W
Wöden-also known as 'Wotan', 'Odin' etc., this is a god of war, the hunt, poetry, magic and wisdom. Wöden is a shape changer, who most often wanders the earth in the form of an old man with a beard, one eye,wide brimmed hat, and a staff. He is the All-Father, or principle god, head of the Aesir. Before him in the creation myth everyone seems to have been the result of asexual reproduction. He is the father of the Aesir, the gods and also the father of mankind, in as much he found two trees, Ash (Man) and Elm (Woman) and gave them life. However he did not start out in this exalted position. His name means "wind" and his Germanic name "Wotan/Woden" means "Fury" both betraying his origins as a minor deity of night storms who used to ride across the night sky with a troop of dead warriors. As the mythology developed Wöden took on a more pivotal role however.
Even in his later incarnation he is a fairly sinister figure, dressed in an old blue cloak, a tall man with tangled gray hair and a pointed wide brimmed hat pulled down over one eye. He gave up this eye in return for a drink from Mimir's Well which gave him wisdom and eloquence. In Anglo-Saxon England he is known as "Grim", meaning "Hooded" and this name is frequently found in place names such as Grimsdyke. Wöden is accompanied by two ravens, Thought and Memory, who he can send forth to spy for him, and two wolves who consume any food he is offered since he lives only on wine. He rides an 8-legged horse called Sleipnir. His wife is the goddess Frigga.
Wöden is a god of the dead, of warriors, of weather, of war and of magic. He is also a healer, shaman and teacher. When the dead witch he raises to interpret Baldr's dream calls him "Odhinn the wily, unaging magician" she summarizes him well. He is cunning and pragmatic, certainly not above cheating to get what he wants. Wöden is a shape-shifter and seems to take great delight in turning up in places in disguise.
The One-Eyed god is renound for his wisdom and poetic ability and it is therefore appropriate he should be the narrator of the Havamal which is essentially a collection of good advice
"a kind word need not cost much
The price of praise can be cheap:
With half a loaf and an empty cup
I found myself a friend"
It is this aspect of Wöden, the great communicator, sometimes appearing in unlikely forms but always a source of wisdom and information, which is reflected in the rune Ansuz (Os). It has been suggested that the shape of its glyph represents Wöden's hat and cloak
Like all the gods though Wöden has many all-too-human traits. He has strong sexual lusts which can cause trouble. He can be quickly angered and is sometimes impetuous, as when he ignores Frigga's advice and rushes to pit his wits against the giant Vafthrudnir, a contest he wins only by dubious means. While the favor of Wöden was a good thing for a warrior to have, it could not be relied upon for Wöden was prone to desert people, as Geirrod found to his cost when Frigga tricked Wöden into killing him.
Within Asgard (his heaven) Wöden has a mighty hall/palace, Valhalla, where the Valkyries take the brave warriors who fall in battle. There they spend their time in laughter and feasting, waiting for the day they are needed again, at Ragnarok. In one version of the end of the Battle of Brávellir, Wöden arrives to fetch the aged King Harald Hildetand. When Helgi Hundingsbane has distinguished himself enough in battle and his brother-in-law Dag feels the need to avenge his father (whom Helgi had killed), Wöden lends Dag his spear. Arriving in Valhalla, Helgi is immediately awarded special privelges as one of the foremost warriors. Thus there is a tragic side too to Wöden. He has lost one of his sons, the beloved Baldr and his wisdom and magical insight have given him the knowledge that he will not survive the final battle. When Wöden comes forth at Ragnarok with his army to confront the wolf Fenris, it will swallow him
Adapted from http://www.runeschool.org/courses/intro_02/02_gods.htm
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Wrekin, The-
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