Powers of Odin the Allfather in Norse Mythology 

In Norse mythology, Odin the Allfather was the chief god ruling over Asgard. The abode of Odin up in Asgard was Valhalla the Great Hall of the Fallen. Odin is considered to be among the most complicated figures in Norse mythology. 

The question here is what are the powers of Odin the Allfather in Norse mythology? 

Sources mentioning Odin the Allfather are various and many of them mention Odin with different powers and qualities. In this blog post, we only focus on three major powers of Odin in Norse mythology that we can easily realize. 

Wisdom

Indeed, Odin was the god of wisdom in Norse mythology. Whether he was the wisest creature in Norse myth remains a mystery. But no one could ever doubt the knowledge and wisdom of Odin the Allfather. 

Odin was a seeker of knowledge. He desperately longed for knowledge and wisdom. Odin never stopped to learn. We can even call him ambitious for knowledge because he really was. 

In Norse mythology, there were two times that Odin revealed his desire for knowledge. The first time was when he traded one of his eyes into the Well of Mimir. Learning that the water of Mimir's Well would give him an infinite source of knowledge. But to gain this source of knowledge, Mimir had Odin sacrifice one of his eye into the well. 

Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to gain more knowledge from the Well of Mimir 

Another time that Odin made a sacrifice was to gain the ability to read runes. To gain the rune alphabet, Odin had to make a sacrifice. He had to hang himself up in the Yggdrasil Tree of Life for nine days and nights with his chest being stabbed and for nine days he had no food and water. Odin rejected all the help from other gods. He was so desperate for knowledge that he was serious with the sacrifice. 

Odin's hanging in the Yggdrasil Tree of Life to gain the ability to read runes 

Inspiration

If you are a Viking enthusiast, chances are that you have heard of the Mead of Poetry. Mead was a favorite drink for the gods and the Vikings but not everyone could afford a drip of Mead of Poetry. 

Odin the Allfather had to endure many hardships and troubles before he could finally reach the Mead of Poetry. The moment Odin drank the Mead, he had the power of inspiration as the name of the Mead suggested it was the "Stirrer of Inspiration". 

Knowledge was worth spreading in the belief of Odin the Allfather 

After drinking the Mead, not only could Odin speak in poems but he could also use his power of words to persuade other people to listen to him. 

Odin deserved the title of God of Inspiration. Because when Odin had the Mead of Poetry for himself, he didn't keep it to himself only. Rather, he shared the Mead to many other gods in Asgard. That is where the Inspiration lies. 

Creation

Even Loki had to accept that Odin was good at creating. While Loki failed all the time, Odin always created the most awesome things. Loki attempted to have the most talented offspring but what he got was the monstrous children who were despised by the whole cosmos. 

In the meantime, many of the great gods had the surname of "Odinson". Some of the famous and mighty sons of Odin included Thor God of Thunder and Storm, Vidar God of Revenge, Baldur the Beloved God, etc. Almost all sons of Odin were worshipped and loved by all creatures in the cosmos. 

Odin, Vili, and Ve were the brothers who killed Ymir the first giant in Norse mythology and used the giant's corpse to fashion the world. 

Odin was also among the main figures who fashioned the cosmos. After slaying the first giant of the cosmos, Ymir, Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve took the body parts of Ymir to fashion the world: teeth for the cliffs, blood for the ocean, brain for the clouds, etc. Walking along the shore the three brothers saw two logs which they picked up and fashioned the two logs into the humanity. And there came the first humans in the cosmos.