Page 93 - Red Feather Book 2

13. How did Odin acquire his knowledge and powers of divination? What price did he pay for these blessings?
Odin was credited with great wisdom, including knowledge of magic and divination. He had paid a high price for this gift, however, giving one of his eyes in exchange for a drink from the well of Mimir. The waters of this well, which seeped from among the roots of the World Tree Yggdrasill, contained great wisdom.
14. Where did the potion that granted wisdom and poetry come from?
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.
15. Retell, in your own words, how Odin came to possess that potion.
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.
90 The Red Feather Literature Second Course