In Norse mythology, Odin is the supreme god and creator. Other names for him include Woden, Wodan, or Wutan.

Odin, depicted as a tall, elderly man with a long beard and adorning a coat, is worshipped as the god of wisdom, war, poetry, and the dead. He both rules and resides in the heavenly realm of Asgard, which contains the great hall known as Valhalla, the abode of heroes slain in earthly battle. Female warriors called Valkyries transport the fallen bodies of combatants cut down in battle to this great hall.

Odin displays a ceaseless pursuit for wisdom, knowledge, and power. He obtained it by drinking from the Well of Wisdom located near the roots of the great world tree Yggdrasil, which was guarded by the knowledgeable Mimir. However, the cost Mimir imposes upon Odin for drinking from the well is the sacrifice of one of Odin’s own eyes. Odin plucks out his eye, which he drops into the well, hence why he is generally represented as one-eyed. This is described in the Prose Edda,

But under the second root, which extends to the frost−giants, is the well of Mimer, wherein knowledge and wisdom are concealed. The owner of the well hight Mimer. He is full of wisdom, for he drinks from the well with the Gjallar−horn. Alfather [Odin] once came there and asked for a drink from the well, but he did not get it before he left one of his eyes as a pledge (Prose Edda, ch. 7, p. 24).

Another great sacrifice was Odin hanging himself on Yggdrasil for nine days and nights. He pierced himself with his spear and refused aid from any other of the gods. Staring at the waters below, he called to the runes, which, at the end of the ninth night, he perceived.

Odin is often attended by two black ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory),

“Two ravens sit on Odin’s shoulders, and bring to his ears all that they hear and see. Their names are Hugin and Munin. At dawn he sends them out to fly over the whole world, and they come back at breakfast time. Thus he gets information about many things, and hence he is called Rafnagud (raven−god)” (Prose Edda, ch. 12, p. 36).

Odin also owns an eight-legged, magical horse called Sleipnir, who can gallop in the air and whose teeth are inscribed with runes.

References

Blackmask Online. 2001. THE PROSE EDDA. 

Cotterell, Arthur. 2003. A Dictionary of World Mythology. Oxford University Press.

Leeming, David A., and Leeming, Margaret A. 2009. A Dictionary of Creation Myths. Oxford University Press.