odens

Odens is a nonstandard form sometimes encountered as a variant of Odin, the chief god of the Norse pantheon. The standard Old Norse name is Óðinn; in English it is Odin. In some inflected languages, Odens may appear as a possessive or other form of the name, rather than as a separate figure.

Odin (Óðinn) is a central figure in Norse mythology, known as the All-Father and ruler of the Æsir. He is associated with wisdom, war, death, magic, poetry, and prophecy. He is commonly depicted with one eye, a wide-brimmed hat or cloak, and is accompanied by his ravens Huginn and Muninn and by Sleipnir, his eight-legged horse. He wields the spear Gungnir and is linked to the runic alphabet and to seidr, a form of magic.

Two well-known myths describe his pursuit of knowledge: he sacrificed his eye at Mímir’s Well to gain wisdom, and he hanged himself on Yggdrasil for nine nights to learn the runes. As leader of the Aesir, Odin is also portrayed as a patron of poets and a shaper of fate and wisdom.

Worship and cultural legacy: Odin was widely worshipped in the Norse world, with references to temples, rites, and ritual practices in medieval sources. In modern times, Odin appears in literature, film, and video games, and figures prominently in neopagan revivals such as Ásatrú, which seek to revive Norse religion.

Etymology: The name Óðinn is Old Norse, related to Proto-Germanic *Wōðinaz; cognates include Woden (Old English) and Wodan (Old High German). The form Odens is rare and largely linguistic, not a separate historical deity.