How does odin lose his eye

Still, the key elements of the story of how Odin lost his eye remain the same. While Odin was always considered among the wisest gods, there was one whose knowledge rivaled or even exceeded his.

When Odin requested permission to drink from the well, Mimir replied that there would be a steep price to pay. In exchange for a guzzle of water from Mimisbrunnr , Odin had to sacrifice an eye. The all-father obliged how reluctantly or willingly is unknown.

Mimir then drew a drinking horn full of the mystical waters, which Odin quaffed down eagerly. Then, he awaited the infusion of knowledge that would make him the wisest among all Norse gods. Do people still believe in Odin? Valhalla is important in Norse mythology.

It can be argued that it was, in some respects, superior, for Viking lore relates how Odin sought counsel and advice from Mimir. And like so many Old Norse myths, there is tragedy and intrigue in the details.

According to Norse mythology, there were two factions of gods who went to war. After years of battling each other to a stalemate, the Aesirs the side of Odin and Mimir and the Vanirs agreed to put down their arms and exchange hostages as a mutual sign of peace and settlement.

Unfortunately, circumstances led to the Vanirs feeling that they had been betrayed, so they decapitated Mimir as an act of vengeance. In addition to Odin, Thor is one of the most well-known gods in Norse mythology. The Secrets of the Mjolnir to learn more. In some prominent depictions of Odin, including drawings and paintings associated with museums in Scandinavia, Odin is shown with his left eye missing. His two ravens Hugin and Munin thought and memory fly around the world and report back what they see.

Sleipnir the eight-legged horse can run through all the worlds. He learned the magical art of prophecy from Freyja. Odin has a gold ring called Draupnir that is important to the gods. Sitting on his throne, Hlidskjalf, with Frigg in the hall of Valhalla, Odin looked out across the whole world. But he wanted to know everything and gain wisdom and knowledge of things hidden from him.

This was a desire that drove him to sacrifice himself. He then hanged himself in Yggdrasil, the tree of life, for nine days and nine nights in order to gain knowledge of other worlds and be able to understand the runes. During his sacrificial actions, he saw visions and received secret wisdom. The magical knowledge he gained made him able to cure the sick, calm storms, turn weapons against his attackers, make women fall in love and render dangerous troll women harmless — often just with a look.

And while you're at it, send us your American Gods fan theories. We're all going to need something good to lean on when Game of Thrones ends.

If you need a horn to dip into Mimir's Well, we've got one. Customize it with your favorite Norse symbol , or Game of Thrones house, or Celtic knot, or Even the Hunter's Mark we mentioned above! We have the wisdom to engrave just about anything, just for you. Besides, tea has the same amount of caffeine in it as well.

But love the taste of coffee. Shipping, taxes, and discount codes calculated at checkout. Home New Expand submenu Collapse submenu. Collapse submenu. Menu Cart 0. How did Odin lose his eye? Mirmir and the Well of Urd If you've played a certain recent video game, you're probably familiar with Mirmir. The Sacrifice Whatever the well was or was not, it required the sacrifice of an eyeball in order to drink the draught of knowledge.

We don't know that specifically, but a few things are clear: A lot of wisdom comes from loss. Whether it's a body part, a possession, or even the life of a friend or family member, you're going to be wiser when you lose it.

No sacrifice is too big to gain knowledge of the cosmos. For obvious reasons, the eye is sometimes used as a symbol or perception, just like the third-eye in Hinduism. Norse Mythology for Smart People one of our favorite blogs here at AleHorn posits that because he sacrificed the eye to Mimir's well whose name means The Rememberer, he gave it away with the goal of gaining, ' a sacred mode of perception informed by divine, ancestral wisdom.

The price for the water from Mimisbrunnr is your right eye! The Runes was a kind of magical characters which provided great power when being carved on the surface of wood, stone, metal or any material. Odin lost his right eye and suffered a lot to obtain the wisdom. I discovered the runes when looking down, and fell from the tree when I read them out.

In the West, the hanging penalty is also referred to as horse-riding, alluding to the hanging story of Odin. Once got the secret of runes, Odin ordered the Norns to carve the fate recorded in runes on the golden shield. He also risked his life to obtain the mead of wisdom from Suttungr; any one who drank this mead would become a poet.