Mightiest of the Aesir, warrior and king, the All-Father is a doomed God.It seems strange to imagine a God concerned with his fate, but Odin regularly consults the volva, the seers in the North. They speak of a final war, Ragnarok, when the mightiest Gods are slain and the world is consumed by the sea. For this day, Odin constantly prepares.The All-Father can trace his lineage to Bor, he slew Ymir with the aid of his two brothers, Vili and Ve, and with his remains forged the world. Atop Asgard, where Odin presides, he is known as the bringer of war, a sage of wisdom, and the keeper of souls slain in battle.As a warrior, Odin rides his eight legged steed, Sleipnir, and wields the mighty spear Gungnir. Accompanying him are two wolves and his two trusted ravens, Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory), who fly around Midgard and return to Odin with all they see and hear.As a sage, Odin travels disguised as a simple wanderer, seeking wisdom. His thirst for knowledge has come at great personal cost, having been hanged from the branches of Yggdrasil, the world tree, for nine days and nights and sacrificed one of his eyes to the Well of Wisdom.As keeper of souls, Odin welcomes slain warriors to his mighty hall of Valhalla on the agreement they will aid him at Ragnarok. Favored female warriors become his elite Valkyrie that usher those worthy of entry to Valhalla.It is in preparation for the final days of Ragnarok he does all this. For the seers claim his death will come at the fangs of the great wolf Fenrir, and like anyone, Odin seeks to change his fate. Yet, never once have the volva been mistaken.
(NOTE: I changed this slightly because the original says he is descended from Ymir, which he isn't. He is descended from Buri, the first man who was licked from the ice by the cow Andhumla).
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