The Psychological and Mythic Unity of the God, inn

Author(s): Richard L. Auld

Source: Numen, Vol. 23, Fasc. 2 (Aug., 1976), pp. 145-160
Published by: BRILL
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3269665
Accessed: 31-03-2015 08:45 UTC

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

BRILL is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Numen.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Numen,Vol. XXIII, Fasc. 2

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MYTHIC UNITY OF

THE GOD, ODINN
BY

RICHARD L. AULD
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.A.

The picturepresentedto us of the god 05inn by Snorri Sturluson,l)

The Poetic Edda,2) and Saxo Grammaticus3)is complex and manysided to an extremedegree.He is simultaneously
god of magic,poetry,
war and fatherof
of
affinities
to
and deathwith
deities,god
fertility
thegods and man,witha reputationfora highlycapriciousnature.It is
littlewonderthenthathe has receiveda varietyof treatments
by mowhich does justice
dern scholarshipand that a unifiedinterpretation
is lacking.Dato all of his wide rangeof functionsand characteristics
as god of
function
his
in
terms
of
him
discusses
primarily
vidson4)
war and god of the dead. Turville-Petres)discussesvarious facetsseparately,and thenstates: "O'inn tookover thenamesand functionsof
othergods."6) Dumezil7) has 05inn share his "firstfunction",the powithTyr, emphasizing65inn's "magico-religious"
sitionof priest/king
aspectsat the expenseof others,specificallyhis positionas god of war
deities.However, O0inn's position
and his affinitieswiththe fertility
as a war god in the source materialis quite clear, and supporting
social structureis sufficiently
evidencefor Dumezil's tripartite
lacking
I) Jean I. Young, trans., The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from
Norse Mythology (Berkeley: Universityof California Press, 1966).
2) The Poetic Edda, trans. Henry Adams Bellows (New York: The American
Scandinavian Foundation, 1968).
3) Saxo Grammaticus,The Nine Books of Danish History, trans. Oliver Elton
(London, Norroena Society, 1905).
4) H. R. Ellis Davidson, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (Baltimore,
Maryland: Penguin Books, 1964).

Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of

5) E. O. Turville-Petre,

Ancient Scandinavia (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964). "Odinn".
6) Turville-Petre, p. 62.

7) C. Scott Littleton,The New ComparativeMythology:An Anthropological

Assessmentof the Theoriesof GeorgesDumezil (Berkeley:Universityof California Press, 1966) p. 12.

IO

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

146

RichardL. Auld

that he at last concludes: ". . .. at a very early phase in the evolution of

Germanicsociety,and for reasonsnot entirelyclear,the firstfunction

was assimilatedto the second and onlytracesof its independentexistence.... can be found."s) Folke Str6m9) takes the fertility
aspect of
the god to be primaryand throughan examinationof various symbols
of fertility
connectedwith05inn, especiallythe horse,Oinn's magical
and
his Dionysian poetic ecstasy,concludesthat O8inn is a
practices,
of
hypostasis the older fertility
god Freyr. Haugenlo) brieflygroups
08inn's various capacitiesfrompatriarchof gods and man to god of
magic into one complexwhich could roughlybe labeled "intellectual"
and opposesthis complexto the god I6rr, whomhe sees as markedby
the singlecharacteristic
of strength.Fleck11) concentrateson Obinn's
as
of
wisdom,and sees this as the key to his positionof
capacity god
in
the
power
societyof gods. He gives a detailedaccountof Obinn's
acquisitionof knowledgeand analyzesthe symbolismsurroundingthis
of wisdom,
acquisition,concludingthatOSinn is notmerelya repository
butratherfunctionsactivelyas a sourceof knowledge.JohannesBrondsted12) says that 05inn's characteristicscover a wide range, "from
cold cynicismto Dionysianenthusiasm,fromferocityto ecstasy."
And so it seems thatmodernscholarshave eitherlistedthe various
facetsof O6'innand treatedthemseparately,as Davidson and TurvillePetre,or have isolatedspecificaspects of the god and made these the
focal pointof theirinterpretation
of his positionin Norse mythology,
as Dumizil and Str6m.The purposeof this paper is thereforeto present an analysisof 6Oinn's characterand positionin the mythological
systemwhichexplains his diverseand at timesapparentlyconflicting
aspects withina unifiedframework.
8) Littleton,p. 132.
9) Folke Str6m, "Diser, Nornlor, Valkyrjor: Fruktbarhetskultoch Sakralt
Kungad6me i Norden, "Kungl. VitterhetsHistorie och AntikvitetsAkademiens
Handlingar: Filologisk-Filosofiska Serien Fiirsta Delen (Stockholm: Almqvist
& Wiksell, 1959).
Io) Einar Haugen, "The Mythical Structure of the Ancient Scandinavians:
Some Thoughts on Reading Dumizil, "To Honor Roman Jacobson: Essays on the
Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday (The Hague, Paris: Mouton, 1967).
II) Cf. Jere Fleck, "Obinn's Self-sacrifice-A New InterpretationI: The Ritual
Inversion", Scandinavian Studies, 43, No. 2 (1971), 119-142. "Obinn's Self-Sacrifice-A New InterpretationII: The Ritual Landscape," Scandinavian Studies,
43, No. 4 (197i), 385-413. "The 'Knowledge-Criterion' in the Grimnismil: The
Case Against 'Shamanism' ", Arkiv far nordiskfilologi, 86 (1971), 49-65.
12) Johannes Brondsted, The Vikings, trans. Kalle Skor (London: Penguine
Books, 1965), p. 275.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychologicaland mythicu-nityof the God, (56inn

I147

In orderto maketheunityof Obinn'scharacterclear and in orderto

it is firstnecesplace thischaracterin the systemof Norse mythology,
sary to assume a basicallydualisticor binarystructurefor the Norse
cosmology.Argumentsfor a dualisticstructurehave alreadybeen convincinglypresentedby Haugen and are implicitin Fleck's analysis.13)
In orderto decode the mythicsymbolsimsurroundingthe apparently
entangledand contradictory
figureof this god, I will make use of the
psychologicaltheoriesof Erich Neumann as presentedin two books:
The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetypeand The Origins
and History of Consciousness.In these works Neumann also argues
foran essentiallydualisticstructure
of thehumanpsycheand, hence,of
humanperceptionof self and the universe.In the ideal state,the two
each contributing
and
opposinghalvesof thepsycheare interdependent,
withtheotherhalfwiththe sum actingas an integrated
communicating
whole.This structurehas given rise in the course of humanhistoryto
a wealthof symbolismrepresenting
both poles of the psycheand the
of
the
state.
The
synthesis
integrated
poles, the unconscious and the
conscious portionsof the mind, are traditionallyrepresentedas numerouspairs of opposites,most frequentof whichis the oppositionof
sex with femaleand male representing
the unconsciousand the conscious minds respectively.
By applyingNeumann'sbasic theoryand by usinghis interpretations
of variousmythicand culturalphenomena,it is possibleto depictO5inn
as a symbolizationof the integratingbond linkingthe two opposing
halves of the psyche.He can be seen as the purveyorof knowledge
fromone pole to the other,a unifiedand consistentfigurerightfully
occupyingthe centralpositionof importancein the Norse pantheon.
A briefdiscussionof Neumann'stheorieswill facilitatetheensuingdiscussion.
Neumanndescribesthe originalpsychologicalstate as consistingof
theunconsciousmindwithits intuitivethoughtprocesses.He termsthis
matriarchalbecause he sees this statemost clearlyexemplifiedin matriarchalsocietiesorganizedaround a fertilitygoddess, who governs
throughthe processes of nature.From this state the consciousmind
withits rationalas opposedto intuitivethoughtprocessesand its capabilityforabstractiondevelopsthrougha processof evolution.Neumann
13) Jere Fleck, "Obinn's Self-Sacrifice-A

New InterpretationI and II".

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

I48

RichardL. Auld

termsthisstatepatriarchalbecause it is realizedin patriarchalsocieties

organizedaroundan abstractmale god who governsby laws and denies
any connectionwiththe matriarchalworld of the unconscious.This is
often symbolizedas in Christianityby a male god who created all
things,includingthe firstmale human being, out of whom came the
first female; the reverseand denial of the natural order of things
reflectinga revulsionto the unconsciousworld associatedwith female
The male god thenbrandsall connectionwith femaleferfertility.14)
tility,matriarchalsocietiesand theunconsciousmindas evil and chaotic,
as is symbolizedin Christianmythology
by blamingthedisobedienceof
man and subsequentcurse of God on Eve and her quest for fecundity
withthe phallicsnake.15) The two psychologicalstatesare antithetical
and antagonistic.Corollaryto this is the necessityfor the reestablishmentof communications
betweenthetwo opposingmentalstates: a) to
in eithertheabstractor
from
isolated
preventstagnation
overindulgence
thephysicaland b) to preventthe conflictingfactionsfromdestroying
the individualor societyin which they exist. In the preface to his
study in The Great Mother,Neumann explains the reasons for the
workas follows:
mankindspringsin largepartfromtheone-sidedly
... theperilof present-day
of themale consciousness,
whichis no longerkeptin
patriarchal
development
balanceby thematriarchal
worldof thepsyche.In thissensetheexpositionof
in our
thearchetypal-physical
worldof the Femininethatwe have attempted
workis also a contribution
to a futuretherapyof culture.
world
Westernmankind
mustarriveat a synthesis
thatincludesthefeminine
--whichis also one-sidedin its isolation.Onlythenwill theindividualhuman
needed...16)
beingbe able to developthe psychicwholenessthatis urgently

C. G. Jung,Neumann'spredecessorand teacherspeaks of the process

of reestablishingcommunications
betweenthe conscious and unconof a synthesisas follows.
sciousmind,and theachievement
Everyperiodhas its bias, its particularprejudiceand its psychicailment.An
of consciousoutlook,
epochis like an individual;it has its own limitations
and thereforerequiresa compensatory
adjustment.This is effectedin that
R. F. C.
14) Erich Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, trans,
Hull, Bollingen Series, No. 42, (New York: Bollingen Foundation, 1954), PP.
141-4.
15) Erich Neumann, The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype,trans.
Ralph Manheim, Bollingen Series, No. 47, Second Edition (New York: Bollingen
Foundation, 1955), P. 50.
16) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. xlii.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychologicaland mythicunityof the God, O5inn

149

a poet,a seer,of a leader allows himselfto be guidedby the unexpressed

desireof his timesand showsthe way.... to the attainment
of thatwhich
.... expects.17)
everyone

The dualisticdivisionof the Norse cosmologyis readilyapparentin

the divisionof the societyof the gods into AEsir and Vanir. These
markedby association
opposinggroupsof gods, the lattersignificantly
and thematriarchalpracticeof incestualmarriages,battle
withfertility
each otherto an indecisivestandstill.The conceptof a synthesisis
presentin the conclusionto theirwar in whichboth sides agree to an
exchangeof hostagesand to the creationof a tokenof theirreconciliation.This tokenis Kvasir,createdby theblendingof the spittleof both
killedand his blood is fermented
groupsof gods. Kvasir is subsequently
intothemead of poetry,theessence,as it were,of synthesis.The mead
is later drunkto the dregs by 0'inn, who at this time becomes the
primarysymbolfor the integratedsynthesisof the two poles. It is
05inn, ratherthan Kvasir, who carries the force of this symbolin
Norse mythology
becausehe continuesto operatewithinthesocietiesof
mentionof theVanir,
gods afterKvasir expires,and becauseno further
for
the
to
in the mythology.
the
is
made
except
hostagesgiven
AEsir,
We have thena divinecommunity
of
the
consisting
AEsir,and a minority
of hostagesfromthe Vanir (who are at timesreferredto as ZEsir)18)
of thetwo groups.
withonlyObinncarryinganytraceof theintegration
In orderto establish05inn as symbolof the mediatingsynthesisof
thetwo psychicpoles,it mustfirstbe shownthathis charactercontains
aspects of both psychologicalentities,thatis, thathe is dominatedby
neitherto the exclusionof the other; and second,thathis characteras
a whole does indeed serve the functionof intermediarywithin the
frameworkof the culturedescribedin Nordic mythology.In the following pages, the salientpointsof 05inn's various functions,actions
and characteristics
will be discussedin connectionwith theirrelationship to one or both halves of the psychicdichotomyin an effortto
his essentialnatureas a synthesisof the two extremes.
demonstrate
05inn's relationshipwiththe feminineworld of the matriarchalunconsciousis not difficultto establish.In fact,the relationshipseemsto
have been preceivedwithinOBinn's own mythologicalworld. This is
17) Morris Philipson, An Outline of Jungian Aesthetics (Chicago:
western University Press, 1957), p. 128.
18) Haugen, p. 86o.

North-

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

150

Richard L. Auld

evidentin Saxo's account of 05inn's exile fromthe companyof the

gods for his shamefulbehaviourin wooing Rinda disguisedas a woman.19) It is also seen in Loki's accusationthatO5inn has an "unmanly" soul20) and in Porr's tauntof "womanish".21)Related to this is
dress,the cloak or mantle.In Saxo's accounthe
O5inn's characteristic
before
Harald
"clad .... in a hairymantle"22)and in "Grimappears
he
"wore
a
dark
blue mantle".23)Neumannsees the cloak as
nismil"
a femininesymbolof shelterand protection.24)Neumann's theories
ascribe O5inn's womanishnessand his feminineapparel to his capacity
as god of magic and his shaman-likeacquisitionof knowledgewhich
will be discussedbelow. He states: ". . . the male shamanor seer is in
a highdegree'feminine'.... And forthisreasonhe oftenappearsin a
woman'sdress."25)
Death as the ultimatedestroyerof life is also the ultimatedestroyer
of theconsciousnessand thought.The land of thedead, theunderworld
or Niflhel,is thennot onlytherepositoryof all life,but also the repositoryof all knowledge,and hence the practiceof recoveringwisdom
fromthe land of the dead. Neumannsees the land of the dead as the
symbolpar excellenceof theunconsciousmind.26)The visitto theland
of the dead and successfulreemergencefromit is viewednot onlyas a
of the emergenceof the consciousnessfromthe unconsymbolization
but
also as a symbolizationof the effortsof the conscious
scious,27)
mindto gain the benefitsof the intuitiveprocessesof the unconscious.
Neumann states: ".... when consciousnessand reason cannot.... be
drawnupon to decidea situation,the male fallsback on the wisdomof
theunconscious.... and thustheunconsciousis invokedand set in motion in riteand cult."28) 0inn engages in this practiveon numerous
occasions.He conjurestheVolva to speak herwisdomin "Vgluspa".29)
19) Saxo Grammaticus,p. 196.
20) The Poetic Edda, "Lokasenna", p. 160.24.
21) The Poetic Edda, "Harbarthsljoth", p. 130.27.
22) Saxo Grammaticus,p. 458.
23) The Poetic Edda, "Grimnismol",p. 86.
24) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 331.
25) Ibid., p. 296.
26) Ibid. pp. 48, 80, 149, 170-I.
27) Ibid., pp. 174 ff. and Neumann, Origins and History of the Consciousness,
pp. 161, 165.
28) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 295.
29) The Poetic Edda, "Voluspo", Intro. p. I.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychological and mythic unity of the God, (6Oinn

151

He rides his horse, Sleipnir,to Niflhel to conjure the wise woman

fromhergravein "Baldrs Draumr".30)He obtainsknowledgefromthe
severedhead of Mimir.31) Most significantly,
however,O6inn experiences death itself in his self-sacrificeto obtain the knowledgeof
runes.32) Neumanncommentsas follows:
Here, it is evident,sacrifice, death, rebirth,and wisdom are intertwinedon a
new plane. Thus tree of life, cross, and gallows tree are ambivalent forms of
the maternal tree. What hangs on the tree, the child of the tree mother,
suffers death but receives immortalityfrom her, who causes him to rise to
her immortalheaven, where he partakes in her essence as giver of wisdom....
Sacrifice and sufferingare the prerequisitesof the transformationconferred
by her, and this law of dying and becoming is an essential part of the wisdom
of the Great Goddess of living things,the goddess of all growth, psychic as
well as physical.33)

Anothersource of 06inn's magical knowledgeis the son of B91Porn34) whomTurville-Petreidentifiesas 05inn's maternaluncle.35)
In a matriarchalsocietythe repositoryof wisdom and authorityis a
person'smaternaluncle. It is throughhim thatthe youngmale is initiatedintomanhood,and it is by himthattheyoungman is tried.36)It
is significantthat 05inn relateshis receptionof the nine songs from
his uncle in the stanza immediatelyfollowinghis account of his own
sacrificialhanging.This may indicatethatthe figureof the uncle has
just presidedover Obinn's initiationrite into the mysteriesof the
matriarchyand that the songs are presentedas an initiationgift in
rewardfor 05inn's successfulreturnfromdeath.37) As statedabove,
the successfulreturnfromdeathis symbolicof the emergenceof conthe consciousnessfromthe unconsciousand of the act of integrating
Thus
the
tentsof the unconsciousinto the consciousness.
figure of
05inn, the god of magicand purveyorof knowledgefromthe land of
30) The Poetic Edda, "Baldrs Draumar", p. 196.2,3,4.
31) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 251, connects the O0inn-Mimir relationship
to the matriarchalsystemin yet another way. Quoting from Martin Ninck's Wodan und Germanisches Schicksalsglaube, he interpretsMimir as being symbolic
of an ancient concept of fate common to matriarchal societies.
32) The Poetic Edda, "Hovamol", p. 6o-i, 139-140o.
33) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 252.
34) The Poetic Edda, "Hovamol", p. 61, 14135) Turville-Petre, p. 49.
36) Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, p. 182.
37) Neumann, The Great Mother, pp. I74ff. and The Origins and History of
Consciousness, pp. 161-65.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

152

RichardL. Auld

the dead, is a symbolizationof the integrationof the intuitiveknow

ledge of the unconsciousmind into the consciousnessand is a part of
his overallroleas a symbolization
of themediatingsynthesisof thetwo
opposingmentalforces.38)
Oinn's positionas god of poetryserves an identicalpurpose.Neuof the story of Obinn's
mann quotes Martin Ninck's interpretation
theftof the mead of poetryand followshis analysis. Speaking of the
giftof poetry,Ninck states:
This giftalso has a feminine
Gunnl6d
source,as theancientsfullyrecognized.
holdsout thecupto himafterthreenightsof marriagein thedarknessof the
mountain
.... poetryis a weaving,spinning,lacing,binding,fastening.....
hence a feminine,
Norns' activityyet even in the hands of the volva the
male staffis neededto 'awaken'and 'arouse' the song.39)

The male staffin Snorri's accountis symbolizedby B9lverkr'sauger,

Rati,40) by whichBglverkrentersGunnl95'sabode in the formof a
serpent.The transferralof wisdom fromthe unconsciousmind,symbolized by a femalefiguredwellingin a subterraneancavern,41)takes
place when 0Oinn escapes in the formof an eagle afterhavingswallowed themead of poetryand thendisgorgedit fortheuse of gods and
men alike.42) Neumannequates the eagle withthe sun as a symbolof
the consciousness43)in analysesof othermythologies.
This equationof
theeagle withthesun providesthekeyfortheinterpretation
of 0Sinn's
of the removalof the contentsof theunconescape as a symbolization
scious mindby the flightof the consciousness.
0inn's position as god of death derives, in part, naturallyand
inevitablyfromhis positionas god of war. There is, however,another
aspectto thismatterwhichis directlyrelatedto his affinityto fertility
deities.This in turnis directlyrelatedto his own self-sacrificein his
quest for knowledge.44)Neumann'spreviouslyquoted statementconcerningthe matriarchallaw requiringsufferingand sacrificeas a pre38) Fleck, too, sees Obinn's self-sacrifice as an initiation,and as an initiation
into knowledge. While his analysis of the symbolismsurroundingthe sacrifice is
based on other theories,it too is dependentupon the sexual dichotomywhich symbolizes the polar extremes of the Old Norse cosmology.
39) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 304-5, and Martin Ninck, p. 198.
40) The Prose Edda, p. 102.
41) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 44-6.
42) The Prose Edda, p. Io2.
43) Neumann, The Great Mother, pp. 183, 57.
44) The Poetic Edda, "Hovamol", p. 60.139.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychologicaland mythicunityof the God,

(5Oinn

153

requisitefor all formsof growthapplies to 05inn's own growthand

developmentin his roleas god of warfareand commanderof the gods'
forcesagainstthe chaos of Ragnar9k.Those whom05inn takes forhis
own are presumablyenrolledin the host of championsthat inhabits
aspect of
Valh911in preparationfor the finalconflict.The interesting
the matteris the formof the sacrificewhich 05inn requires. In the
descriptionof the sacrificeof KingoVikarr found in Gautrckssaga
05inn gives Starkair specificinstructions
thatthekingmustbe hanged
and woundedwitha spear. While Saxo's versiondiffersin details,it
relatesthat the king was hanged and torn with steel. This is indeed
almostan exact replicaof 05inn's own sacrificeas describedin "Hivamil", as has been pointedout by Turville-Petre.45)Str6mdiscusses
the hanged sacrificemotifand relatesit to fertilityrites,specifically
thoseof Freyr.Neumannagreesthatthistypeof sacrificeis indicative
of the fertility
ritesof matriarchalsocietiesand detailsthe sexual imof
this
formof deathwhichmake it preferableto such rites
plications
and to the psychologicalstateswhichgive rise to them.46)The spear,
however,is a new element,not generallyassociated with matriarchal
sacrifices.It is obviouslyphallicin formand producesa quite different
formof deaththanstrangulation
withthe noose reflecting
the factthat
is
not
a
associated
with
the
unconscious
simply fertilityfigure
05inn
but rathera representation
of the powers of boththe unconsciousand
consciousmind. Other death rites attributedto 05inn emphasizethe
patriarchalor consciousaspect of his positionas god of death. The
blood-eagle as reported in Orkneyinga saga and Ragnars saga is the

sacrificialparallel to the god as eagle and must also be considered

as a symbolof consciousness.The ritualburningof the dead associated
with 0Ninn47) gives anotherclear indicationthat 65inn's positionas
god of death was associatedwith consciousnessas well as the unconscious. Neumannstatesthat"everywherethemeaningof lightand fire
is attributed
to thedivineson... ."48) and identifiesfireas yetanother
of
the
patriarchalconsciousness.49)It is apparentthat05inn's
symbol
positionas god of deathhas an added dimensionbeyondthe traditional
45)
46)
47)
48)
49)

Turville-Petre, p. 45.
Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 252 n.
Davidson, pp. 51, 52, 54, 148, 152.
Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 311.
Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, p. 143.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

I 54

RichardL. Aild

one of fertility
deity,and thatan analysis such as Str6m'swhichconcentrateson the hangedsacrificemotifleaves untouchedthose aspects
of 05inn's death riteswhichare indicativeof a god withquite a differentnature.Indeed,afterthe discussionof O6inn's initiationby fire
below,it will be seen thatthe death ritesof this god parallelhis own
initationrites and transformations,
death by hangingand mutilation,
deathin a representation
of an eagle,and deathor funeralritesby fire.
Each riteis exactlyparallelto one of thepointsof O0inn's own relation
to the two psychicpoles. First,acquisitionof knowledgefromthe unconsciousby self-sacrificein "Hivamal"; second,the acquisitionand
of knowledgeto the consciousnessin the eagle's flight
transportation
in The Prose Edda; and third,theachievementof the pinnacleof consciousknowledgethroughtrialby firein "GrimnismAl",
The noose and
spear symbolizethegod's dual nature,the eagle symbolizeshis mobility
from one pole to the other, and the fire representshis conscious
powers.
It is now necessaryto discuss those aspects of 06inn's character
whichare strictlysymbolizations
of consciousness.First, his position
as fatherof gods and men. Speaking of the evolutionaryprocess
throughwhichthe consciousnessis developed,Neumannstates:
with
fromconsciousness,
Startingfromthefinalproductof thisdevelopment,
whichhe identifies
himself,the male proceedsto denythe geneticprinciple,
whichis preciselythe basic principleof the matriarchal
world.Or, mythothepatriarchal
revahe murdershis motherand undertakes
logicallyspeaking,
luationby whichthe son identified
withthe fathermakeshimselfthe source
in a
fromwhichtheFeminine-likeEve arisingfromAdam's rib--originated
spiritualand antinatural
way.50)

Snorri'sdescriptionof the creationin The Prose Edda51) conformsto

this patternexactly.The geneticprincipleof the matriarchyis representedin the emergenceof the threeprimordialcreatures,Ymir,Btiri,
and Au~humblafromtheunionof theoppositeforcesof heat and cold.
The matricideis accomplishedwhenO0inn and his brothersslay Y[mir,
the progenitorof theirmother,Bestla, and presumablyBestla herself,
sincenone of the race of giantsescape the floodof Vmir'sblood except
the familyof Bergelmir.The denial and patriarchalrevaluationtakes
place whenthe materialof the dead Vmir is reformedby the brothers
50) Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 58.
51) The Prose Edda, "The Deluding of Gylfi", p. 33ff.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychologicaland mythicunityof the God, 66inn

155

into the universe,the flesh formingthe earth,05inn's firstdaughter

and wife, on whom he engendersIO6rr,the symbol of masculine
strengthand power. Neumann furtherstates: "The patriarchalconsciousnessstartsfromthe standpointthatthe spiritis eternala priori;
thatthespiritwas in thebeginning."52)The repositoryof thisspiritis
identifiedas 05inn by his giftof ond,"Breath,spirit,soul" to the first
man and woman who were created,accordingto Snorri's account,by
05inn and his brothersfrompieces of driftwood.
The powersof abstraction,or the abilityto analyze the inputto the
consciousmind fromthe unconsciousinto its discretecomponentsand
to reassembletheminto a consistentworld view, is one of the more
sophisticatedand centralaspects of consciousnessas Neumann sees
it. 53) This abilityis displayedby Oinn in his capacityas god of war.
As has been suggestedby Turville-Petre,54)the basis for his position
as god of war is the necessityof defendingthe societyof gods against
Ragnar9k.Informedof the impendingdisasterby the unconsciousin
the person of the V9lva, he devises the strategyof augmentingthe
forcesof the gods withthe heroes and championsof mortalwarfare.
He allotsvictoryto warringhumans,not accordingto justice or ethics,
but ratheraccordingto his strategyof takingto himselfthose most
capableof assistinghimin thedefenseof the gods. It is forthisreason
thathe has a reputationforcreatingstrifeamongmen. His abilityas a
militarytheoriston a less grandscale is well documentedby Saxo, for
example,his gift of the secret of the wedge formationto Haraldr
Hildit9nn.55)
Anotherexample of 05inn's abilityto interpretthe contentsof the
unconsciousand to translatetheinformation
intoa consistentand effective worldview or plan of actionis foundin O6inn's begettingof an
avenger for Baldr. Informedof the possibilityof avengingone son
by engenderinganotherby the intuitiveprocesses of the unconscious
represented
by the wise-womanof "Baldrs Draumr" or by the Finnish
diviner,Rostiof,05inn devisesand sets into actionthe course detailed
by Saxo.56) Althoughthepositionof militarytheoristdoes not exactly
52)
53)
54)
55)
56)

Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 58.

Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, pp. 328, 335.
Turville-Petre, p. 53.
Saxo Grammaticus,p. 458ff.
Ibid. pp. I92ff.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

156

Richard L. Auld

parallelthatof seducer,the reactionof O5inn to information

brought
forthfromthe unconsciousin bothcases is quite parallel.
There are severalotheraspectsof 05inn's character,which,although
theyare not relatedto any specificdivisionof his god-head,are importantfacets of his being,and must be discussed in termsof Neumann's symbolsof consciousness.These are OBinn's relationto the
initiationrites into what Neumann calls the "highermasculinity".57)
The firstof theseconcernsfireand thewisdomof lore. Neumanndescribestheinitiationritesas follows.
Fire and other symbols of wakefulness and alertness play an importantpart
in the rites of initiation,where the young men have to 'watch and wake', i.e.,
learn to overcome the body and the inertia of the unconscious by fighting
against tiredness.Keeping awake and the endurance of fear, hunger,and pain
go togetheras essential elementsin fortifyingthe ego and schooling the will.
Also, instructionand initiation into the traditional lore are as much a part
of the rites as the proofs of will power that have to be given. The criterion
of manliness is an undaunted will, the ready ability to defend the ego and
consciousness should need arise, and to master one's unconscious impulses and
childish fears.5s)

If the hangingsacrificeand ensuingknowledgeof "Havamal" are to

be consideredan initiationrite into the wisdom of the unconscious,
then,indeed,the entirityof the "GrimnismMl"
representsan initiation
rite into the higherreaches of the wisdom of consciousness.In this
poem O0inn is torturedbetweentwo fires,so hot theyburn away his
characteristic
mantle.Throughouthis torture,05inn recitesthe lore of
the gods. The fires representthe fires of cremationdiscussed above,
and are indicativeof sacrificeby burning,directlyparallelto sacrificeby hangingin "Havamil". The loss of the mantlesymbolizesthe fact
thathe is no longerdependenton the unconsciousas a source of protectionand knowledge.His recitationproves that he no longer need
seek knowledge,but thathe has becomea source himself.59)His consciousnesshas emergedas an independentself-sufficient
entity."To
57) Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, p. 14158) Ibid., p. 143.
59) Fleck's arguments in "The 'Knowledge Criterion' in Grimnismdl,"support
this reading as he pointsout that seeing 0inn's performancein this poem as mere
"shamanizing between the fires" is only a glib dismissal of the importof 06inn's
new position as a triumphantgod now a source for, rather than a seeker of numinious knowledge. Jere Fleck, "The 'Knowledge Criterion' in Grimnisrl: A
Case Against Shamanism", Arkiv fir Nordisk Filologi, 86 (1971), p. 64-5.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychological and mythic unity of the God,

inn
d)

157

the race of gods my face have I raised,/Andthe wished-foraid have I

waked;/For to all the gods has the message gone.... ."60) There
followsa list of Obinn's innumerablenames,among which is "Vakr"
-"The Wakeful". The message is clearlythat 05inn has become all
thatis nameable,theembodiment
of thepatriarchala priorispirit."..
and all, methinks,are names for none but me."61 The ironyis devastatingwhen one considersthat the initiatehas survivedthe flames
and achieved the highestpinnacle of conscious endeavors,while the
initiator,Geirr,9r, has succumbedto drunkenness,symbolicof the
destructivecapabilitiesof the unconscious62)and, as a penalty,goes
to his death.
Anothermatterpertainingto initiationrites, essential to any discussionof 05inn, is his eye. Neumannstates:
The initiationinto the men's house, where the ego becomes conscious of itself,
is a 'mystery',vouchsafing a secret knowledge that always gravitates around
a 'higher masculinity'. The higher masculinity here in point has no phallic
or chthonicaccent; its content is not, as in many initiationsof young girls,
sexuality, but its counterpole,spirit, which appears together with light, the
sun, the head, and the eye as symbols of consciousness.63)

0iinn's reputationas the most keen-sightedof the gods, despite his

missingeye,and his abilityto see over the entireworldand understand
he sees when sittingin his high-seat64)indicatethathe has
everything
indeedattainedthe highestcapabilitiesof the consciousness.
At thispoint,we have seen thatmanyof 6Oinn's characteristics
and
actions show him to have high proficiencyin both extremesof Neumann's psychologicalpolarities,while others show him in a central
positionbetweenthepoles,possessingsimultaneousaffinitieswithboth.
His journeysto and fromthe Land of the Dead show his masteryof
theunconscious.His survivalof thetrialby fireand declarationthathe
is all thatis nameableshow his personification
of consciousness.However,his functionsas god of poetry,war, and death show his medial
positionsincetheyoftendepicthimas a messengeror mediatorbetween
the two opposite extremes.It is fromthis combinationof capacities
thatObinnderiveshis reputationforuntrustworthiness
and capricious6o)
61)
62)
63)
64)

The poetic Edda, "Grimnismol", p. Io2.45.

Ibid., p. 105-54.
Neumann, The Great Mother, p. 74.
Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness, pp. 141-2.
The Prose Edda, "The Deluding of Gylfi", p. 37.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

158

Richard L. Auld

ness. On the matriarchalside it is a resultof the factthat duringthe

processof gainingaccess to the contentsof the unconscious,the conscious mind is overpoweredand negated,producinga state of possession,duringwhichtheindividualis at the mercyof the unconscious.
of the... unconscious
is an unalterable
Dependency
truth;onlyman'srelationtoitchanges.
In thematriarchal
phase,theaccentforthemaleis onbeing
Themaleexperiences
violated.
thisforcethatviolates
him
dominated,
invaded,
notas something
of hisown,butas something
alien........the male
'other',
risesto a sublimated
.... existence
of vision,ecstacy,....and to a stateof
in whichhe is theinstrument
of higher
whether
'out-of-himselfness'
powers,
'good'or 'evil'.65)
Neumann followsa line of reasoningsimilarto Jan DeVries' etymology and believesthatit is fromhis capacityto achievesuch a statethat
O6inn derives his name,66) which is related to Old High German
wuot, "fury".67) On the patriarchalside, this reputationfor capriciousnessis relatedto his capacityforabstraction.His abilityand willingnessto subordinatethe affairsof humansto a higherplan, as for
example,his militarystrategyagainst Ragnar9k, is parallel to the
Miltonicgod's subordinating
humanaffairsto his higherplan, for his
son's role as divine savior. This abilityearns Obinn a reputationfor
ficklenessand crueltyamong the warriorswho must depend on him,
just as it does forJehovaamongany who read Paradise Lost fromthe
standpointof thehumanbeingwho mustdependon thatgod.
Prior to concluding,I would like to state that it is by no means
necessaryto see theOld Norse cosmologyonlyin termsof the sets of
unoppositesused by Neumann: female/male,
matriarchal/patriarchal,
in
in
for
terms
to
be
useful
exorder
these
etc.,
conscious/conscious,
Neuof
the
usefulness
of
the
structure
the
ploring
cosmology.Indeed,
mann'stheoriesor any theoryforthatmatterlies in the factthatthey
providethe criticwitha tool for the illuminationof a set of symbols
which has previouslybeen obduratein yieldingits contents.Danger
lies, not in the use of theoreticalmaterial,no matterhow far removed
fromthe subject of the originaltext,but ratherin makingclaims on
thebasis of thetheoryalone,withoutadequate supportfromthesubject
65) Neumann, The Great Mother, pp. 303-4.
66) Ibid., p. 297.
67) Jan De Vries, Altnordisches Etymologisches W6rterbuch, (Leiden: E. J.
Brill, 1962), p. 416; also, De Vries, AltgermanischReligions Geschichte II, ?4oo
& 41o (Berlin, 1957).

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

The psychological and mythic unity of the God, (6inn

159

underanalysis.It is mybeliefthatthispaper has providedample proof

and thatother
of theexistenceof such supportin Old Norse mythology
examplesof supportingmaterialcould be citedby othersinterestedin
pursuingthe matter.Once support has been established,one must
always ask whetherthe findingsare of significance.In this case the
of a unifiedpicturefor the characterof O5inn and a
establishment
placementof this figurewithinthe generalstructureof the cosmology
or world view of the Old Norse pantheoncan only be viewed as an
advancementover the previouscollectionof oftencontradictory
fragments.
The only appropriateconclusionto this analysis is the following
quotationfromSaxo Grammaticus:
.... it is worth knowing that there were in old times three kinds of magicians, who by diverse sleights practiced extraordinarymarvels. The first of
these were men of monstrous stock, termed by antiquity giants .... Those
who came after these were the first who gained skill in divination from
entrails, and attained the Pythonic art. These surpassed the former in the
briskness of mental parts as much as they fell behind in bodily condition.
Constant wars for supremacy were waged between these and giants: till at
last the sorcerers prevailed, subdued the tribe of giants by arms, and
acquired not merelythe privilegeof ruling,but also the repute of being divine.
Both of these kinds had extreme skill in deluding the eyesight,knowing how
to obscure their own faces and those of others with diverse semblances....
But the third kind of men, springingfrom the natural union of the first two,
did not answer to the nature of their parents either in bodily size or in
practice of magic arts; yet these gained credit for divinity with minds
that were befooled by their jugglings.68)

Thus the characterof 05inn does not anwer totallyto the natureof
eitherthe unconsciousor consciousness,but rathersprings fromthe
naturalunion and fusionof the two, befoolingthe minds of men but
servingtheneeds of the societyof Nordic gods as a unificationof the
highestcapacitiesof two opposingforces,a symbolizationof the synthesiswhichNeumannsees as so necessaryfor survival.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brondsted, Johannes. The Vikings, trans. Kalle Skor. London: Penguin Books,
1965.
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin Books, 1964.

p. 102-3.
68) Saxo Grammaticus,

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

I60o

Richard L. Auld

DeVries, Jan. Altgermanische Religions Geschichte, II, Berlin, Walther de

Gruyter, 1957.
Altnordisches Etymologisches Wiirterbuch,Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1962.
Eddukvceai: Scemundar-Edda, ed. Guini Jonsson. Akureyri: Islandingsasagnautgafan, 1954.
Fleck, Jere. "The 'Knowledge Criterion' in the Grimnismail:The Case Against
'Shamanism' ", Arkiv fbr nordisk filologi, 86
(197I), 49-65.
"Obinn's Self-Sacrifice-A New InterpretationI: The Ritual Inversion".
Scandinavian Studies, 43, No. 2 (I97I), 119-142.
- "Obinn's Self-Sacrifice-A New InterpretationII: The Ritual Landscape",
Scandinavian Studies, 43, No. 4
(197I), 385-413.
Grammaticus, Saxo. The Nine Books of Danish History, trans. Oliver Elton.
London: Norroena Society, 1905.
Haugen, Einar. "The Mythical Structure of the Ancient Scandinavians: Some
Thoughts on Reading Dumezil, To Honor Roman Jacobson: Essays on the
Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday, (The Hague, Paris: Mouton, 1967).
Littleton,C. Scott. The New Comparative Mythology: An AnthropologicalAssesment of the Theories of Georges Dumezil. Berkeley: Universityof California
Press, 1966.
Neumann, Erich. The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype,trans. Ralph
Manheim. Bollingen Series, No. 47, Second Edition, New York: Bollingen
Foundation, 1965.
Neumann, Erich. The Origins and History of Consciousness, trans. R. F. C. Hull.
Bollingen Series, No. 42, New York: Bollingen Foundation, 1954.
Philipson, Morris. An outline of JungianAesthetics. Chicago: NorthwesternUniversityPress, 1957.
The Poetic Edda, trans. Henry Adams Bellows. New York: The American Scandinavian Foundation, 1968.
The Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson: Tales from Norse Mythology,trans. Jean
I Young. Berkeley: Universityof California Press, 1966.
Str6m, Folke. "Diser, Nornor, Valkyrjor: Fruktbarhetskultoch Sakralt Kungadome i Norden". Kungl Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademiens
Handlingar: Filologisk-Filosofiska Serien F6rsta Delen, Stockholm: Almqvist
& Wiksell, 1958.
Turville-Petre, E. O. G. Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of
Ancient Scandinavia. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964.

This content downloaded from 131.114.160.242 on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:45:59 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions