Who is Norse god Odin?
Odin is a particularly fascinating character. He can be
understood on a lot of levels. Simply, he is the ruler of the Norse
gods, a counterpart to Zeus of the Greeks. He is also a god of the
dead, of magic, and of the upper classes of society (called Jarls).
He is a great seeker of knowledge and in his youth was quite a
rakehell or adventurer.
He is the enforcer of oaths, and yet he had to break his word to
the giants who built the walls of Asgard.
A good deal of his wild nature was transferred to his
foster-brother Loki in the later tales.
He was also (or incorporates parts of) a real person who lived
in the First Century A.D. and was an important chieftain in
Jutland.
His imagery has been incorporated into other characters of
fiction and folklore, including the Wandering Jew, Gandalf the
wizard and Santa Claus.