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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.

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12y ago

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