5 GODS so Powerful Even the Other GODS Feared Them - Norse Mythology Explained

Hey everyone, Welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video, we’re going to discuss five of the most powerful gods in Norse mythology, gods so powerful that their powers often dwarfed those of the other deities in the Norse mythos. And just a quick comment before we get started: this list isn’t ranked and is by no means comprehensive, so let us know in the comments who else you think deserved to be included. Cases could certainly be made for Baldr and Vidar. Also, this video will only feature male deities. We’ll make a separate video for female deities later on. Let’s get into it. Starting off our list is Odin. Odin was the son of Borr, who was the son of Buri, who was the first god to come into existence in Norse mythology. He was entombed in salty primordial ice and was thawed free by the constant licking of Audhumbla, the cosmic cow, who subsisted on the ice’s salt. Odin had two brothers, Vili and Ve. Together they attacked and killed Ymir, the huge proto-giant that, along with Audhumbla, was first to emerge in all of creation. From the colossal corpse, Odin and his brothers fashioned the world, and later, they created the first man and the first woman from two logs washed up on a beach. Each of the three gods imbued the logs with gifts, but it was Odin that quickened them with life. Though Odin wasn’t the strongest of the Norse gods - that honour went to his son, Thor - Odin was the most powerful of the gods. His power was rooted in his deep knowledge, profound wisdom, and mastery of magic. He was taught Seid, a feminine type of magic, from the vanir goddess, Freja; he became the master of poetry by stealing the mead of poetry and bringing it back to Asgard; he learned the secrets of the runes and runic magic by impaling himself with his spear and hanging himself from Yggdrasil, the world tree, for nine days and nine nights; he sacrificed one of his eyes to Mimisbrunn, mimir's well, so that he could gain its mystic visions; and he embalmed the severed head of Mimir with herbs, resurrecting it, so that he could learn its secret knowledge. Beyond being one of the two wisest gods, amongst the strongest gods, and having an unparalleled mastery of magic, Odin also had two ravens who reported to him each day all the going-ons in the world, two huge wolves who protected him, and a magical spear that never missed its target when thrust or thrown. Watch the video for the rest!