Prior to the arrival of Christianity, the ancient Germanic peoples of Northern Europe called their gods the Yule-beings, a mysterious term we aren’t sure the meaning of. These Yule-beings lived beyond the wintery lands of the far north, beyond the Rainbow Bridge, in a land of plenty called Asgard, whose king was the All-Father, Odin. A god of many names, Odin would dress and wander the Nine Worlds, including Middle Earth itself, a name for our world. One-eyed and grim, Odin saw much and knew even more.

But who is Odin? Why is he the All-Father, and where did his eye go? This Season on Godyssey, I plan on exploring the myths of Odin, retelling his journey from mere king among gods to the all-powerful All-Father. I will not be retelling all the Norse sagas, and certainly not in skaldic verse: Norse myths are among the most plentiful in mythology literature, and many do not feature Odin at all or in reduced roles. I will instead be stretching Norse myths over four total seasons, with the first one covering Odin-centric tales and cosmology. My primary sources are the Prose and Poetic Eddas, which come down to us through the exhaustive work of Iceland’s Snorri Sturlusson. Some myths come down to us only as fragments, and some are mere speculation: because I like continuity, I will be building a continuity and an overarching plot, which fortunately Norse myth provides!

So, remember the reason for the season: Odin walks among us