Woden is the god of poetry, magic, and ecstacy. He is also given considerable status as a war god, and as god of the dead. Woden has many names, reflecting the many mysterious facets of this cunning ese. Woden is frequently called the All-father as he is the progenitor of the Esan, the gods and goddesses of intellect and thought. He is not only seen as the founder of this celestial dynasty but also as the chieftan of the Gods. He is a crafty plotter, always thinking in the long term, taking action that will ensure the continuance of order in the cosmos. Because of this broad perspective, it is often difficult to discern the reasons for his actions, and more often than not they are seen as capricious or even cruel. Woden is the god of warriors, wizards and poets. His name loosely means, “Furious One”, and he is called so with good reason. Warriors devoted to Woden would call upon his might and wod, or “fury” to drive out any taint of fear, and to make them immune to pain.
Woden brought the mead of inspiration to the Gods and to humanity, and for this reason poets call upon him to bring inspiration to thier works. Woden hung upon the world tree for nine nights to win knowledge of the runes, and sacrificed one of his eyes for wisdom and for vision of the threads of Wyrd. For this reason he is often seen as the patron of those who practice the arts of magick.
The adherent who takes the All-Father for a patron should be cautioned, his character is not easily fathomed and his actions not easily reasoned. His self appointed task is to preserve the life of the world tree for as long as possible and the paths he chooses are oft times incomprehensible to humanity. Woden is the god that challenges us to rise above the limits we set for ourselves, and to be tempered by the struggle. Symbols of Woden include a spear, the triskell (a three-armed “twirling” symbol), or the Valknut, “Knot of the Slain”, comprised of three interlocking triangles.
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