a private residence in Honolulu. I’m going to work on the final trim work on a big remodel. I’ll be there 3 weeks, and plan a trip to the Big Island to visit Aloha Doug. It will be fun to actually meet a fellow blogger, who I’ve traded words with. I’ll bet if I go to Comic Con next year and look for a blond in a Princess Xena outfit… I’d meet you.
Where are you going in Hawaii.
Hehe. I don’t dress up at Comic Con. I save the costume stuff for Halloween. We will be on Oahu, at the Disney resort for most of the time. A couple days in Waikiki. Meeting bloggers and writers is fun! I get to meet Susie in a week or so. you should fly down for that. 😉
Norse pantheon rocks and Odin and Loki are its most fascinating members. I loved how Anthony Hopkins portrayed him in Thor movie. You have to respect his dedication to knowledge. Odin was hanged from the world tree for nine days and nights, pierced by his own spear, to learn magical songs and the runes.
And awesome that Thor got his own site. You have great videos there. I can’t wait to host him.
I couldn’t agree with you more! I LOVE Anthony Hopkins, so I feel they couldn’t go wrong when he was chosen to play Odin. You’re right, of course, about the world tree, nine days and the spear. I almost included that in the post, but wanted to keep it short. Especially since I was writing it at midnight on Sunday. LOL. I wanted to go to bed! 😀
Thanks, Reetta. I am keeping my eye out for fun Gifs and Thor videos. to add on a regular basis. Not sure how it will continue to work on the WP site. Hope Laird can figure something out when we move everything. She thinks my site will be fun. She may change her mind when she gets into it. *insert evil laugh here* I wish Thor moved between visits like Samantha Stevens. In the blink of an eye. Let’s get this party rolling!
Whoa! I didn’t know all that about Odin. I knew he was serious but, had no comprehension of all his residences, powers, siblings, offspring…..etc….etc…..I do *heart* Thor. At our HEB (the grocery market here) they have cool Avengers party cups. There’s a cup for each member and then a cup with them all. At only .69 cents each……you get the picture. Might you need to have a Thor cup? It’s nothing very special, they aren’t going to last forever (especially in the dishwasher) but, it is nice to drink from the top of Thor’s head 😉 I’d be happy to send you one if you’d like???
Ohmigosh, Molly! You are soo sweet to offer me a Thor cup! But the shipping would far out way the cost making the cup a “not-so-great” investment. :- If you were already on the Thor tour and could put the cup in the box with him… Well, you get the picture. 😉 What? I’m not pushing you to join our Thor tour. LOL. I’m just having fun with you. Of course anyone is welcome to join the tour at any time. (Sorry for my delayed response to this comment).