Odin loved the clash of arms in battle, but he also tirelessly sought wisdom and knowledge.
While the other gods feasted and joked, Odin sat quietly on his throne, listening intently as his two ravens whispered the day’s events into his ear.
After the ravens left, he spent his time sipping mead and pondering what the ravens had told him.
To gain more wisdom, Odin asked Mimir if he could drink from the Well of Knowledge.
Mimir granted Odin’s request on one condition, that he cast one of his eyes into the pool as payment.
Odin agreed, trading the sight of two eyes for the greater vision provided by wisdom.
Odin wanted to know all things, past, present, and future. To gain further insight, Odin hung himself from Yggdrasill’s branches for nine days and died after piercing his own body with his own spear.
After he resurrected himself through magic, Odin’s knowledge included the wisdom of the dead.
