The Poetic Edda on Odin

The > Poetic Edda > Proper Names

• attestation: The Norse letter thorn (þ) is consistently rendered as 'th' rather than 'd', producing 'Othin' rather than 'Odin'

  "I have rendered the Norse þ by "th" throughout, instead of spasmodically by "d," as in many texts: e.g., Othin instead of Odin."

The > Volume I > Notes

• attestation: Odin bears the title Valfather ('Father of the Slain') because slain warriors are brought to him at Valhall by the Valkyries

  "Valfather ("Father of the Slain"): Othin, chief of the gods, so called because the slain warriors were brought to him at Valhall ("Hall of the Slain") by the Valkyries ("Choosers of the Slain")."

• attestation: Stanzas 96-102 illustrate the falseness of women through the story of Odin's unsuccessful love-affair with Billing's daughter

  "Here begins the passage (stanzas 96–102) illustrating the falseness of woman by the story of Othin's unsuccessful love-affair with Billing's daughter."

• attestation: Stanzas 104-110 tell the story of Odin and the mead of song, introduced by the topic of fair speech in stanza 103

  "the virtues of fair speech, mentioned in the last three lines, account for the introduction, from what source cannot be known, of the story of Othin and the mead of song (stanzas 104–110)."

• attestation: While with Suttung, Odin used the name Bolverk ('the Evil-Doer')

  "While with Suttung he assumed the name of Bolverk ("the Evil-Doer")."

• attestation: Odin swore a sacred oath on his ring to Suttung, and the frost-giants did not realize that Bolverk and Odin were the same being

  "The frost-giants, Suttung's kinsmen, appear not to have suspected Othin of being identical with Bolverk, possibly because the oath referred to in stanza 110 was an oath made by Othin to Suttung that there was no such person as Bolverk among the gods."

• attestation: Odin violated the most sacred of oaths, that sworn on his ring, in the mead-theft episode

  "Othin is keenly conscious of having violated the most sacred of oaths, that sworn on his ring."

• attestation: Ygg is another name for Odin, and his son is Thor

  "Ygg: Othin; his son is Thor"

• attestation: Odin and Loki swore blood-brotherhood through the literal process of mingling blood

  "There exists no account of any incident in which Othin and Loki thus swore blood-brotherhood, but they were so often allied in enterprises that the idea is wholly reasonable. The common process of "mingling blood" was carried out quite literally"

• attestation: Odin was the god of magic but there is no other reference to his disguising himself as a witch

  "Othin was the god of magic, but there is no other reference to his ever having disguised himself as a witch"

• attestation: Sithgrani ('Long-Beard') is another name for Odin

  "Sithgrani ("Long-Beard"): Othin"

• attestation: Odin conceals his identity as Vegtam ('The Wanderer'), calling himself the son of Valtam ('The Fighter')

  "Vegtam ("The Wanderer"): Othin, as usual, conceals his identity, calling himself the son of Valtam ("The Fighter")"

• attestation: Odin appears constantly as the god of magic

  "Father of magic: Othin appears constantly as the god of magic"

• attestation: The name Skilfing appears as one of Odin's many appellations in Grimnismol

  "In Grimnismol, 54, the name Skilfing appears as one of Othin's many appellations"

• attestation: Odin is called Bur's heir

  "Bur's heir: Othin; cf. Voluspo, 4"

• attestation: Odin won Rind by magic, according to a skaldic poem

  "Rani is presumably Othin, who, according to a skaldic poem, won Rind by magic"

The > Volume Ii > Notes

• attestation: Vithrir's hounds are the wolves Freki and Geri; Vithrir is Odin

  "Vithrir's hounds: wolves; Vithrir is Othin, and his hounds are the wolves Freki and Geri"

• attestation: Odin's spear was the weapon that made victory certain, introduced by the annotator based on Dag's claim that Odin was responsible for Helgi's death

  "the reference to Othin's spear, the weapon which made victory certain, and which the annotator brought in doubtless on the strength of Dag's statement that Othin was responsible for Helgi's death"

The > part in a few of the Eddic poems. > Notes

• attestation: Odin, Honir, and Loki appear together as a traveling trio, the same three gods who appear in Voluspo stanzas 17-18

  "Othin, Hönir and Loki: these same three gods appear in company in Voluspo, 17–18."

• attestation: Odin appeared as an unidentified old man on a ship during a storm, giving himself the names Hnikar, Fjolnir, and Feng ('The Seizer')

  "Hnikar and Fjolnir: Othin gives himself both these names in Grimnismol, 47; Feng ("The Seizer") does not appear elsewhere."

• attestation: The wedge battle formation was said to have been invented by Odin himself and taught only to his most favored warriors

  "the wedge formation (prescribed anew in 1920 for the United States Army under certain circumstances) was said to have been invented by Othin himself, and taught by him only to the most favored warriors."

• attestation: An old man (Odin) appeared and advised Sigurth to dig multiple trenches to carry off the dragon's blood

  "an old man (Othin, of course) appeared and advised him to dig other trenches to carry off the blood, which he did, thereby escaping harm."

• attribution: Sigtyr ('Victory-God') is an epithet of Odin

  "Sigtyr ("Victory-God"): Othin"

The > part in a few of the Eddic poems. > Pronouncing Index

• attestation: Odin is the chief of the gods

  "Ōth′-in, chief of the gods"

• relationship: Ve is a brother of Odin

  "Vē, brother of Othin"