Do we like them?

Do we like Odin?

A character from Norse mythology (the Eddas and sagas) (c. 9th–13th century)

Our score: 5 out of 10. Brilliant, brave and fond of humans, but he's also a schemer who stirs up wars and breaks his word. We'd back him as a king, though we'd keep an eye on him.

Odin is the chief of the Æsir, the Norse gods, and he rules from Asgard. He is usually shown as a grey-bearded old man with one eye. He wears a wide hat and a cloak, and he carries the spear Gungnir. He is a god of wisdom, poetry, magic and war. Two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, fly out each day and report back on what they have seen. He also has an eight-legged horse, Sleipnir.

Wisdom is Odin's great obsession, and he'll pay almost anything for it. He gives up one of his eyes to drink from Mimir's well of knowledge, and he takes counsel from Mimir's severed head. He travels the world disguised as a wanderer to learn what he can. With his brothers Vili and Ve, he is credited with shaping the cosmos and making the first humans. That's the good in him. The bad is that he's a hard god to trust, because he wins by cunning, he sparks conflicts, and he picks favourites among heroes. He is generous and wise, but he is not safe to bet against or to rely on.

Odin gathers the bravest slain warriors in Valhalla, preparing for Ragnarök, the final battle. In the end all his wisdom and planning can't save him. He is swallowed by the giant wolf Fenrir.