ÓÐINN (Odin, Wōden, Wuotan) is the chief god of Germanic mythology. His name, meaning "inspired or intoxicated one," developed from the Proto-Germanic. *Wōþanaz, which is related to IE *wātós, the source of the Old Norse noun óðr (inspired mental activity, intelligence). Non-Germanic cognates are Latin vātēs and Old Irish fàith, both meaning "seer." Described as the best and the oldest of all the gods by Snorri Sturluson (1179–1241), Óðinn is a complex figure whose many names point to the diversity of his functions (Lorenz, 1984, pp. 91–95, 290–304). He is the father of the Æsir (the dominant group of gods), a great magician and seeker of wisdom, the master of runes, the patron of poets, the lord of battles, the god of the dead, and a betrayer of his human devotees. The brothers Óðinn, Vili, and Vé are the...