O

Od

Odin

See also Od

According to the traditional heathen mythology Odin is the leader of the Asa gods. Other material suggest that the name originally refers to a subarctic priest and Sejd master. Much is told about Odin in 'Ynglingasagan' where he is described in detail.

He is supposed to have been highly intelligent, witty and cunning. He is well aqquinted with the art of poetry and he allways speaks in verse and rhymes.

Among other things he is suppose to have been the great ancestor of all the schamans. He has all of the characteristica of a schaman:

1. He can transform into any shape desired
2. Odin Allways speaks in a solemn and convincing verse.
3. He blinds his enemies in battles, makes their swords and knifes blunt and is able to disappear at will.
4. He is master over all of the bersercs (Here the author i quite unsure about how to translate). With a Berserc I try to describe an almost insanely agressive warrior.
5. He has a perfect control over the weather.
6. He can wake the dead and talk to people which have been hung
7. He knows the verbal as well as the written magic
8. He can open the graves and the earth

Odin make many self sacrifices in order to gain the wisdom which he posess. In order to be able to read the runes he let's himself be hanged in a tre for nine days. He tears out his right eye to gain wisdom at Mimers well. His Mothers Brother (Mimer) was a giant by birth and also a very wise magician.

Odin has many names: Sidhatt, Grimner, Hjälmbäre, Ygg and many more. He is also considered to be somewhat of an sex athlete, among other feats he has seduces seven women at the same time, as well as Gunnlös and Rind. Seduction is perhaps the wrong word for his actions in the latter case as he rapes Rind in order to breed the son Våle which is to kill Höder, responsible for Balders (Odins only legititmate son) death.

Odin's character is rather complicated. He can be viewed from many different angles. Above I have given you som information about his schamanistic nature ( which in it self is rather complicated). But this is not the only way to view him.

In the myths he has also been described (Tacitus, Germania) as a wanderer, master of the people of Harierna. He is described as a gigantic oneeyed schaman. Odin is also known for his talents in horseback riding. His Horse, Sleipner, can fly, has eight legs and is faster than any living creature on the earth.

<BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH>

Wife:	Freja (Early), Frigg (Second wife)
Children:	Balder (Only legitimate shild)
Main features:	His horse Sleipner, His two ravens: Hugin, Munin; His two wolfes Freke and Gere
Lives:	-
Other names:	Odinskenningar, Odinheiten, Od

Olav Haraldsson

Olav Haraldsson, the holy. He lived between 995-1030. He was the son of Harald Grenske. Olav was also called Olav digre (Olaf the fat) cause of his, how should we put it? well built body :-). He was the founder of the norwegian state and national saint. Already at the age of twelve he was sent as viking together with his stepfather and he was christianed in Rouen. He served for the Anglo saxon king Ethelred in England. When he returned to Norway he defeated several of his competitors for the national throne, and he was celebrated king over the whole of Western Norway and Tröndelagen. He performed the christening with harsh methods at the sae time as he organized the norwegian unity and the Norwegian church. Olav married Olof Skötkonungs 'frillodotter' (A daughter to one of his mistresses) Astrid. He had been promised another, legitimate, daughter, namely Ingegärd, but she was married to Jaroslav in Holmgård. When Olav and his brother in law, Anund Jakob, united, they both wen't to war against the danish king Knut the great of denmark. He was defeated at Helge river.

Olav, who was consideed to be brutal bu his people, grew more and more impopular over time. He lost the support from the other leaders in Norway, and he was forced to flee from the country. He went eastwards. According to the Gutasagan he made a stop in Gotland and where there a long time. He is thus supposed to have been one of the first to do mission work in Gotland. After his stay in Gotland he continued his journey eastward to Jaroslav in Gårdarike. He returned to Norway in 1030, this time he took the way over Jämtland with a hird of Svear. In an major battle in Stiklastad he was greatly outnumbered and he was finally killed. Olavs reputation as a saint seems to have come after his death. He was burried in Nidaros cathedral. Nidaros thus became the center for Olav worshipping. Snorres Heims kringla pictures him as a powerfull viking and in the many versions of his life he has the role of a colourfull saint, popular not only in the nordic countries but also in England, the netherlands and east of the baltic sea.

Olav Tryggvasson

Lived between 963-1000. Norwegian king, brought up in Gårdarike. Became a viking king in the west in 994. When Håkon Ladejarl fell, O. conquered Norway and developed a crusade in order to christian the norwegian people. The crusade bordered on fanatism and was lead by bishop Sigfrid. In the year 1000 O. managed to christian Iceland via his missionary Tangbrand. Olav founded Nidaros in 997, and built the Clemens church. In 998 he married Sven Tveskäggs daughter Tyra, who was a widow after duke Mieszko I (dead in 992) of poland. On his way back from Poland (after having fetched Tyras dowry), Olav was attacked at Swolder in Greifwalder Bodden. The attackers where the combined forces of the danish and swedish fleets and Håkon Ladejarls son, Eirik Jarl. O. was killed in the year 1000.

Oleg

Dead in 913. Oleg captured Kiev. Oleg was of the Rurik family and the guardian for Ruriks son, Igor. At Olegs death he was replaced by Igor. Oleg and allies went on war with the byzantines in 907 and forced byzantian emperors Leo and Alexander to pay tribute and sign a peace treaty.

Olof Skötkonung

See: Regency list.

Orkney

A small group of Islands north of Scotland. The archipelago consists of about 60 smaller islands (of which about 20 are inhabited today). MOst the Islands consitss of lowlands and they are therefore hard to find at night and in bad weather. The currents are often strong and the weather in these parts of the world seldom favourably. Shipwrecking was common on these Islands.

Despite this the Orkney islands where fairly good in regards of farming. The export of corn was fairly high and the Islands where therefore important from an economic and political standpoint. The islands where also very strategically placed between the scottish mainland and the north.

The Orkney islands have rich history with plentiful of acheological findings from the stone and bronze age. There are also a lot of artefacts from the pikt people that lived here before the nordic colonisation in the 8:th century.

Orkney ws to became the most important area for the norwegian Vikings. It was form these islands the VIkigns furthered their position in normandy and and England, conqured the hebrides, Isle of man and colonized large parts of Scotland ans Ireland. A large number of Vikign raids started here, one of the last one in 1170.

This last Viking crusade (under the command of Svein Asleifsson) is described in the Orkneyingasaga, a chronicle about the history of Orkney and Shetland covering the years between 900-1200. The saga is written in Icelandat the beginning of the 13:th century.

Orkney is also mentioned in other sources, like the Håkon Håkonsson saga written by the icelandic poet Snorre Sturlassons nephew Sturla Thórdarson. The first Jarl of Orkney was Sigurd Rike that in the 870:s conquered the north of Cotland all the way down to Inverness and Loch ness, stimulating nordic immigration to these parts. At his death Sigurd waas replaced by Einar, son to Ragnvald of Möre, friend of king Harald Hårfager. After the death of Einar his offspring ruled the Islands for 300 years onwards. Sigurd Digre was killed in the battle of Clontarf outside of Dublin in 1014 when he tried to conquer Ireland with the help from his vikings in Norway, Iceland, Scotland, the Hebrides, Isle of man, Flandres and France. Thorfinn the mighty ruled over nine Jarl domains in Scotland and Isle of man, the hebrides islands and large part of Ireland. His residency was placed at Birsay.

After the death of Thorfinn the Orkney empire collapsed. Isle of man and the Hebrides was lost to local nordic rulers, and the power excersized from the Orkney Jarls in scotland was greatly weakened. At the same time the Norwegian king strengthened his grip on the Orkney Islands.

The nordic jarl family of Kirkwall ceased to exist when Jarl Jon was killed in a fight in Scotland in 1231. THe islads, however, still remained under nordic rule up into 1468 when they, together with the shetland islands one year later was given to the english King James III when he married the danish princess Margareta.

There is plenty of archeological findings from the Vikings age and the following centuries of nordic rule. One of the more interesitng island in the group is Birsay. Several rune inscriptions has been found in Maes, Howe . A Viking burial field in Westray contained several boat graves. The artefacts found is mainly of nordic character, but a few findings of celtic origin has also been found. One of the best preserved celtic buckles ever found was found in a nordic woman grave in Rousay. Several Viking age silver treasures has been found, the one from Skaill contained over seven kilograms of silver.

Ottar Vendelkråka

Sveakung from the Skilfinga family, from the early part of the 5th century. Son to Egil Tunnadolg and father to Adils the great. Ottar is supposed to have the power between 520-535. The saga Ynglingatal states that he was killed in Vendel by the danish people, more previsely two Danish jarls from Själland (Frodes Island). Snorre believes that Vendel is another name for Jylland, but other research says otherwise. It is now believed that Ottar died in Uppland (a swedish county). It is said that there where Danish jarls in this county, the danish jars is in this context presumed to be vandals (form the vandal people) as this people had emmigrated from Själland. The names of the both jarls was Vött and Faste. King Ottar had tried to get rid of the immigrants, he had a defense in Vendel, the kings farm in Husby, but lost the battle. "King Ottar and most of his men fel. The Danes took his corpse and carried it ashore and layed it on a hill where birds and wild animals could eat from it".

frazze@ludd.luth.se