Odin is the ruler of the universe and the leader of the sky gods, the Aesir. Coming under many names including Alfodur (father of all), Bolverk (evil doer) and Ygg. He served as the god of war, poetry, wisdom and death. Odin had two great halls, Valaskjalf and Valahalla. The first hall had a roof of pure silver and in it, his high seat, Lidskialf, from which he could see over all the world. The second hall was the hall of Valahalla where slain heroes waited in anticipation of Ragnarok.

Along with his brothers Ve and Vili, whose father was the giant Bor, they had a large part to play in the creation of the world out of chaos. He also fathered many Aesir gods. With his wife Frigg, he fathered Balder, Hod and Hermond. His eldest son, Thor, was offspring with a giantess, Fjorgyn. By another giantess, Grid, Odin fathered Vidar. He was also the father of Vali by the daughter of King Billing, Rind.

A trait of Odin, was his thirst for knowledge, knowledge which he desired so as to be able to salvage the world which he had helped to create. From the seer Sibyl and the Norns, he learned about Ragnarok, the final battle between the frost giants, where many of the Gods would perish including Odin himself. He had two ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory), who flew throughout the world, reporting to Odin news of happenings around the world.

He also sacrificed one of his eyes for the purpose of drinking from the Well of Knowledge, beneath one of the roots of the world tree. At one time, he hung himself from Yggdrasil for nine days, pierced by his own spear, thereby learning how to interpret the runes below the tree and thus having certain knowledge of the future. After the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, Odin preserved the head of Mimir, the wisest of the Aesir, with herbs, and thus gained knowledge by talking to the bodiless head. In one instance he gained knowledge in his quest for the mead of poetry.

Odin had a spear, Gungnir, which was made by the dwarves. He had a ring called Draupner (ring of power), which created nine of itself nightly. It was similarly created by the dwarves, this time by twins called Brokk and Eiti. He rode a horse with eight legs, named Sleipnir, which he accquired during the fortification of Asgard.

Odin was destined to die at Ragnarok, with Fenris swallowing him. Even in the knowledge of this, he persisted in doing battle. He was the god of war, wisdom, poetry and death, and the leader of the Aesir and the ruler of the universe.

Odin's two brothers, Ve and Vili, were rather unimportant figures, except when Vili was given as a hostage during the war between the Aesir and Vanir, and eventually, Vili was the only of the brothers who survived Ragnarok.