Viking Artifact of Odin Found in Denmark
Odin was Viking Supreme God who ruled over the land of Asgard the land of Gods. He fathered many powerful and well-known gods like Thor God of Thunder, Heimdall the Guardsman of Asgard, or Baldur God of Light. Odin was among the most respected and worshipped Gods in the Viking Age. The Vikings accepted Odin to their heart and worshipped him for the power to make their foes get down on their knees.
Odin from Lejre
On the second day of September 2009, a local amateur archaeologist Tommy Oselen found a small figurine during an excavation at the small village Gammel Lejre to the east of Denmark. They believe the figurine tried to depict Odin the Allfather sitting on his High Throne up in Asgard. His High Throne was the Hliðskjálfu. The statue is believed to date back to the 10th century around 900AD.
Indeed, right at the beginning of Grímnismál of the Poetic Edda, Odin was depicted to sit on his High Throne with his wife Frigg who was the chief goddess up in Asgard. They sat there and watched what the whole world was doing. This High Throne was one of the ways that Odin earned himself knowledge.
Odin on his High Throne
Take a look at the statue from Lejre, we can easily see the features the remind us of Odin the Allfather.
There are two ravens perching on the arms of the chair and two beasts from the back of the chair. The ravens are believed to be Odin's ravens Huginn and Muninn while the beasts were another Odin's constant companions Geri and Freki. One eye of the figure is damaged or isn't there right from the start. God Odin once sacrificed his eye to gain more knowledge in the Well of Mirmir. The chair is the High Throne of Odin from which he can observe the whole world.
However, there were other theories upon the figurine as well. Some archaeologists didn't agree with the thought that the statue from Lejre depicting Odin. Their reason was that the figure was wearing a dress so this figure couldn't be Odin. Rather, it was Freya god of Love and War. The figure even wore the necklace which was mainly attributed to Freya because Goddess Freya loved jewelry. But in Norse sagas, depiction of Freya, raven, and wolves was not a common thing. Freya always appeared with cats, not ravens or wolves.
Two ravens perching on the arm, two wolves behind his back, and one eye damaged
Another theory is that the figure was Frigg Odin's wife. She was there to observe the world when her husband was away. This theory, however, wasn't persuasive enough.
Anyway, the majority agree that the figurine depicted Odin the Allfather. Until any theory is persuasive enough and widely accepted, we still believe the small figurine was a work to worship Odin the Allfather in the Viking Age.
