Odin Hangs Himself 

The minor error in the citation of Fjǫlsvinnsmál in 'The Wanderer's Hávamál,' alluded to at 6:02 in the video, is corrected in the second printing of 'The Wanderer's Hávamál' (Jan. 2020) and subsequent printings.

Did you just time that squirrel to the mouth harp? LOL you madman 00:34

If you hadn't chosen the path of an old norse scholar, you could've been a nature photographer or something. The falling snow especially is so beautiful.

Odin’s... a pretty intense fellow

I find that one of the great things about Norse Mythology and its poems is that we’re still not certain on what everything means and what the context or intention behind it is. It makes for really fun mysteries and speculation. And that creates a really nice non-dogmatic atmosphere in the community where everyone shares their ideas.

Fantastic academic level content available on youtube with beautiful background scenery and a quirky cowboy tone? I don't think I've heard anyone quite speak my language like you do, Dr. Crawford. Grew up in West Texas and studied Latin and Classics at UT Austin. You've got one more subscriber out of me!

I found your comment about Yggdrasil perhaps referring to Sleipnir to be really interesting.

It's disturbing how many unprofessional renditions of this story state boldly and unequivocally that Odin hangs himself from Yggdrasil, when that isn't explicitly stated in the source material. I particularly liked the discussion about Yggdrasil and Sleipnir, I've never heard that theory before.

Sounds a lot like a shamanic vision quest or ordeal vision/hallucination.

I've always inferred this tale of Odinn sacrificing himself to obtain the runes a bit differently. I think(just my opinion) that in the beginning, the runes weren't available to the inhabitants of Midgard or the gods of Asgard. Perhaps Odinn, in order to bring the knowledge of runes into the realms of the gods and men, he had to sacrifice himself to the supreme being of our realms, himself. When he did this he opened a gateway through his own mind in which the runes were able to spill out. Through pain and blood and tears and horror, the fact that knowledge was more important to him than his own body. All of this combined, being performed by an entity of his stature, could not be ignored by the very fabric of reality and therefore was forced to divulge it's contents. Awesome narrative anyway ☠️

Wow. So it's actually possible that the famous Norse tree of legend was never named Yggdrasil! That kind of blew my mind.

Maybe, just maybe one could interpret the myth like this: Askr Yggdrasil, indeed means something like ”the man of the terrifying horse” and refers to Odin. But the fact that it also refers to the World Tree is not because of some kind of historical misunderstanding but is quite deliberate. Odin hangs himself to himself and he hangs himself in Yggdrasil. Maybe Yggdrasil is an other symbol of Odin or another higher aspect of him. Odin IS thus Yggsrasil in some sence and the tree is ALSO his horse, (it carries him). Yggdrasil itself is the entirety of the world. That Odin can be multiple persons at the same time is known from other sources. He is thus both ”Hár, Jafnhár and Þriði” in Gylfaginning and he is known as both Tveggi (“the one who is two”) and Þriggi (“the one who is three”) etc. Odin then is the Godman, both immanent and transcendent, both priest/shaman and the World Spirit itself, both the one who seeks knowledge and the source of knowledge. Pretty deep and mere speculation off course.

I find it interesting that the native religion of the Steppe (Mongolians, Turks, Etc), their Shaman must strengthen their Wind Horse. An internal aspect of the soul. They use Wind Horse to traverse the world tree, and climb actual trees to do it. I wonder if there's a cultural root, or exchange of traditions. We know they interacted, and Gok Turk looks very aesthetically like Futhark Runes.

7:30 literally gallows humour haha, amazing

I always though Odin was hanged like on a gallows - rope around his neck. But now I wonder if the correct image possibly is Odin pinned to the tree by a spear through his body.

this is the first time an intersticial ad (Grimfrost) actually makes the video BETTER :)))

Any chance in the future you could go into the etymology of those other tree names - Laeradr and mimameidr? It is was intriguing seeing you break down how Yggdrasil may in fact be Sleipnir and then you mentioned the other trees, but didn't give the meaning for those names.

I like these ads you stick in. They're nice and short, and actually a bit interesting.

I've always found the similarities between Odin and the Celtic god Lugh interesting. They both wield Spears and are associated with Ravens. They both are part of a group of three, (Odin and his two brothers, and apparently there are three Lughs according to most Irish sources.) And they both use magic, specifically they both ressurrect dead warriors.

The snowy mountain stream background looks absolutely beautiful and the water sounds so calming 😊. However, I'm not looking forward to the Colorado winter coming to the Springs just yet 🥶

I usually don't comment, but I just have to thank you for your awesome and informative videos. I am a student but one of my favorite topics is Norse Mythology. And you provide those great videos to a amateur and layman that just looks at them as a hobby, I really have to thank you. Bought your book (Edda) a while ago and love it. You as a person seem very much like a role model, at least for me: your neutrality on certain topics, your clear mind (you really think about what you say) and just your overall appearance. Now enough of this, but I have to say I envy you and the place your living(?) in (looks astonishing). Keep on going and greetings from germany.

I downloaded the Völsunga saga on Audible with narration from Jackson Crawford. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you, Dr. Crawford.

Thank you for this channel. Profoundly academic and knowledgeable

Academically - you, your books, and this page are killing it and you have my deepest gratitude and sincere appreciation for the work you have provided all of us. But my real question is, are you a more country or a more western type of guy?

Fascinating!

Thank you, I am a medieval schollar about to pursue my Dr. I loved the video and we need more like it

Or it could just be a sly way of saying gallows. What horse would be more terrifying to ride than the hanging tree? The backstory would be amazing to know, though.

Always good to see new and updated interpretations based on the existing material. That way things don't become dogma.

I loved it. Ever since i read about this it's been stuck in my head. It's a mistery full of awe.

I am now a subsciber. Thanks for your work.

You should consider making these videos available as podcasts (audio only), would make traveling much more interesting

Du gjør meg stolt av være norsk, dr Crawford ! Utrolig spennende å lære om Håvamål ✨🤠

Brilliant, informative and, yes, objective - as always, Dr Crawford! Objectivity aside, however, I would be interested in finding out what makes this particular passage from Hávamál one of the most hauntingly appealing snippets of ALL literature to a surprisingly large number of people - including me.

Super perfect weather in this one. I can nearly smell it. Another couple of parallel stories are the Irish Salmon of Wisdom that got the chestnut of Wisdom that dropped from The Tree of Wisdom. When the Salmon was cooked, a blister formed beneath the skin, and the man cooking it reached out to pop it, got burned, stuck the burned finger in his mouth, and through that pain, got the Wisdom of the word. And, of course, the man that got the wisdom had been warned not to eat the fish. Then, in North American Iroquois, the story of how they were given The Law of Peace is more similar to Odin. Tekanawita, a stranger of uncertain parentage appeared when people were terrorized by a cannibal dictator and said he had a message to help the people. They told him to prove he was who he said he was. So, they hung him on a tree, chopped it down where it fell into the river. A few days later they found him alive and believed him. To fall down and get roots or runes, would be to be as a seed. I don't know much, here, but perhaps, the horse is a river, or water. Anyway, this pattern in myth has always been one of my favorite to think about. Thank you.

Though not quite related, I couldn't help but think of Odysseus resisting the sirens song. It makes me think of this frequent theme of physical restraint when it comes to knowledge - Prometheus and Jesus releasing knowledge, Odin for knowledge, and Odysseus to resist knowledge.

I always took this as a sage fasting for days, peering into the ether, searching for wisdom.

Perhaps it contains a cultural/mythic memory of a druidic ritual practice by a priest/shaman class. Odin's learning the runes may hold a cultural memory of when that class became literate, which to them would have seemed as magic symbols. Which all writing is indeed potent, containing wisdom for those that know how to read. Perhaps some ritual physical trail of pain was needed to be completed towards some initiation to the mystreries. The end being knowledge and wisdom gained by knowing how to read the runes. I enjoy your videos, thank you.

Thank you. This was very informative. I have been very curious about this and I think yours is the most educated and objective opinion I’ve heard on it so far.

This is by far my favorite video yet. You are a credit to your vocation, sir.

Nine worlds of Yggdrasil and 8 legs of Sleipner - a foot in every world with the rider (at his current location) being in the ninth? Would make for a swift steed indeed...

I think I know now what Odin whispered in Baldr's ear: Why had to hang himself to attain the runes. Also, in context with the rest of Hávamál, the moral of the story seems to be that a sacrifice of one self is not to big a sacrifice.

really enjoy the tune at the end with that beautiful scene. Thank you.

Great vid. Love the landscapes and your pronounced translations. Are you planning presentation from Scandinavia?

12:16 Sometimes it feels like that's the price I'll have to pay to pay back my student loans 😩

I cant wait to pick up a copy of the wanderers havamal

Can't wait to get the wanderers hávamál. Also ordered your translation of the poetic edda, should be comming in any day now:)

Incredible scenery and content. Thank you.

I think the Nine Herbs Charm in Old English also references this. "A worm came crawling, it killed nothing. For Woden took nine glory-twigs, he smote the the adder that it flew apart into nine parts. There the Apple accomplished it against poison that she [the loathsome serpent] would never dwell in the house. Chervil and Fennell, two of much might, They were created by the wise Lord, holy in heaven as He hung; He set and sent them to the seven worlds,to the wretched and the fortunate, as a help to all." I've seen the "Glory Twigs" associated with runes, perhaps they were twigs of Yggdrasil (or Eormensýl, as the Anglo-Saxons would have called it) and (W)Odin hanging himself was the price for the tree to give up the twigs that became the runes.

Thank you for your effort as always Dr. Crawford. Great discussion. I'll be visiting beautiful Colorado in january.

The exception to the idea of Ash is that it is not an evergreen, and gardeners the world round don't plant Norwegian Ash.

It sounds like these stanzas were the inspiration for the song ‘Yggdrasil’ by the Norwegian black metal band Enslaved. From the song; Eg veit at eg hekk på vindalt tre netter heile nie med geir - odd sàra Og gjeven Odin gjeven sjølv til meg sjølv oppå det treet som ingen veit Kvar det av rotom renn It’s a phenomenally powerful song. Have a listen!

I interpreted it that the last line referred to the roots of yggdrasil, as in "he was hanged on a tree where the roots of yggdrasil grow"

John McKinnell's article "Wisdom from the Dead" (also available in his book *Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend* as "Wisdom from Dead Relatives") has some interesting commentary on this section and its meaning.

Did I just see a damn ad mid way through?....I'll be goin to grimfrost now.

Last years snow wasn't quite melted and now you've got new snow. Gotta love the Rockies.

Oooh this was super interesting and thought provoking. I wonder if this is related to Christianity's fable of Satan giving Adam and Eve fruit from the tree of knowledge? Because written language could be considered the gift of knowledge, as before written language we only had oral history, which can be very limited and inaccurate.

loved this video!

awesome video, my man. always great to see my home state caught on camera

Do you believe Odin hanged himself in the manner that we think around the neck("romanticised"?) or do you believe that he was strapped with ropes hanging around the trunk or branches?

Any chance you could make a video about older Swedish mediaeval runes? Those from around 1300-1600 that were used alongside Latin?

Oooo scenery😍

The title and thumbnail together are pretty funny

The first man “Ash” from the tree of life. and woman “Embela”. Makes sense to refer to man as Ashr

I once stumbled over the speculating assumption that Sleipnir with its eight legs may be four men who carry a wooden coffin (or a litter). This would be a shamanic horse par excellence. What do You think about that?

The hanged man card in tarot pops into my head

As to the myth of Odin's acquisition of the runes, maybe we need to look to the fact that the runic alphabet is clearly a derivation of the Phoenecian alphabet either directly from the Phoenecians or through the Greeks, Etruscans or maybe even the Celts of Spain. Are there myths from other cultures, Indoeuropean or otherwise concerning the adoption of alphabets based on the Phoenician script or perhaps even cuneiform?

THANK YOU! !!!!!! And thank you for the Wonderful vistas you share in every video! :-)

I really enjoy your videos! Pre-ordered on kindle 😁👍

about similarities: Didnt jahve sacrifice himself to himself by sending Jesus, since Jesus is God? I think there is a paralell there. nothing to do with runes though, but the concept seems to be the same

I want to know where I can get that jacket

I liked that you mentioned some books where points come from like lieberman's book. Something to put on my reading list!

Sounds like a type of meditation and fast where he gained some occultic information by utilizing the 9 dimensions of the universe. 9 does represent completion so it could be about the spirit going through the 9 dimensions and gaining knowledge from it.

Thanks!

This is honestly revolutionary thinking in an all too often conservative field of study

Really looking forward to that Hávamál! Will be bought instantly! Love translations with original text.😎 Thanks!

It seems to me that this is a sort of allegorial tale about how you need to make sacrifices to learn something or to gain something. By investing your time and energy in learning something valuable and down prioritizing something else for a while, perhaps even personal comfort, in a sense, you sacrifice yourself to yourself. Take reading for instance, could be runes. It takes hard work. The fact that it takes effort and the proverbial blood sweat and tears to learn any skill worth learning would ofcourse have been clear to the vikings as it would to people before and after.

Hey man, I live in Colorado too. Some great snow we’re getting, eh?

Hi Prof. Crawford, I have a question: There seems to be a strong Christian theme on Rúnatal, with Odin sacrificing himself to himself on a tree and being pierced by a spear. Could it be possible that the Rúnatal was a Christianized poem of Odin written by monks who wanted to convert Vikings to Christianity, much like a short fan-fiction? Hávamál was composed before 12th century, and we can speculate that it would not have been composed too long before that (not a thousand years probably) and also the merging of Christian and Pagan cultures were common in the medieval age, so this is not impossible to happen.

Looking forward to your new book! Definitely going to have to buy that one. On an unrelated note, could you do a video on the Kingittorsuaq stone and norse greenlandic.

Is there any chance it could’ve originally been Yggsdrasill but over time drifted to Yggdrasil

very interesting

That was great. But - it would be really good for us non-Old Norse speakers if you could go through the whole poem in translation in one go at some point. Breaking it down line by line is great for dissecting the meaning of specific words or phrases, but means that at the end, I have no real idea of the whole poem. After watching, I could not really tell you what actually happened in this poem. Thanks 🙏

What does "hang" mean? Is it a rope around the neck? Or can Odin be entangled in the branches and hang in other ways, just like I can hang from a bar when doing pullups. On the Jelling Stones in Denmark we have perhaps the only picture of Odin hanging. It might refer to Jesus on the cross, but he is not on a cross! He is entangled by something ropes/branches? Maybe it is a picture giving some credit to Odin and the old ways. I would love your take on that theory.

I don’t think the link between Odin hanging himself could be much stronger. Odin hangs from a tree, and is pierced by a spear, sacrificing himself to himself, and is alive in the present so some form of regeneration had to have occurred. Jesus, hung from a cross, often poetically referred to as a tree, was stabbed by a spear by a Roman soldier, he is simultaneously god and the son of god, so Jesus’ sacrificing himself to God the father could be said to be sacrificing himself to himself, and Jesus rose again. Their motivations for the sacrifice are definitely different, one for the Runes the other for salvation. So I don’t think the New Testament could help dispel the mystery surrounding Odin’s sacrifice. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of those stories informed and influenced the other at some point.

This may be one of the most interesting videos you have done. I really really enjoy these deep dives into possible ways things have been interrupted, as you mentioned with "Yggdrasils askr"

Throughout a large part of the year the trees of the North are laid bare by the Winter and anyone who contemplates under a tree looking up (especially the birch which was sacred to the Norse) will see the runes within the shapes of the twigs and the branches silhouetted against the sky.

Illuminating

Great video

Another great video. As a follower of the Old ways , I appreciate your intelligent, and thoughtful approach. I would really love to know just how old some of these stories are. I am always struck by the similarities between the stories of both Jesus and Odin. In the New Testament , Paul speaks of how Jesus was " hung upon a tree"... Which story is older , and did the New Testament seize upon this? Many religions seem to echo these themes down throughout history. Again, my sincere thanks to you for this, and the other fine videos that you produce.

Sacrificed himself to himself, you say.

So Odin may have hung himself from himself as a sacrifice to himself? Sounds familiar.

Hello Jackson, I have a question regarding Yggdrasil. If it does mean "terrifying horse" and refers to Sleipnir, why is it clearly a tree in Voluspa 19?

I wonder where do the people sacrificed to Odin actually go, since they don’t die on battlefields. In this case do they get carried off to Valhalla by valkyries?

You said that there are parallels with gods being tortured like Oðin, for example Jesus but you also said that the parallel doesn't extend to self sacrifice which I don't necessarily agree with since you could look at the death of Jesus as self sacrifice in a way since God forgives our sins when Jesus, who is also God, dies. Not really self sacrifice in the literal sense because he is killed by the person who nails him to the cross and not himself, but still sorta counts, right. Sorry if that's completely wrong from a theological standpoint and also sorry for any grammar mistakes since English isn't my first language. Also nice outfit as always!

The tree could be Glasir as well, although that's also thought to be a by some.

If "hvers", with the other modern Icelandic use "of what", rather than just "whose", works in that time period, I suspect the stanza could loosely read: "On that tree, Upon which no one knows, From what he descends." As in the experience of hanging there being so intense it makes any man question his entire origin or even existence (Am I sprung out of a man, or a beast, or a thing?) - introspection, critical thinking, the whole canon. Those of us who have suffered a lot know that pain can be a great teacher. Just a thought, feel free to attack it or add to the contemplation.

Prometheus is definitely more like a “chained within a stony place” type character to me, akin to Loki and his earthquakes or Volundr from Norse myth. Although I’m still working on how far this trope goes, and what other PIE myths it intersects with, like Icarus and Daedalus or Bladud. It may intersect with some underworld gods, as in the case of Loki’s association with underworld god themes.

Using modern icelandic pronunciation is akin to reading Beowulf with modern english pronunciation.

13:15.... im still sat here wondering what odin said in baldur's ear..