The Hanged God

"Scandinavian peoples did not perceive death as finite. The dead co-existed among the living. Only the vainglorious warrior elite entered the Great Hall of Valh¿ll. Once laid to rest within the dank earth, a 'deceased' person continued their existence as a corporeal being - an undead corpse 'animated with a strange life and power.' They were the dead who walked forth. Neither ghost nor spirit, the restless dead could be belligerent or benevolent. Distinguished from the living by their pallid complexions and bloated size, their startling appearance was fearsome to behold. Possessing extraordinary strength and prowess, the Ðraugar made formidable foes. Imbued with strange magical powers that included the power of prophecy, they were able to shape-shift and control the weather." ~Shani Oates Óðinn is perhaps one of the best-known gods of our most recent history. And yet, hidden away, embedded in the mythology and folklore his legend is steeped in, there are remarkable facets to his genius hitherto unexplored. This text acknowledges and reveals for the first time, the origin and true purpose of corpse-magic in northern tradition. Óðinn's ability to craft magical speech through Galðr, Valgalðr, and the taboo HelRúnar brought him 'the power to beget offspring' as a mantic gift of the dead.' Óðinn's encounters with the (un)dead within their mounds lead us on an intense and fantastic journey into metempsychosis, criminal procedure, Kin-slaying, Orlog, and Fate. Skalðic tradition immortalised Óðinn's prophetic eye, his J¿tnar heritage gained through a highly ritualised method of dispatching both Ýmir and Mímir. Through enchantments won from them, he commanded the dead, made them walk and talk, unbound their fetters, and awarded them the forbidden gifts in turn. These things and more Óðinn reveals in Hávamál. These things and more are revealed in this work: The Hanged God: Óðinn Grimnir.