Odin's pronunskiation ;)

[mucgwyrt]

I've been doing some more reading, and find many many places where Odin is spelled "Óðinn", 'ð' being a 'th' sound in anglo-saxon (dont know about norse! :) ). Does this mean that Odin is actually pronounced Othin?

[frigga]

I've been having the same thoughts lately, and not just about Odin's name , but all the names with a d in them. Wondering if the author or website means 'th' or d. So I don't know, but I've never seen Odin spelled with a 'th', d.

[FeatherGoblinglimmer]

I know of a few pronunciations, Wodan, Wodin, Othan, Odin and I am sure i have seen more. It wouldn't surprise me. I am not sure myself. I like to use Wodan, as in Wodansday(Wednesday).

[HorseCrow]

In Norse, Danish, Swedish etc (all the vikings ;) ) Odin is pronounced Odin, with "d" as in dog, not a th-sound at all.

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Then why the use of ð if it denotes a th pronunciation?

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Also, isn't it possible that pronuniciation has changed over time. The modern languages may pronounce it with a d sound, but possibly the older variants of the language did pronounce it with the th sound that ð denotes.

[mucgwyrt]

That's what I thought - people reading Oðin and assuming a d with a cross at the top is the same thing as a regular d, and pronouncing it Odin... :hmmm:

Feather; Wodan is the Anglo-Saxon's name for Odin :smile:

[mothwench]

it might be worth trying to find out if any runic inscriptions of odin's name used dagaz or thurisaz.

[mucgwyrt]

Fantasmic idea, as per usual :ringaroun

[mucgwyrt]

I can't find any :huh:
Do you know the name of any stones with Odin carved into them?

[LadyTrinity]

i've always heard it said "o - din" :whatmewor

[Gala]

Well since Horse Crow is in Scandanavia they should know.. But now I don't know of a rune with Odin carved in it. Some people call the blank rune the Odin rune. What runes are affiliated with Odin.. ?

[mucgwyrt]

no, I think you misunderstand - a carving with odin's name etched into it, in runes - not an actual odin-rune :)

[mothwench]

Well since Horse Crow is in Scandanavia they should know.. But now I don't know of a rune with Odin carved in it. Some people call the blank rune the Odin rune. What runes are affiliated with Odin.. ?

there is absolutely no blank rune in the ancient rune carvings. the blank rune was most definately invented in recent times. i think it's a good way of representing fate or wyrd, but i would never call it odin's rune.
odin does have a specific rune though, ansuz, which is the rune of the aesir. since odin is the allfather, the "chief" of the aesir, this to me is odin's rune.

but for clarity, yeah i was talking about an inscription of his name using the runes. would it be othala-dagaz-isa-nauthiz, or othala-thurisaz-isa-nauthiz?

[mucgwyrt]

But Ing is known as "greatest of the aesir" or something, isn't he, so wouldn't he also be a part of Ansuz?

[mothwench]

he is? what a fetching title for a van! sure ing (i call him freyr) is part of the aesir, but primarily he's of the vanir.
also, he's got ingwaz as a rune. he shouldn't complain. :p

[mucgwyrt]

ah, it could have been greatest of the vanir :bigredblu

edit: scrub that, this is what aefentid wrote:


Freyr is the most glorious of the Aesir.

[mucgwyrt]

So I wrote to someone called Renee Perelmutter, and this is what I got :D



Multiple pronunciations correspond to phonetic changes that occured in
various stages of Germanic.
There is no "correct" pronunciation per se. The oldest Germanic
pronunciation known to us is
Wotan (so in early Latin sources on the Germanic world, cf Pauli
Diaconi Historia Langobardorum,
etc).
The *t sound is pre-Grimm's law - Grimm's law being the phonetic
process that is characteristic
of all branches of Germanic. According to Grimm's law, original *t > *þ
(th) as in thin, and
*þ following an unstressed syllable in the same word underwent voicing
: *þ > *d (this
is the so-called Verner's law), hence West Germanic/German Wodan.
In Scandinavian, the initial w sound was lost, contributing to the
length of the following vowel,
thus Óðinn (with the th sound as in this - the strong pronunciation of
th is a
Scandinavian variant of Verner's law). The ending -inn is the West
Scandinavian (read Icelandic)
take on the participial meaning of this name, "the wrathful one" (-inn
being the Old Icelandic
definite article).

The etymology of the name is much debated. I tend to go with the
"wrath" (wot-) root rather than
with the attempts to link the name with godan-.

The spellings of Odin, and Odinn and the older spelling Othin are
English-language compromises in
pronunciation and spelling. I use Odinn or Odin when I don't have time
to fussle with the phonetic
keyboard.

Which pronunciation to use? It is up to you; it will depend on your
communicative goal. If you are
into old Scandinavian lore, use Óðinn or Odin. In academic circles
when talking in
English it is best to use Odin - this is the acceptable form and this
is what people will most
readily recognize. I always pronounce Óðinn in Old Icelandic fashion
in my academic
Old Icelandic gatherings - people consider me a purist - but I have my
own reasons for doing so :)
If you are into some kind of worship, it's probably best to use what
your fellow worshippers use.
If you are into Old Germanic or think that the most ancient form is
always best, go with Wotan.


:clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

That's really interesting macha. Great response she sent you.

[Gala]

there is absolutely no blank rune in the ancient rune carvings. the blank rune was most definately invented in recent times. i think it's a good way of representing fate or wyrd, but i would never call it odin's rune.
odin does have a specific rune though, ansuz, which is the rune of the aesir. since odin is the allfather, the "chief" of the aesir, this to me is odin's rune.

but for clarity, yeah i was talking about an inscription of his name using the runes. would it be othala-dagaz-isa-nauthiz, or othala-thurisaz-isa-nauthiz?

Yes I know that, but some people call the blank rune the Odin rune.. I don't believe in it myself. I never make them when I make my rune sets. Ralph Blum invented it, maybe I'm wrong but I know the set of his I bought when I first began had one which I used for a while, then found that whenever I did a reading and the blank rune came up. it was all of kilter..never was right. So I took it out.

[banondraig]

Yes I know that, but some people call the blank rune the Odin rune.. I don't believe in it myself. I never make them when I make my rune sets. Ralph Blum invented it, maybe I'm wrong but I know the set of his I bought when I first began had one which I used for a while, then found that whenever I did a reading and the blank rune came up. it was all of kilter..never was right. So I took it out.

yea, 25 just doesn't ring as a number the norse would like. 5x5 sounds more faery, or celt.
24, however, 3x8, works with the aetts.

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

5 is definitely not anything like any Celtic type numbers. They stick more to 3s or 9s.

[banondraig]

5 is definitely not anything like any Celtic type numbers. They stick more to 3s or 9s.

dang dj conway!

now i think about it, i don't recall any *reliable* sources re:celts mentioning 5. lots of 3's and 9's, and the odd 7 here and there, but no 5's. thanks.

[Gala]

That's what I'm thinkin....

multiiples of three....

[AlAskendir]

I know of a few pronunciations, Wodan, Wodin, Othan, Odin and I am sure i have seen more. It wouldn't surprise me. I am not sure myself. I like to use Wodan, as in Wodansday(Wednesday).

Interesting note on that (Wednesday, that is). Seems in the Volsung Saga there is a powerful smith-mage named Wend (or Wayland according to some), who, in dealing with the trasgedies of his own story, felt that Odin had stolen important things from him, and vowed to steal something important from Odin.

Centuries pass, and in our culture, regardless of how it is spelled or originally pronounced, every American and most English-speakers that I have heard pronounce it "Wend's Day".

Coincidence, or did Wend succeed in stealing that day from Odin?

[mucgwyrt]

:rotfl: that's funny...