Odin was the God of the Runes and patron of knowledge, inspiration, shamanism and war. He was said to have bestowed three passions upon man, 1. The frenzy of battle, 2. The rapture of trance and 3. the inspiration of poetry. He is often attended by two ravens and two wolves.

Vili was Odin’s brother, known as the God of Wisdom. He helped to end the tyrannical reign of the giants. He was known for his wit and bestowed humanity with willpower, intelligence and rational thought.

Ve was the youngest brother to Odin, and was regarded as a Holy God. He also helped vanquish the giants of Jötunheimr. He was incredibly spiritual and helped bestow humanity with the senses of speech, hearing, and sight.

Together, Odin (knowledge), Vili (Will) and Ve (Spirit), represented the three aspects of the mind, which helped give rise to human consciousness.

Odin fathered many sons with several of his wives. This included:

Thor, God of Thunder. He was the patron of agriculture, craftsmanship and defence. He was champion of the Gods and enemy of Giants and Trolls who feared his great hammer. Although he is sometimes hasty in judgment, he is a reliable friend and battle companion.

Bragi, God of Poetry. He greets new arrivals to Valhalla with songs of their deeds. His virtues are wit, cunning, wisdom, music, writing and the arts. He is the patron of skalds and minstrels.

Forseti, God of Justice. He was known as "The Presiding One" and a savoir of the Gods. It was said he possessed great integrity and won all trials set against him. He represented justice, morality, peace, fairness and good judgment.

Tyr, God of War. He was the bravest of Gods, known to his brothers as the "One-Handed". Tyr was patron of warfare, defence and victory. He presided over law, legality and justice. He lost his hand in the jaws of Fenrir, a great and savage wolf.

Hoenir was a Battle God who displayed aggressiveness and bravery. He was a great warrior but was lacking of wit. This was made evident by his indecisiveness, where he relied upon his brothers for making his decisions. He is mentioned as once of the Gods one who helped Odin create humans.

Baldr, God of Light. He was known as the Bright One and the Shining God. He represented light, advice, reconciliation, beauty, gentleness, reincarnation, wisdom, harmony and happiness. He was favorite amongst all the Gods.

Hodr, the Blind God. He was a great warrior and immensely strong. Sadly, Hodur was blind to the charms of others, and was manipulated by Loki (the Trickster God) into committing adultery and killing his brother Baldur. The blood-revenge for Balder's death was inescapable, but no one in Asgard was willing to slay their own kind.

The hand of punishment eventually came in the form Vali, God of retribution. He was born from Odin and the Giantess Rind, to avenge Hodur. Within a day of his birth, he grew into a great warrior and killed Hodur for committing the taboo act of fratricide.

Finally there was Vidar, God of Silence, said to have the power of prophecy. He was called 'the Silent' because he dared not speak of his vision (the death of his father, Odin). He was often described as having a grim countenance, for there is little joy in knowing the future.

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Repost from Human Odyssey