Who was The REAL Odin? | Vikings Video | The History Of Odin

Hey guys, it's Oli from History Profiles here and today's video will be about the Norse god Odin. Odin is a god and the ruler of Asgard in Norse mythology. Odin is the most powerful god in Asgard and he lives in the house called Valaskialf. In this house Odin has a tall tower and in the top of the tower he has a throne called Hildskalf and from here Odin can see throughout all nine worlds. Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty, wisdom, battle, sorcery, poetry and the runic alphabet but also the day Wednesday is known as Odin's day and he is thought to be the leader of souls. Odin is able to shapeshift just like the god Loki into any animal shapes at will. Odin mostly speaks in phrases and riddles and Odin's voice is so soft that all who hear him speak think all he says is true. Odin can also say a single word and blow out the flames of a fire or tone down the waves of the sea. Odin is seldom active in battle but when he is it is said that he can make his enemies blind in combat, deaf or horror struck. Odin can even make their weapons hit like sticks or make his own men as strong as a bear and go berserk. Odin can predict the fate of all humans and see their past, he even knows that one day Ragnarok will start and there is nothing he can do to prevent it. Odin also has the ability to travel to remote lands, in his or the memories of others. Odin can send people to their death or give them an illness, some people sacrifice to Odin and give him good promises and hope by this to gain insight into whether they can win a battle or not. Odin is the grandson of Buri the first Aesir and he is the son of the half god half giant Vesla and Bor. Odin has two brothers Vili and Ve, together his brothers Odin created the world in Norse mythology. Odin is married to a beautiful goddess Frigg, together they have the sons Baldr and Hod. But Odin also has other sons, Odin also became the father of Thor the well known god of thunder by Jorah the goddess of earth. Odin also mated with giants and Odin and the giant Esgrid also have a son called Vidar. Odin also has a magical horse named Sleipnir which is a grey eight legged horse and it's the most beautiful of all horses. Sleipnir is the symbol of the wind and has the marks of hell upon it. Sleipnir can just as easily gallop through the air as on the land. Sleipnir was born by the god Loki when he shapeshifted into a mare and used the stallion of a giant builder to become pregnant. Sleipnir was later given to Odin as a gift from Loki. Odin also has two ravens by his side, Hunginn known as thought and Muninn known as memory are the two ravens that Odin sends out every morning to bring him the latest news from all over the world. They always come back each evening and whisper to Odin what they have heard and seen. When they are not exploring the world they sit next to Odin on his throne in Asgard. Odin also has two wolves, Jerry the ravenous and Freki the greedy one. They're Odin's two wolves and Odin gives them all his food from the table because Odin does not need any food to live, wine is all he needs to keep him alive. When Odin is walking around both Jerry and Freki will follow him. Odin also has a magical spear named Gagnir. This magical spear will always hit its mark and will always kill. Gagnir means the swaying one. It was made from Jadrasil's sacred ash and Odin has written his magic and secret runes onto Gagnir. As you'd expect for a weapon of a god, Gagnir is no ordinary spear, it was created by the dwarves, the most skilled smiths in the cosmos as it's related to the tale of how the gods greatest treasures were made. Gagnir is said to have runes carved on its point which increase its aim and deadliness through magic. Archaeology confirms that the Norse and other Germanic peoples did in fact carve runes into some of their spears, perhaps this was done in imitation of the mythical model of Gagnir. In Norse mythology, Drapnir is a gold ring possessed by the god Odin with the ability to multiply itself. Every ninth night, eight new rings drip from Drapnir, each one the same size and weight as the original. Drapnir was forged by the dwarven brothers Brokkr and Eitri. The dwarf brothers made the ring as a set of three gifts which included Thor's hammer and the golden boar. They made these gifts in accordance with a wager Loki made, saying that the dwarves couldn't make better gifts than the three made by the sons of Evandil. In the end, Thor's hammer won the contest for the dwarves. Loki used a loophole to get out of the wager for his head. The wager was for Loki's head only, but he argued that, to remove his head, they would have to injure his neck, which was not part of the bargain, and Brokkr punished him by sealing his lips shut with wire. The ring was later placed by Odin on the funeral pyre of his son, Baldr. It's well known that Odin sacrificed one of his eyes. Odin sacrificed one eye to Mimir, and in return he was allowed to drink a sip from Mimir's well. Odin gained the wisdom of Mimir, and Odin became the wisest of all the gods and goddesses in Asgard. Mimir means the wise one, and Mimir was the wisest of them all, and he guarded the magical well, which was also named Mimir's well. Anyone who drinks the water from it will gain the wisdom of Mimir. However, Mimir was beheaded during the Aesir-Vanir war. Afterwards, Odin carried around Mimir's head, and it recites secret knowledge to counsel him. Odin also hung himself on Idrassil. Idrassil 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 maidens who exert more influence over the course of destiny than any other beings in the cosmos. One of the foremost techniques they use to shape destiny is carving runes into Idrassil's trunk. The symbols then carry out the 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 towards the task of coming to know the runes. Since the rune's native home is the well of Urd with the Norns, and since the runes do not reveal themselves to any, but those who provide themselves worthy of such fearful insights and abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Idrassil and pierced himself with a spear and peered downwards into the shadowy waters below. While in this state, he forbade any other gods to grant him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water, and he stared downwards and stared downwards. He survived in this state, on the verge of death, for no less than nine days and nine nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last perceived shapes in the depths of 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. 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 such as these. The Vikings believed that one day the world as we know it would come to an end. They call this day Ragnarok. Ragnarok is not only the doom of man, but is also the end of the gods and goddesses. It will be the final battle between the Aesir and the giants. The battle will take place on the plains called Vigrid. It is here that the mighty Midgard serpent will emerge from the sea, while it splashes its tail and sprays poison in all directions, causing huge waves crushing towards the land. Meanwhile, the fire giant Surtr will set Asgard, the home of the gods and goddesses, and the Rainbow Bridge, on fire. The Fenrir wolf will break free of his chains and spread death and destruction. The sun and the moon will be swallowed by the wolf's skull and hattie, and even the world tree Yggdrasil will shake the ground. And in the end, Odin and the Fenrir wolf will fight each other to the death. I hope you enjoyed the video. If you haven't already, like and subscribe, and I'll see you in the next video.