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Odin is the Scandinavian name for the god called by the Anglo-Saxons “Woden”, the supreme god of the
later Scandinavian pantheon, he having supplanted Thor. Odin was the “the High one”, “the All-Father”,
god of wisdom, poetry, magic, war and agriculture. His two black ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn
(Memory), flew forth daily to gather tidings of what was being done throughout the world. One of his names
is “Ygg”, associated with the World Tree (Yggdrasil) in whose branches his ravens dwell. He is closely
connected with a horse and a spear. His three wives were earth goddesses and his eldest son was Thor, the
god of Thunder. Wednesday is Woden’s day. Thor is the strongest of the chief gods, whom he helped to protect from their enemies, the giants. He had a magic hammer. Thunder was the sound of his rolling chariot. Thursday is Thor’s day. Tyr/Tiwaz is the one armed god of battle, justice and the warrior. He is a son of Odin by a giantess. Tuesday is Tyr’s day. Loki is the god of strife and spirit of evil; the father of the Serpent Fenris and Hel the queen of the dead. She dwelt beneath the roots of Yggdrasil, the sacred ash tree. Loki is like the mythological Satan or devil. He is associated with fire. “GO TO HEL!”. Rune is the Norse alphabet & writing system that uses stick figures. Some rune had more than one meaning. Runes could also be combined with one another to build a meaningful expression . The provided chart, illustrates some of the many rune and only some of their meanings. Morko sports a number of rune figures that are easily interpreted. Rune were used as “charms” on weapons. Certain arrangements allowed a person to wield sorcery. Yggdrasil is the World Tree, an Ash, the Tree of Life. It is identified with Odin. One of his names is Ygg. In its branches, roost the Ravens; Odin’s totem. In its roots, lives the Serpent. The death of the world will occur when the wolf Fenirir and his pack roam the world, spreading death. Yggdrasil, rises to heaven and upon its branches all things rest. It will be shaken and the gods will perish and a new race will inherit the earth. (Adam and Eve fable?) Bo or Boh is a son of Odin and a fierce Gothic Captain. When Vikings attacked and surprised an enemy, they invoked his name and shouted, “BOO!”. |
An incomplete set of Anglo-Saxon rune.