Odin

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Odin, also known as the Allfather, is the Norse God of War, Death, and Wisdom, and ruler of Asgard. He is the father of Thor, Tyr and Baldur and was a husband to Freya, Fjörgyn and an unknown woman. Odin acts as the overarching antagonist in God of War (2018).

In Norse Mythology

Odin, also known as Woden and Wotan, was the Chief God of Norse mythology.

Odin appeared in heroic literature as the protector of heroes; fallen warriors joined him in Valhalla. He had a mythical horse called Sleipnir, who had eight legs, teeth inscribed with runes, and the ability to gallop through the air and over the sea. Odin was one of the greatest wizards among the gods and was associated with runes. He was also the God of Poets. His outward appearance he was an old man, with flowing beard and only one eye (the other he gave in exchange for wisdom).

He was usually depicted wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a spear.

Biography

Prior to the Game

Odin was born from Ymir, the first Giant. However, unlike Ymir, Odin felt that the Æsir were fit to be the supreme rulers of the Nine Realms and so he killed his own father and anyone else who stood in his path.

At some point, Mimir came to Odin with a "Mystic Well of Knowledge" but was really a well laced with enough hallucinogenic mushrooms to give even a god visions. Odin was initially impressed with this well and whatever he saw in his hallucinations made him start to tear out both of his eyes. Fortunately, he was stopped by Mimir from finishing the job and was convinced by Mimir that he had sacrificed his eye for knowledge. Odin eventually figured out that Mimir had fooled him and one day removed one of Mimir's eyes.

After he cemented his rule as the "Allfather," Odin continued to wage wars over the other realms. He did not encounter any difficulty until the Vanir, where the two forces fought to a stalemate. At this point, both sides grew tired of fighting, and Odin eventually agreed to marry Freya to end the fighting, and so that Odin may secretly learn her magic. Freya eventually abandoned Odin, and Odin cursed her to remain imprisoned in Midgard and to always protect all life in that land out of petty revenge.

Odin also sought the secrets of Jötunheim and the Giants. However, he made an enemy of them, and he started a genocidal campaign to kill any Giant the Æsir could find. His son Tyr attempted to bring a peace by inviting Odin to a summit with the Giants, but Odin only agreed to get the secrets of Jotunheim. The giants foresaw this and expelled Odin from their homeland. Tyr then permanently opposed Odin's attempts to learn the Giants's secrets, which led to Odin killing Tyr.

God of War (2018)

While not actually making an appearance in the game, he is frequently mentioned by several characters. He is the one who imprisoned Mimir in the past and personally tortured him every day for many decades. He also sent Baldur to gain knowledge of Faye's whereabouts for unknown purposes.

He employs a large number of icy ravens (known as Eyes of Odin) to observe the world and gather information for him. Kratos can destroy all of these ravens. Odin also has secret vaults scattered throughout the world that contain murals depicting legends, and an entrance to a Valkyrie's prison.

Personality

“	Ruthless? Barbaric? Heartless? That's Odin.	”
–Mimir, speaking about Odin

According to Mimir, Odin was extremely paranoid about anything he believed would threaten his rule and that of the Æsir, much like how Zeus was before Kratos killed him. This included the giants, the Vanir and even the beloved Tyr, his own son. Also, Mimir said that Odin is extremely clever, almost as clever as Odin believes himself to be, as he was able to figure out that Kratos and Atreus had an important role in the coming of Ragnarök. It is implied that he had an intense fear of Kratos as well, due to his role in the destruction of Olympus.

In addition, Odin jealously guards all the knowledge and secrets he collected. He betrayed and deceived many revered figures in Norse mythology who possessed knowledge that he did not and once he obtained them, he disposed of them cruelly.

It is also stated the Odin is very cruel, having tortured Mimir during his imprisonment every day, ordered his son Thor to kill every Jötnar he could find and betrayed the Jötnar, Ymir, at the beginning under the self-righteous belief that he and the Æsir were bringing order. In truth, he and the Æsir believed that they were superior and deserved to be such. Additionally, Odin feigned affection to Freya during their marriage just so he could learn the methods to use Old Magic for his own purposes. Once he got what he wanted and Freya started to rebel against him, he banished her to stay in Midgard and robbed the goddess of her warrior spirit; therefore, rendering her unable to kill anything. To add the insult of injury, he wrongfully corrupted Valkyries into monstrous beasts by condemning them trapped in physical form to spite Freya further which dangerously overflowing Helheim with souls of the departed in process. Finally, he left the Nine Realms to suffer during the Desolation, closing Asgard's gates.

Odin is also shown to hold petty grudges, as he never forgot that Mimir had outwitted him when they first met. When Mimir finally fell out of favor, Odin removed one of his eyes. In addition, when he lost the arrangement he made with the disguised Hrimthur in finishing Asgard's walls, he may have kept his end of the bargain in allowing the builder to speak with his queen, Freya, the Allfather double-crossed him and had Thor kill him. In addition, when Skaoi spurned his affections, he deceived her into killing her own father during a hunt.

Mimir stated that Odin is obsessed with prophecies of the future, stylizing himself to be "all-knowing and all-seeing" but more importantly, motivated to control the future, his fate, and every realm. Mimir exploited this to become his adviser when he offered him a "well of knowledge" that allowed him to see visions.

Overall, Odin's depraved actions throughout the centuries have led him to be wholly despised by many figures such as the Vanir, Freya, The World Serpent, Mimir and even the Valkyries.

Powers and Abilities

• Superhuman Strength: Odin is one of the if not, the most powerful Norse God. He is stronger than his son Baldur and possibly rivals Thor.
• Magical Prowess: Odin is the most powerful sorcerer of all the Æsir. He can use both Æsir and Vanir magic. His desire for magical power was so strong, that he agreed to marry Freya, a Vanir goddess, just to learn their old magic.

Weapons

• Gungnir: In Norse mythology, Odin possesses the Dwarven made spear, Gungnir, which always hits its target.

Trivia

• His Greek equivalent (in terms of being the king of the gods) is Zeus.
  • In terms of attributes, however, Odin encompasses multiple roles shared by different Greek Gods (e.g. Ares, Athena, Apollo, and Thanatos).
• Tacticus, a Roman historian and senator, associated Odin with Hermes's Roman equivalent Mercury due to their status as a psychopomp.
• Throughout the game, Kratos and Atreus encounter Odin's ravens. A side mission includes killing 51 of these ravens.
• According to Mimir, one of Odin's primary obsessions was finding a way to Jötunheim to learn the giant's secrets. He continues to search for a way to the realm to this day.
• Despite hating the giants, and they him, Odin ended up falling in love with a giant, Thor's mother Fjörgyn. In addition, before or after her, Odin sought the affections of Skaoi, Queen of the Hunt.