SWANHILDE

CHAPTER TEN: OMNIPOTENT ODIN

The Gods are mysterious.

They are enigmatic.

Their stories are both familiar and rife with contradiction.

Ages past, in a time untold millennia before the creation of man, came a race of gods. They have many names and many faces. The Aesir and the Norse be but two of their names.

At the dawn of time there was Odin, Allfather of the Northern gods, known as Wodan, Woden or Wotan - called Asagrim (Lord of the Aesir), called Spear Shaker, called Enemy of the Wolf, called Flashing Eye and Frigg's Delight - he who men knew also as the father of magical songs, as Bale-Worker or Grimnir, the hooded one, called also Battle binder and Lord of the Hanged. Hoary beard, some knew him as, and the High One, War-Merry, Screamer and The Father of Hosts.

One Eyed. Raven God. Roarer. Sage. The Even High. 

Also Yule Father and Weather Maker, Long Beard and God of Runes.

170 names did the Lord Odin possess and in the tellings he was sometimes all powerful and omnipotent and sometimes he came by his powers and wisdom, his charms, by the sacrifice of an eye, thus gaining the name of Odin One Eye.

When time began, twas Odin who did create the very earth that was called Midgard, and his Aesir (sprang from his brow into existence) who were the sole gods. Yet there are many other tellings and many other pantheons, each of whom claim they created man and the beasts and the blue globe called the Earth. Greek and Roman gods of Olympus, Egyptian gods from Heliopolis and more - the Slavics, the gods of far flung Cathay and the Indian sub continent. There were as many gods as there were stories, and latterly the Christian god and others.

Odin was the creator in some tellings and in other eddas, he was simultaneously an heir to these who came before him. 

Borr was Odin's father, son of Buri, who it is told, was the first of the Norse pantheon. So by that logic, perhaps Odin's grandfather created the mortal realm ... except the stories tell of an older age where Frost giants reigned and they say that Buri was created by the cow Auðumbla licking the salty ice of the Ginnungagap or primordial void in the time of Ymir, king of all frost giants.

Yet, even if Odin was not the first Allfather, perhaps he still could have been the one to step from the godly realms of the Norse to form the Earth and bring life to mankind ... if not for all the other tales!

It matters not. There is truth in myth and myth in truth and every story is right and none are right. It matters not.

What does matter is that by a time some seven to eight centuries past the birth of the Christ, the gods of the North were ancient indeed, and that Odin Allfather was well versed in shaping his segment of humanity. From the most ancient stories of the gods, had come the stories of men.

Destiny. Fate. The Wyrd. Odin may or may not have been the creator, but he had developed into a writer of a broad tapestry and his stories were plotted out hundreds of years, if not thousands, in advance.

But rewrite one element, reshape the plot and the entire structure is in jeopardy.

Now here is a truth that can be told.

Omnipotent Odin is in fact all seeing and all powerful, but if he be also omnipresent? Well, that is the question and here is an answer.

Aye. But also Nay. For even a being as powerful as Odin must choose to focus his senses and to commune with the universe for too long, is a drain on even celestial power.

Thus the one eye spent more time concerned with the fate of the worlds beyond Midgard - he would cast his eye towards Hel on occasion and it was meet that he should check pon potential enemies in Muspelheim (home of the fire demons), Niflheim (where ancient enemies - the frost giants, sons of Ymir dwelt) and Jotunheim (there rebellious giants simmered with resentment).