Page 86 - Red Feather Book 2

connection with poetry. The wisest being who ever lived was Kvasir, whom the gods had formed from parts of themselves. Dwarfs killed Kvasir and mixed his blood with honey to form a potion that granted wisdom and the gift of poetry. A giant hid the potion in the middle of a mountain and set his daughter to guard it. Odin changed himself into a snake and slithered through a tiny hole in the mountain. Then taking the form of a handsome giant, he charmed the daughter into letting him drink the potion. Once Odin had swallowed it, he changed into an eagle and flew to Asgard, where he divided the potion into three sacred vats. A few drops of the potion fell to the earth during his flight and became the inspiration of human poets. Odin liked to wander the earth in the form of an old man wearing a blue cloak and a wide-brimmed hat that hid his one-eyed face. Often he was accompanied by wolves and ravens. His ravens Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory) traveled around the world and the underworld each day, returning to tell their knowledge-loving master what they had seen.
There are many who believe that Odin was actually an ancient, historical leader who lived in Asia Minor and was the king of a people known as the Aesir. The Aesir were eventually driven from their homelands by the Roman troops and resettled in sections of Northern Europe. King Odin gave his people a system of writing, from his knowledge of a set of symbols called Runes. He also gave them a code of laws known as the “Havamal”, or the High Song. These laws speak of the proper way to bury the dead, the necessity for charity, hospitality, and truthfulness, and the importance of courage and patience.
Tyr
The day of the week we call Tuesday is named after the god of war Tyr, or Tiu, and it means Tiu’s day. Tyr was son to Odin and a giantess who was the mistress of the sea. It was Tyr who had captured the wolf Fenrir and had bound him with a magical rope fashioned by the dwarves out of the roots of stones, the breath of a fish, the beards of women, the noise made by the footfalls of a cat, the sinews of bears and the spittle of a bird. The rope was so smooth and thin, no one believed it would hold Fenrir, but Tyr did it, but not before Fenrir was able to bite off one of his hands.
Tyr’s symbol was the sword. His name was often engraved on a soldier’s sword because they believed that it would bring victory to anyone who fought in his name.
The sword of Tyr is the subject of many legends. Its blade was believed to shine as bright as the sun. It was created by the sons of the dwarf Ivald, who were also credited with making the spear that Odin carried with him. One day the sword was lost in battle and a prophet announced that the person who possessed it would become a powerful leader who would die by the same sword that gave him his victory.
The Aesir 83 Norse Mithology