Odin was the most important of the Norse gods based on popular literature, but he was actually unpopular and his cult wasn’t really followed by many except for poets and kings. According to mythology, the god practiced seidr, a form of magic that was considered “unmanly,” and was the god of frenzy, betrayal and death. He was also obsessed with the hoarding of knowledge, and he sent his servants, ravens named Thought and Memory, into the world to bring him news. However, wisdom came with a price. To gain insight into the future, Odin sacrificed an eye to drink from a magical well, but in the process learned of his own inescapable fate.
THEN, Odin stabbed himself with a spear and hung himself from a tree for 9 days and nights to gain the knowledge of the runes (a magical writing system that gave great power to the user). In memory of this, sacrifices to Odin were killed in a similar fashion—including a few not-so-popular kings.
#9 Odins ravens were named Hugin and Munin.
Runes were not magical, they were letters just like the abc we use today.
#11 The wolf that tok Tyrs arm was named Fenris.
In fact, Vikings weren't more or less brutal than other warriors of eastern Europe. They were described as if only because writtend sources were written by clergy, which were targeted by first raids, when Vikings were payen. Because no christian would attack a church and Christian church wealthy it explain why first sources talks about Vikings as calamity and stop at the moment Vikings convert themselves to christianism.
#9 Odins ravens were named Hugin and Munin.
Runes were not magical, they were letters just like the abc we use today.
#11 The wolf that tok Tyrs arm was named Fenris.
In fact, Vikings weren't more or less brutal than other warriors of eastern Europe. They were described as if only because writtend sources were written by clergy, which were targeted by first raids, when Vikings were payen. Because no christian would attack a church and Christian church wealthy it explain why first sources talks about Vikings as calamity and stop at the moment Vikings convert themselves to christianism.