(a.k.a. Atriðr, Asagrim, Báleygr, Bǫðgæðir, Faðmbyggvir Friggjar, Fjǫlnir, Glapsviðr, Grímnir, Hjarrandi, Woden, Wotan, Woðanaz, Yggr)
The legendary
Alfather, and Aesir responsible for carving up Ymir, Odin began considering himself a wandering poet fairly early on. Father of
Thor Odinson, Baldr, Hodr, and a legion of bastards, Old One Eye is a most unique combination of trickster and creator. If I may be reductionist about him...
...
...
"Mmhmm? You... you gonna say anything else, Book?"
Karisma Calebdottir
I was waiting for the inevitable interruptions.
"Nah. I'm good."
Karisma Calebdottir
I... this... this is the happiest day of my 'since I met you' timeline. Right!
Odin. One of the most powerful and earliest of the creator gods, Odin is the Alfather to the Aesir & Vanir. He's known most for feats of bravery and desperation to attain wisdom, for shapeshifting and trickery to steal, slay and lay his way through myriad inconveniences, and for having quite a bit of clever stuff.
How can stuff be clever, you might ask? When dwarves forge some of the greatest gifts in all the Realms for one, that stuff can be clever indeed. Never let it be said that Odin son of Bor doesn't know how to make use of his advantages. Known for the frenzy of battle, Odin is trickster and warrior, creator and murderer. Poet, drunkard, farmer and father to all who ask it of him.
And currently, this Alfather is far more occupied with farming and livestock than swinging into the air, flying across the rainbow roads or doing more than whisper with his ravens Huginn & Muninn.
Still, there's perpetual machinations to the father of all. The only one who truly knows what resounds in that depth perception devoid head of his, is Frigg. His wife.
So when you see a stranger in the road, or an old man willing to trade a story for a meal, be wary of Odin's trickery and cunning. Be wary you might play into one of his plots, which seem to benefit few outside his beloved Aesir and Vanir.
- Frenzy
- Death
- Poetry
- War
- Ruling
- Twin ravens
- An old man with one eye and a cloak or walking stick
Mental characteristics
Capricious and wise, full of shapeshifting trickery and might in battle, Odin was born in the dark chaos of what became the Asgardian Realm. Born of those from the
Ginnungagap, Odin saw the anarchy of the Jotnar and with his brothers conspired to create an orderly place. An innangardr, an inner sanctum where society could flourish and protect itself from the chaos of the giants.
To do this, they murdered Ymir the parent of all Jotnar (including Odin's own parents), and carved the Asgardian Realm out of Ymir's corpse. Thus, Odin became the Alfather, the leading force of the Aesir.
To say the Alfather has a strong feminine side is a fair bit euphemistic. The arts of prophesy, seer-craft, seidr and other forms of magic which Odin devoted many exploits to mastering were all historically seen as 'women's work'. Thus, while male, Odin is closest in definition to male, leaning non-binary within his chosen behaviours.
The only indicated partners recorded in my pages are female, thus Odin is most likely heterosexual.
Hang yourself from a tree for a week, pluck out your eye for wisdom, and see how you learned of the worlds. Go ahead. I'll wait.
"No thanks... gee, great-great-grandfather's seriously metal." Karisma Calebdottir
A farmer, a poet, a warmonger & ruler.
Crafty to a dangerous degree, Odin has wit, wisdom and the will to discover anything he already lacks.
The most dangerous piece of Odin is his penchant for madness, or more accurately, frenzy. He is a belligerent deity when tested, and incites the berzerk, the battle frenzy, the screams and horrors which gave him monikers like Yggr or Terrible One, Viðurr meaning killer, Quarreller, Ruler of Treachery, Frenzy, Protector, God of Wishes.
Odin is both the frenzy and the horror and the calm of wisdom, the mighty father doting on his children and the warrior swept away by the sensations of battle. A complex and frankly confusing mixture, which culminates in a figure most cannot take at face value.
If I had a face.
There seems to be a divergence in morality for Odin dependent on whether you are one of his inner denizens, or one of the 'anything goes' 'other'. If you come across the Alfather at all, it is most desired to be one of the inner denizens, than one of those he cares nothing for, and uses to suit his needs.
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