Odin and the Wild Hunt - The origin of Wodan, Woden, Wode, Wōðanaz, Wodanaz, Odinn, Óðr or Óðinn?

[@Crecganford]

Is he Odin or Wodan to you? Or someone else?

[@BlackthornBushcraft]

Woden.

[@corytucker6668]

He is all those names to me. He is Alfadir. Great video!

[@_-Naz-_]

I guess in origin it was called wodan in my country but I only knew this for a short time so it was Odin before

[@Crecganford]

@@_-Naz-_ I think that's how most come to find out about him. He actually goes even further back, pre-Wode, and I'll put up a video in a few weeks summarising a paper I'm working on to explain this. Thanks for watching :)

[@MustardSkaven]

Wodan, since I'm not Norse but Germanic.

[@jamesowens6241]

I am a heathen, and am currently trying to research how far back Odin goes. he is my patron deity. I knew of him as Wodanaz and of his connection to the Wild Hunt, but not of the same depth I'm learning from you. These videos are helping immensely, and for that you have my deepest appreciation. Thank you.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for your kind words. I will do a video on how Odin came to be in the form we know from the Eddas, as that is rather interesting. And if you have any questions in the meantime drop them here or email me at crecganford.

[@JasenChase00]

Check into the links between Etruscan writing Phoenician alphabet and the runes..as a Anthropology Linguist I believe they are merged together to settle Norway Denmark Sweden etc..the far north when the bronze age began to collapse they settled into Wales and the far North: hence two pantheons two types of language in Etruria both have Tyr and * believe Tin is Otin but adapted later. I've spent long time here on this. If correct then he goes to Ionian Peninsula (Lydian) circa 3000 BCE At least.

[@timokohler6631]

How many have you killed?

[@Zoomer_Analysis]

What’s a patron deity? And what do you pray to him for so often?

[@grimwulf8547]

Another reason for Odin showing very different character traits in different stories is that the stories represent the 3 different levels of his spirit. 1. Self human desires, '2 warrior priest king' and 3 a God. I think the stories did this to inspire us to look to our basic 3 levels of spirit when going about our lives. lots of the Gods are talked about as having 3 faces or spirits, Look at all the statues from Gual with 3 faces and that all the tribes had their own triskelle symbols. I know the vedic texts split our spirit into several more layers but I think in Europe we had 3 levels to our spirit

[@Crecganford]

Hey Grim Good to hear from you :) I have far more to tell and will cover some of these things, hopefully all of them as like you I think Odin has many faces, and is much more than most people realise.

[@Gladedancer]

First, I enjoy your thoughts on these subjects :) Subscribed! You have touched on a supremely salient point about Óðinn who has always been, in my mind, the most complex figure in Germanic myth. It is my belief that by time Snorri is writing of him in the 13th century, Óðinn has assimilated a number of roles from other beings in ancient myth. The key, I believe, is in the androgyne, Yemo/Ymir, whom is sacrificed by their sibling Manu ("Man", and the first priest, now the moon), and from this giant being is formed the Sky Father and the Earth Mother (who have a son, the Storm God). The Sun, a daughter, is formed from plucking Yemo's eye. From Yemo also is birthed mankind, by breathing spirit into the mud, and who are now divided into the 3 castes, thus making Yemo the first king. Yemo's spirit is resurrected and becomes ruler of the underworld, realm of the dead. Óðinn in the myths claims these things, All-Father, giver of spirit (and frenzy), lord of death (wild hunt, wolves, Valkyrja (ravens)), and psychopomp of the dead (Mercury), sacrifices an eye. Gungnir never misses because one cannot evade their chosen death. Old "Slippy" (Sleipnir), the 8 legged, 9 world traveling child of Loki (see below) is the remnant of the original Divine Twins. Somewhere along the timeline, and within certain cultures, their role becomes amalgamated with Trito/Þriði ("Third"), the first warrior, whom I believe is the Germanic Tiw/Tyr (as the general word for a god, not in the sense of the cognate for Sky Father). One can see this with Tyr's role in Ragnarok fighting Garm, and Odin against Fenrir, both of which are wolves serving as devourers. The number three is a recurring theme among PIE myths (what's better than three? Well three 3s of course!), and many of the tales are of three companions traveling the worlds. The creation of mankind in the Völuspá differs in that instead of one being, it is essentially the Sky Father, Storm Lord, and Third Man giving life. The practice of magic (Seiðr) was, at least in Scandinavia, considered a feminine art, and in Lokasenna, Loki (as a trickster god arguably of Saami origin, but likely also with elements of Snorri's invention) calls Odin out on this practice including behaving as a woman (which is not denied, and rather rich coming from Loki). Odin gains this knowledge along with writing, in large part by sacrifice of his kingly eye to himself, taking on a role of priest. King, priest, warrior - each possibly a hypostasis of one being. This idea, to me, is the influence of Christianity on Snorri's writing. The true origin of Odin is much closer to being the sacrificed twin, from whom the world, sun, and people were born (All-Father), and resurrected to rule over the dead.

[@Crecganford]

Now that was incredibly well thought out and interesting, and I would like to ponder it more before I comment. Thank you for taking the time to write this, and feel free to email me if you want to discuss further. Thanks again! Jon

[@fredazcarate4818]

Excellent academic work, and I enjoyed your presentation immensely. Thank you!

[@Crecganford]

And thank you for watching, and leaving a comment. It is appreciated.

[@2mifune]

Wonderful and informative video that has helped me move forward in one single chunk in my quest for knowledge about Odin. Many thanks.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for watching, and your kind words.

[@dantanner6631]

Looking forward to reaching the next odin video 🙌

[@off_Planet]

The background of the wild hunt makes me wonder if it is a story based in the motion of the stars, akin to Orion chasing the seven sisters for eternity. Do you know of any material exploring that thought? Great video again, by the way. Really enjoy your content 👌

[@Crecganford]

Hi, there are a number of theories, and certainly the Great Hunt is a known myth from the stars, and that no doubt influenced it. If you look for my video, the oldest story ever told, that will give you a background on it (excuse the quality it was my first video). Thanks for watching and the feedback, it means alot :)

[@off_Planet]

@@Crecganford yes, right, you did a video on that topic already. I remember watching it a while ago, but I was cooking while watching so I missed a few points, I guess. I'll have another look, thanks for the suggestion. Have a great sunday!

[@elvenkind6072]

Snorre Sturlason, the Icelandic author of the King's Sagas of the Norwegian Kings, had an idea that Odin along with the other gods of Åsatru, came from the area of Troy in today's Turkey. In this he was following a quite common idea in the middle ages, based on euhemerism (after the Greek philosopher Euhemeros ) that the gods had originally been great people, heroes, nobles, war-leaders of large areas etc. And I think many more people have seen the similarity between the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods and that also Germanic gods are similar in more then a few ways. And obviously Tacitus could see the same thing both among the Germanic Peoples and Romans saw similarities also with the gods of the Levant, worshiped by the Carthaginians. This was also the view that became prevalent with the enlightenment and still how many of today's people would describe the origin of the old gods. And it does make sense when studying the though people had during the time of these ancient gods. For example the mother of Alexander claimed that he was an offspring of Zeus, an idea he seemed to have adopted himself too, he was both worshiping Dionysus and following the same physical journey that Dionysus had done to the east, and even further, and visiting other places identified with myths and gods. The Olympian gods also lived on the top of the tallest mountain in Greece, mount Olympus. Alexander became deified by many after his death. Gaius Julius Cæsar followed the example of the life of Alexander, as did many Romans, and Cæsar was himself an offspring of Venus, that belonged on his fathers side of the family, and after his victories like other Romans, during their victory parades in Roma, was dressed as Jupiter for the time, had painted his face red, and according to tradition had a slave holding a wreath over his head and whispering "remember that you are mortal". Still after his dead Cæsar was deified by his adopted son Octavian, or Augustus that then could claim to be a son of a god, a "divi filius", and so the cult of the emperor was formed. Jesus used the same phrase "divi filius" about himself, only regarding the one and only God of the Jews, perhaps to make it more simple to explain his teachings, by using a phrase that was commonly known in the Empire at large, but this isn't something I have read in any work of theology or similar, but are just speculation. Christians in turn was accused of being atheists when they didn't worship the Roman pantheon, nor sacrificed to the cult of the Emperor. Something that made them a target for persecution, causing many deaths, until the problem was solved by the Christians holding a prayer for the Emperors.

[@hengistcane3120]

Another great post.thankyou.

[@Crecganford]

Thanks Hengist!

[@johnphamlore8073]

Thanks for telling me about your other videos about Odin such as this one, which exactly answers my questions about Tacitus. Do you think it is possible the Wild Hunt has some sort of common mythological ancestor with Sumerian myths of the dead as being a horde of zombie-like creatures who wish to consume the living if they were unleashed from the underworld?

[@Crecganford]

Now you have to watch my dog videos, as this explains that feature... kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGq1ZH-vm6iFe68 and I do have another that I haven't published yet which further explains the purpose of dogs and death.

[@MrJarl66]

Great video! Just started to subscribe to your channel, and love it! Do you have any video on the origin AND dissapearance of Tyr/Ty? Wasn't he the earliest main god of the germanic peoples?

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for watching, and I keep promising to do such a video, so give me a couple of months and I'll publish one :) until then if you have any questions please ask

[@willmosse3684]

Great video. I don’t quite understand how the Latin inscription in Germanic territory, which said Mercury Raven, demonstrated their equivalent for Mercury was indeed Woden. We know that later on Woden/Odin was associated with ravens, but I thought you said that at this time we do not know this? Any clarification would be appreciated, from you or anyone! Thanks

[@albertito77]

How confident are we really that the leader of the Wild Hunt was Wode(n)? What sources attest to this? The leader has all kind of names

[@KamikazethecatII]

If you’re interested in this still you can read about it in Kris Kershaw “The One-Eyed God”

[@KamikazethecatII]

@Antifederalist you can download it on library genesis

[@SirAxelGrimnir703]

My quest for the same answers has lead me to Pushan and Pan and more! I think Víðarr has straits cognate with Pushan and Lugh. The answer is in their connection to shoes and their role in the end of the world/ like scenario and their shoes.

[@zupergut3015]

In the Vedic mythology, the "Maruts", a troop of young warriors, are Indra's companions. According to French comparative mythologist Georges Dumézil, they are cognate to the Einherjar and the Wild hunt

[@Crecganford]

Yes, and whilst Dumezil has some doubters, I do believe that, and want to look into the Vedic far more. Thanks for watching :)

[@noruas]

Odin is Lord Mahavishnu in vedic religion.

[@Crecganford]

@@noruas I'm still learning about the Vedic religion, but there are so many similarities, far more than I first thought

[@noruas]

@@Crecganford look into the 7 planets and All will be obvious! Thats the underpinning commonality in the Indo european pantheon!

[@tonybarde2572]

In Hawaii, a similar legend exists to that of the Wild Hunt. It is a legend known as the Nightmarchers. Spirits of Warriors, Chiefs and sometimes the Hawaiian deities themselves parade along ancient routes around the islands. Anyone unlikely enough to see them will be swept up in the procession

[@Valdagast]

I always assumed that Mercury and Odin was identified as the same god because they're both psychopomps.

[@Crecganford]

It could actually be that is how he originally came about as a personification, there is some decent arguments to be had for it.

[@TomKraus]

Currently catching up on a lot of your videos (and been commenting here and there). One question that came up for me with a lot of the changes in pantheons and importance of Gods (Tyr, Thor, Odin) is if the civilisations back then came up with end of day scenarios like Ragnarök as a "rest button" in order to explain or have a possibility for these changes. In the end, there were some many civilizations or groups of people with their different believes which probably weren't unified in a lot of ways migrating, merging, fighting and influencing each other across Europe and Asia, it would make sense to have a logical story to tell for one believe system to end or to change and by doing so adapting other ideas. Especially since the sources like the Eddas seem to be just a snapshot from a specific place/group of people at a specific time. Wondering if you have some knowledge on "the origin" of the end of world scenarios and their purpose - maybe there is even a video I must've missed so far?

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for watching, and for a great question. Whilst the beginning and creation myths are well attested too, the end of the world is not so consistent. I am still researching the topic, but will one day produce a video about it, but it probably won't be out before next year due to the amount of reading I'm having to do. So bear with me, and it will be here one day. Thanks again for your support.

[@VelholoboCanal]

Odinn also have all the symbols of indo european Dyeus/Deiwos and the Hindu Rudra, also called Shiva. horses, ravens, wolfs, three faces, spear user, symbols of death art, sacrifice. Rudra and odinn shares a name too, Rudra means "roarer", and Odinn is called "Hrjóðr" (roarer) in Odinns nofn. In indo european Myth, Dyeus sacrifice the cattle to create the material world, like Odinn sacrifice Ymir, to create the material world. And many anothers same symbols. Odinn is the true original creator, but now, we call him by another name, and we dont know what is her original name. Dyeus/Deywos/Rudra/Shiva are only ancient names. but we dont know what is the original.

[@Crecganford]

I do explain much of this in my other videos, Odin is an incredibly complex character with pieces from different cultures.

[@robertbrumfitt6548]

Fantastic video 👌

[@Crecganford]

Thanks for the feedback Robert, really appreciated. If you want to see any specific topics let me know.

[@robertbrumfitt6548]

@@Crecganford I like how you really took apart the etymological roots of Woden to expand on that dieties original nature. Would be cool to see this with more of the Germanic or Brythonic pantheons

[@Crecganford]

@@robertbrumfitt6548 Hi Robert, I would love to give it a go. I've just started looking at the Celtic gods, but will put that on my list, a great idea! Thanks

[@davehoughton7474]

I've been enjoying your videos. Tacitus is pronounced with a soft c 'Tassitus'. Deus is pronounced 'Day-us'. All very interesting though. Many thanks.

[@CraigLow-ek9mc]

It appears that Wodanaz is closely related to the pairing Nodens and Lugus. I think more clearly Nodens (Irish Nuadu Brythonic Nudd) and his avater Fionn or Gwyn as he was the leader of the wild hunt.

[@Crecganford]

He is certainly an accumulation of traditions, and I do want to talk more about this in the future.

[@thorgeist]

Archeologist and Historian Thor Heyerdahl created one of the best known hypothesis that Odin was a real man. He formulates this theory based on real Anthropological and Archeological evidence showing that groups of Nomadic people travelled from the Caucuses into Scandinavia. He speculated that Odin was a real person who constructed or helped construct the Norwegian and Swedish dynasty. He first began forming his hypothesis after visiting the petroglyphs of Gobustan, the glyphs dating back at least 5,000 years. The glyphs are scratches of sickle shaped boats that resemble that of Norwegian and Scandinavian glyphs. After creating a reed boat and sailing 2,750 sea miles in 7 days in 1970 just to prove humans could do it in ancient times, he would discover a little over a decade later that there is a correlation between Scandinavia and the Caucasus through the Norwegian myths by noting that Odin travelled with his people from a place called Aser, who’s description matches that of the Scythian region east of the Caucus mountains and the Black Sea. Based on Snorri’s poetic accounts in his post-face of the Poetic Edda, Asagarth was the capital of Asaland. A section of Asia east of the dawn river flowing into the Black Sea. Snorri then goes on to embellish Odin as the Chief of Asgard, from there he conducts military expeditions to all parts of the world, never losing a battle. Stating that Odin led some of the other Aesir(people of his tribe) to the North in search of new land to settle, going up the Dawn river to Sax-land (which was Germany) and then to Scandinavia. Yes, most of the description of these travels are mythological; as Odin was stated as being a sorcerer, speaks only in verse, has a ship that can be rolled up like a table cloth when not being used, and relies on two talking ravens in order to gather intelligence. With that being said, a brief passage from the encyclopedia Brittanica, 9th edition, Volume 2, page 594 under the topic “Asgard,” states and reads as such: “The historical explanation of Asgard, as given by the early Northern authorities, is that, the country called Asaheim to the east of Tanagvise (The Tanais or Don) in Asia, there was a city, Asgard, in which ruled a great chief, known as Odin or Woden, who presided over religious sacrifices which were held there. He and Sarmatians or Caucasian Chiefs left their settlement on the Black Sea, and wandered forth in search of new and independent homes, the the North and West of the primary Asiatic seat of their tribes. Odin, after foreknowing that he and his posterity would occupy the Northern lands, left Asaheim with vast multitude of followers, and wandered first westward to Garderike (Russia), and afterward to Sax-land (North and East Germany). After some time he proceeded Northward, till at length he came to the Malar Lake in Sweden, where they settled at a place called Sigtunna, the Present Upsala. His twelve diar, or Chief Priests, in the course of time founded states for themselves, and everywhere set up the laws and usages which they followed in Asaheim. Here we have a historical link with the Mythic story of Odin’s Halls in Asgard, and his twelve attendants Aesir. It is not improbable that traditionary records of such earlier migrations had lingered among the people dwelling on the shores of the Euxine, for it is certain that, whatever may be the age of Odin’s appearance in Scandinavia, previous waves of population had passed from the Black Sea to the Baltic, and cleared the way for the reception of the highest phase of Aryan civilization brought to Northern Europe by Odin and his followers.” - Encyclopedia Brittanica.”

[@williamdevito7253]

ive been a heathen a long time now,and i never knew how old Wotan was,or at least how long he has been worshipped. being a sky god,he may have only started coming here 8000 years ago,though may be much older. still,very informative

[@Crecganford]

Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful.

[@a..c..2469]

Hail the Aesir ,Hail the Vanir, i love the words of the wise one in the eddas ,Havamal i believe was the name

[@Andulsi]

Lugh is pronounced Loo. we re very familiar with his story in Ireland

[@Crecganford]

I will remember this, thank you

[@davidlfort]

I thought it originally terminated with a kind of guttural sound, similar to the Scottish "ch" in the word "loch" "Looch" as it were...

[@margaretyoung991]

It is definitely Loo. Many connections between Lugh and Odin

[@willmosse3684]

A question on the Interpretatio Romana. As I understand it, it is understood that Tacitus equated Thor with Hercules. However, the days of the week equate Thor with Jupiter. Given that Tacitus and the week days point to different gods in relation to Thor, how can we be sure the same is not true of Odin/Wodan? Is it really safe therefore to use the Mercredi/Wednesday connection to conclude that Tacitus was referring to Woden when he said Mercury? We have evidence that this would not have worked in the case of Thor.

[@norseruna]

I've been going through names of Odin...and 'Jolfr' (horse wolf) gave me an instinctive vision of a earlier form of Odin (as in the wild hunt). However for the life of me I can't find a source for this name (apart from the Wikipedia mention lol). Can anyone maybe shed some light on this?

[@Crecganford]

I haven't read that but a quick scan of some papers I have access to revealed this as the most relevant, and mentions Jolfr... God on the Margins: Dislocation and Transience in the Myths of Óðinn, Kevin J. Wanner, History of Religions , Vol. 46, No. 4 (May 2007), pp. 316-350

[@norseruna]

@@Crecganford thank you, this will definitely help

[@Stylin0]

Hey! I would love a bibliography so I could read up on the aspect of "wode" as you'd mentioned, do you have a suggested reading list for studying Odin/wodens more ancient aspects??

[@Crecganford]

There are many books, but I would strongly recommend "Prayer and Laughter" by Anatoly Liberman as a great place to start any research on the etymology.

[@NIDELLANEUM]

When I was a kid, there was this strategy game called "Imperium - Great Battles of Rome", and I remember that, in the Germanic cities, there was a "Wotan's sanctuary". When I found the game once again, I felt surprised when I realised it was the Germanic equivalent to Odin. That made me appreciate the game much more, since they added the extra detail of calling him Wotan, and not Odin

[@scrabbymcscrotus7481]

odin is germanic as well

[@Jetwolf]

Thank you

[@Crecganford]

Thanks for watching, and if you have any questions please ask :)

[@MrRabiddogg]

Given Mercury's job of ferrying the dead to the underworld, this is probably why Tacitus compared him to Wodin in his original aspect as a god of death?

[@Crecganford]

It is possible, but Tacitus also didn't see the evidence, he only would have heard about it from his peers or scribes who were with the generals on campaign. If you consider this and ask was was described it would have been a deity with ravens, as a visual representation is far more likely than a description of his properties, and this is the more probable reason.

[@MrRabiddogg]

@@Crecganford given Ravens are a symbol of death, both answers could be correct in their own way. Odin is a bit of an oddity in the overall PIE pantheon as in some ways he mirrors Zeus but in other ways he is completely opposite. If my understanding of Lough is correct the Gauls follow a similar pattern with him as well. I bet the spirituality followed a similar pattern to the language in which the northern migration route took one path and the southern another. Assuming that theory is correct of course.

[@romeoduque7297]

Bro you should look up The Witcher 3 :The Wild Hunt

[@talismanskulls2857]

I know most do not see it or hear it. Wode comes from Wod and it means Wood. Woden means Wooden as in made of wood. Wodu means Woods. Wodanan would have the sense of Wooden Ones as a plural also several ancient sources express concepts of people born of or created out of the wood of trees. The form Odin comes much later and is clearly influenced by Latin concepts from the Latin word ode, a lyrical and often musical poem which is also betrayed as Odin is called what? God of poetry and a creation of artistic liberty so to speak. As to "who" is called the leader of the Wild Hunt, there are several characters with their own names and identities and the attempts to fuse them into on is imposing a monolithic concept that does not belong.. In addition, the"leaders" have also been characters of different genders and it seems to be once again taken from Greek and Roman sources and given an Icelandic flavor. You can find the same obvious factors in regards to the name and character of Loki. Icelandic doesn't and didn't use the letter 'C.". It uses K. Loki is derived from the Latin word Loci, a plural form of lucus meaning "local". Its also linked to Lok (bind/tie/fixed in place) and also made a plural as Loki. So the fusion we see in Loki is not only the story of his "binding" and eventual escape but his ability to take on multiple forms in multiple places simultaneously as part of his trickery and powers of illusion.

[@mykulpierce]

Interesting connection to mercury. Have you seen the paper?: Babylonian Origin of Hermes the Snake-God, and of the Caduceus I, A. L. Frothingham, 1916. Hermes being a greek borrowing that was anthropomorphized from regional symbols of the Tree of Life and its associated branches, deeply connected to the symbol of the caduceus itself.

[@Crecganford]

I haven't read that, thank you I'll give that a read :) And thanks for watching

[@mykulpierce]

@@Crecganford it's a very interesting read to see the transformation of ideas and symbols into human figures. It's a super useful insight. Especially when encountering some of the oldest symbols. It can also be argued that as Egyptian blue glass has been found as far north as Scandinavia that there would be overlap with many European cultures in terms of ideas and beliefs. Connecting the idea of the tree of life which becomes a different type of tree depending on what was available in a particular region. "Sing Oak, and Ash, and Thorn, good sirs" -Rudyard Kipling

[@Crecganford]

@@mykulpierce Yes, I have made videos on the Indo-European Creation myth which shows how the creation myth spread across Eurasia, affecting most religions. That fascinates me, especially uncovering clues in old stories from part of the Egyptian Empire in 1500BCE are the same as the Old Norse creation story in the Voluspa.

[@mykulpierce]

@@Crecganford right on! Happy to have found your channel!

[@MrSparkums]

"The Greek Dark Ages was the period of Greek history from the end of the Mycenaean palatial civilization, around 1100 BC, to the beginning of the Archaic age, around 750 BC.[1] Archaeological evidence shows a widespread collapse of Bronze Age civilization in the Eastern Mediterranean world at the outset of the period, as the great palaces and cities of the Mycenaeans were destroyed or abandoned. At around the same time, the Hittite civilization also suffered serious disruption, with cities from Troy to Gaza being destroyed. In Egypt, the New Kingdom fell into disarray, leading to the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt. Following the collapse, there were fewer, smaller settlements, suggesting widespread famine and depopulation. In Greece, the Linear B script used by Mycenaean bureaucrats to write the Greek language ceased to be used, and the Greek alphabet did not develop until the beginning of the Archaic Period. The decoration on Greek pottery after about 1100 BC lacks the figurative decoration of Mycenaean ware and is restricted to simpler, generally geometric styles (1000-700 BC). It was previously thought that all contact was lost between mainland Hellenes and foreign powers during this period, yielding little cultural progress or growth. But archaeologist Alex Knodell considers that artifacts from excavations at Lefkandi on the Lelantine Plain in Euboea in the 1980s "revealed that some parts of Greece were much wealthier and more widely connected than traditionally thought, as a monumental building and its adjacent cemetery showed connections to Cyprus, Egypt, and the Levant as markers of elite status and authority, much as they had been in previous periods",[2] and this shows that significant cultural and trade links with the east, particularly the Levant coast, developed from c. 900 BC onwards. Additionally, evidence has emerged of the new presence of Hellenes in sub-Mycenaean Cyprus and on the Syrian coast at Al-Mina. "

[@DarkSaber-1111]

The ghost rider is in the sky!!!

[@SuperBjanka]

Could the northern light be the natural phenomena behind the myth abut the Wild Hunt ?

[@Crecganford]

It may have had some bearing, although if the origin was from the PIE culture then this lowers the probability of it being an event that influenced the creation of the myth. Also the lights are quite common if you live in northern Europe, and the hunt a rarer event, so it may have had something to do with storms and major winds. But I do think the lights must have influenced some myth an stories.

[@IsaTehGothicMando]

Could the origin of this story be in the "Cosmic Hunt?" Could the Wild hunt originate from the 7 sisters constellation being pursued through the sky by Orion? could Orion Be Odin?

[@Crecganford]

So Odin is much more complicated than that. To me the wild Hunt is about the winds through trees, clouds moving in the night sky, strange noises. Whilst the themes are similar to the sisters and the cosmic hunt, I'm not sure one evolved into the other. But happy to be challenged on that.

[@seththayer1100]

Wo. w ode to be he poet the great

[@scrabbymcscrotus7481]

hes the counterpart to deus pater. hes the left eye, the black sun, not the right eyed golden one

[@Datsyzerberg]

Wodanaz = Raging, Naz being the nominative, Wod, to rage, lose control. Rage+ing. Similar to kehr to meaning fire, tos being a synonymous nominative to naz/nos. To burn + ing. Burning. Interestingly enough berserkers are associated with losing control on the battlefield and associated with Odin. Maybe was the God of elite warriors or a special caste of warrior

[@Crecganford]

There is a complex evolution of the name. And many differing thoughts, and I will look at these all in time. Thanks for watching and the feedback

[@bennyvangelder7624]

Are the Wodu like the Maruts in India? Since the origin is 8000 y old, He, they must have other indo european counterparts. Who were they?

[@Crecganford]

A great question I will answer in the next month or two, but I need to talk about dogs next, to lay the groundwork to answer it :)

[@hridaykhankhan4145]

@@Crecganford zz

[@mehitablestorm8877]

Wode (perhaps in other spellings too) was also an ancient Anglo Saxon word meaning something like frenzy or madness ...I might say maybe a type of ecstasy....that I wonder if it came out of ancient shamanism where the shaman would attain a frenzied or altered state in conducting rituals (sorry if my language is imprecise, it's hard for me to put this into words) - perhaps a possession as we see in still existing shamanic-like religions like voodoo or santeria. So may be the Wodan name (and its derivatives) come from this kind of shamanic state & the spirits it invoked. Interestingly the Anglo surname Wood may derive from this old word Wode and not just a placename (for a wooded area). Or maybe a wooded area is associated with shamanic practices & the spirits that dwell there. There doesn't seem to be one single point of origin for anything especially gods, so many ideas, feelings, practices & beliefs are interwoven out of a fabric we only dimly perceive at this point.

[@jaads7910]

They are all mixes of previous religions and gods, the Germanic peoples came from the south east, they will be correlation between them and Greek pantheon, and Greeks and Sumerians, it all ends back to annunaki

[@Crecganford]

Hi , and thanks for feedback. And I agree all gods change and develop and evolve, or devolve and I have made videos of the Proto-Indo European which explains the core myths and gods. I do feel Wodan/Odin is different, he came to be from a different source only part of which is the PIE source.

[@borkfate1094]

This was bait click for me. Let me explain. My grandfather stowed away on a ship to America from Denmark.

[@user-le8di9vm9d]

Odin,woden was god of all europe before romans?

[@Crecganford]

Not all of Europe, the Celts, Slavs and Greeks didn't have him in their pantheons, but they had similar gods and that is intersting.

[@davidlfort]

2000 years ago seems rather late in the game for a deified entity to have non-human form. I would expect it to have been personified several centuries before. The oldest branches of the IE family tree are likely more than a thousand years older than that time frame, after all, and personified deities seem to long predate even those cultures.

[@davidlfort]

Connecting him to Mercury (and Hermes, of course) and Lugh seems the correct track, though. Since both (all?) of those had well established, personified forms at that time, I see no reason yo suspect that Wodanaz did not. The problem we have with discovering it is that he was revered by a preliterate culture. With only the barest records made by outsiders, it's hard to say very much about him at all. An interesting note, though, Lugh and Mercury/Hermes are associated with the sun. Odin, not so much.

[@toddmcdaniels1567]

I think the whole point of Odin sacrificing an eye is pretty transparent sun symbolism.

[@chrisryan1439]

Odin; the leading god (Ases) of the Asgard... "Asgard" derives from Hyperborean term for a City; means "City (place) of As-es (gods)"; As is an Axis from 1 point; Os (Axis) in Russian, Ukrainian,... means constellations (stars) or Zodiac (=Zoo (Deu/Jiva/Zhiva; "Alive"(animals & their protectors- beasts (planets) - Diac (gods). So every god becomes the "ruling" one after certain time in the Starry sky. Axis; as As from Asgard in Aesir (Asira; Sir; "Cheese(Keese in german; Ke-SIR; Ksiroda ("Ocean of Milk" in Sanskrit; this is Milky way (Galactics); from the same term derives Asiri ("war"( for milky way) of Asura... Odin means "1. one" in Russian; Odna, Odin, Edin, Adin,...in different dialects. Thor is the "2. one" in Russian - linguistic Hyperborean root is TR; example: vToroye; "secondly"; Torit; "to spread"; Torus in Greek is "torsion"; vTornik, Vtoroye cycle; means Odin in flesh or ancesT[O]Ry (= Hyperborean Anta / ancient / Inda / Odna / Adna; "from beginning" (first one). (God Perun in Slavic).

[@Crecganford]

That would mean Odin is a young god, one that came well after the migration of the proto-Indo Europeans, and I would need some academic backing of that hypothesis before giving that any further thought. Certainly not a believer of Hyperborean Runic Vedic spirituality based on that.

[@jonathankunze6845]

Wodanaz was a DK

[@DTA-me3kv]

The stories were made up by those who conquered so obviously they're going to say the people they defeated were bigger bad or stronger and meaner

[@malaltherenegadegod]

You make a big deal cause you got fifty different and kickass names ONCE, and look where it leads 2 million years later.

[@user-le8di9vm9d]

You knlw youre ok at history for a n indian

[@alexanderguesthistorical7842]

Those who follow Christ are Called "Christians" (people of Christ). I believe in Latin the suffix -ones or -ons means "the people of". Apparently, the name "Teutons" or Teutones" is derived (so we are led to believe) from the proto-Indo-European "tewteh", meaning "people". 1) According to Wiktionary, "tewteh" has no actual historical evidence to back it up. It is a RECONSTRUCTED word, which scholars tell us the Proto-Indo-Europeans (whoever they were) used. But they have no proof. This word is therefore nothing more than a product of CALCULATION and OPINION of scholars of etymology. 2) If these scholars are correct and tewteh was a valid Proto-Indo-European word meaning "people", then surely the English translation of the Teutones would be "The people of the people". Which doesn't make sense. 3) What would be the point of naming a tribe with a term which was as generic as "The People"? The people of whom? The people of what? Unless you were asserting that anyone who was not of that tribe was not a person. And even the Greeks and Romans thought that anyone outwith their respective cultures, was a barbarian, but that did not imply that they did not see them as PEOPLE. What would make much more sense to me, is if the name Teutones is ultimately, like the term "Christians", derived from TEW, another form of Tyr or Tiwaz, who as you yourself have pointed out was originally a sky god and "Allfather". Therefore the translation of Teutones would be Tew (t) -ones, The followers of Tew. The second T being inserted to allow the word to be rendered in a more natural way than "Tew-ones". If this is the case it wold indicate (by definition) that Woden/Wodenaz was not the Deus Maximus of the Teutones in Tacitus literature, it was Tiw. After all, was Tacitus responsible for the interpretation Romana? Did the Interpretation Romana have anything whatsoever to do with Tacitus, other than the fact that they are both "Roman"? It strikes me that Teutones was a purely Latin derived term, for an ethnic group, who followed the Sky-god/Allfather named Tiw or Tew. The Romans therefore constructing the term Teutones or Teutons to describe this "tribe" as the followers of Tiw. Zoroastrians being a similar title, as followers of Zoroaster or Ahura Mazda.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for watching, and taking the time to write such an interesting comment. There is more to the tribes and the Teutons than just their name. It would be easier to explain with a diagram about who belonged to what and their relationship. I will make a video about it one day as I find it a very interesting subject.

[@alexanderguestguitars1173]

@@Crecganford My pleasure! I'm very glad someone is posting videos about mythology that outline current understanding of their origins - and modern opinions based on much research, like your own. Of course there was more to the Teutons than just their name, but I feel that the name bears such a striking relationship with the one-time sky god, a derivation of the name of the tribe derived from that god should not be overlooked in favour of a "re-created" word like "tewteh". I would urge you though, if you haven't already, to have a look at my video about the White horse hill figures of southern England - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGKpfqShorqDebM As there genuinely IS an arrangement to all of the white horses (that still exist), which you can plot out yourself, from scratch, on google earth or any map. This arrangement forms a geometric pattern of two "X" s one above the other, formed from four individual alignments of 3 white horse figures each. If you take the Uffington figure, and draw a line to the Westbury white horse, at the EXACT CENTRE (within a small margin) is Silbury Hill. If these figures were placed in random places the likelihood of them all aligning to form a demonstrable geometric pattern are astronomically high against. Therefore they MUST have been surveyed, and planned when they were originally cut. And form a component of the original meaning of them. Apart from "Uffie" at Uffington (1000 BC - Current Archaeology magazine) and "Westie" at Westbury, whose origins are thought to be ancient, but there is no proof, all the other white horses have been given the origin in the 19th Century, based on a book written in the 19th Century, by a Vicar, who simply asked the local people around the white horses, when they thought they were cut. And from their entirely anecdotal evidence, recorded by the Vicar, we get our modern "fact" that they are "early modern". Indeed, even if some of the white horses were cut in the 19th Century (or 20th Century) they must have been RE-cuttings of earlier horses, in or around the earlier ancient horse figures. So please do have a look at the video. I'm not interested in "aliens" or "ley lines". Only uncovering things which scholarship seems to have missed. Thanks for the excellent videos. I'll keep watching!

[@Crecganford]

@@alexanderguestguitars1173 I will try my best to watch that this week if time allows. Thank you again for another great reply :)

[@Bromiios]

Wotan

[@earlwajenberg]

I know this question is years late, but was there a collective phase for gods like the sun god or the dawn goddess? The sun in particular seems very singular, and I can't think of any groups associated with it, unless maybe the horses that draw the chariot.

[@Crecganford]

You have "solar deities" in this respect, if that is what you mean?

[@earlwajenberg]

@@Crecganford - I meant, did any mythology have a whole team or class of sun gods, which were later replaced with a single sun god?

[@differous01]

The planets inside earth's orbit never cross the dome of the sky, but rise and sink back below the horizon: they are seen to move between heaven, earth and underworld. The commonalities of Venus/Fria and Mercury/Odin could be down different names for the Wanderers (Planetai) in the sky.

[@AustinDrew-m5j]

he goes far back as being the actual enity thats made when the Sun is up, he the the day light Skyfather, all humans worshipped him, the swastika

[@Loth440]

The old high German is Wuotis, is that just another variation of Wodanaz?

[@Crecganford]

I can say it is a cognate I recognise, but OHG is not my strong suit.

[@Loth440]

@@Crecganford Woke up at 5 am realizing I'd made a mistake here. The Wuotis is from the term Wuotis Heer, which I think translates to Wuotan's Army or Host. It makes me wonder if the name Wōðanaz was simply a possessive of Wōðan and was supposed to be followed by the proto-Germanic equivalent to army or host in the original source, if it was a very early telling of the wild hunt.

[@daapkid13]

I hope I'm not reading too much into background decor, but the Odinite Rite website has a heavy emphasis on blood, well, purity. Is this just nazism/fascism with extra steps?

[@Crecganford]

That has now gone as I became more aware of some of its member's ideologies.

[@daapkid13]

@@Crecganford Thank you for clarifying. It has been difficult to separate ideological focused channels and historical channels when wanting to learn about pre-historic eurasian religions

[@1amjapan]

That was fascinating, thank you. I've only recently learned of the Wild Hunt.

[@Crecganford]

If you have any questions please ask. And I'll reply here or make more videos about it

[@1amjapan]

@@Crecganford Thank you, I've been fascinated with Hermes for some time and I find the connection between Hermes and Woden really interesting, especially that they're both tricksters and gods of magic. With regards the Wild Hunt, where does this idea originate? I know it was a bad omen (which I think you said in this vid), but did it have any greater significance than that? Love to learn more about either of these topics!

[@Crecganford]

@@1amjapan So there are two schools of thought, one that the wild hunt stems from a proto-indo European source, or possibly older still, and the other believes it is a combination of younger stories. I will do a video on this sometime. But two pieces to read if you're interested are Liberman's Prayer and Laughter which was a primary source for me and one I believe is more likely, and Ronald Hutton's Wild Hunt papers, which focus on a number of younger myths that make up the great hunt. Thanks for watching and I hope I can make more content you find interesting.

[@1amjapan]

@@Crecganford thank you, I will definitely be checking those sources, brilliant!

[@NotSoObsol]

Thanks for the information you gave you truly have the wisdom of Odin skal

[@Crecganford]

And there is still so much more to learn, I don't think we will ever know everything, academically or spiritually.

[@hjalmarolethorchristensen9761]

He is Odin here in Skandinavia... greetings from Denmark 🇩🇰

[@HYDROCARBON_XD]

In jutland it was called Wodin

[@hjalmarolethorchristensen9761]

@@HYDROCARBON_XD same one,...

[@user-le8di9vm9d]

Herne name origin

[@mehitablestorm8877]

I'm also going to throw out the old Anglo Saxon mythological names of Wade and Wayland - also connected to Wotan/Odin? And I wonder if these also derive from a root word meaning madness, frenzy or perhaps religious ecstasy?

[@Crecganford]

I have made a video about Weiland, I’m not sure they are linked, but his story is one of my favourites.

[@mehitablestorm8877]

@@Crecganford Thank, you, I'll check it out eagerly. It is a great story. And he's remember in the stars as well. It it called the Wainwright?

[@BlackthornBushcraft]

Good vid, very informative, thanks

[@Crecganford]

Thanks for watching, I appreciate the feedback :)

[@byssabyss]

What about the Thracian Horseman as a possible mythic cognate of Odin?

[@Crecganford]

My understanding is that the Thracian symbolism here isn't linked with the wild Hunt. But will admit that I'm not as familiar as I would like to be with Thracian iconography so will investigate.

[@byssabyss]

@@Crecganford I just started doing research on the very popular and mysterious iconography of the Thracian Horseman, and it seems that he had some kind of psychopomp function, and was seemingly depicted as a hunter with a hunting dog in tow. In some ways, Sabazios resembles Odin as he seems to have been a sky god who had associations with divine intoxication. So perhaps the functions of Odin are here divided between the two Thracian deities. Just a thought though... I'll be interested to hear what you turn up. I'm going to continue to do research myself.

[@vasilistemetzian429]

Dius maximus is for zeus in greek is dias you have no idea what you are talking about

[@Crecganford]

But translated in English from a Roman text referring to Germanic gods means in effect the "greatest god" which would be Wodan here, but if in Greece would refer to Zeus, or in Italy Jupiter etc. This has been documented in many peer reviewed academic journals, so my context for translation is correct in this instance.