Odin

American  

[oh-din] / ˈoʊ dɪn /

noun

Scandinavian Mythology.

1. the ruler of the Aesir and god of war, poetry, knowledge, and wisdom; Wotan: the chief god.

---

Odin British  

/ ˈəʊdɪn, ˈəʊðɪn /

noun

1. Germanic counterpart: Wotan.   Woden.  Norse myth the supreme creator god; the divinity of wisdom, culture, war, and the dead

---

Odin Cultural  

1. In Norse mythology, the solemn ruler of the gods. He was god of wisdom, poetry, farming, and war.

---

Discover More

Wednesday is named after Odin, using a form of his name that begins with W.

Other Word Forms

• Odinian adjective
• Odinic adjective
• Odinism noun
• Odinist noun
• Odinitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Odin

From Old Norse Ōthinn; cognate with Old English Wōden, Old Saxon Woden, Old High German Wuotan; see Woden

Compare meaning

How does odin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Odin vs. Fenrir

Example Sentences

Experts associate the design with the god Odin, whose roles in Norse mythology included ferrying the dead to the afterlife.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2025

When she’s not writing, she’s teaching yoga sculpt and strength training classes at CorePower Yoga or taking care of her dogs, Odin and Hash Brown.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025

It is, of course, perfectly fine for people to be Christians, just as it's fine if people identify as Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan or a worshipper of Odin.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2023

"And Odin is a fantastic young player, he'll learn from that, you can't go to ground like that, particularly in Europe and he'll learn from that."

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2023

When Odin approached the hall, he began to spit: a fountain of mead spurted from his beak into the vats, one after another, like a father bird bringing food for his children.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman