By Desirée Alwine
Of all the things we can learn from Óðinn, perhaps one of the greatest lessons is wisdom is never simply given, it must be sought and often times sacrificed for. Óðinn is the Allfather, the God of wisdom, yet even he never stopped seeking knowledge. In Völuspá stanza 29, we learn that he gave his eye for a drink from Mímir's well, and in Hávamál stanzas 138-141, he tells of hanging upon Yggdrasil for nine nights, wounded by his own spear, sacrificing himself to himself to gain the runes and their mysteries. In Vafþrúðnismál, he travels to challenge a giant renowned for his wisdom. Think about that for a moment. Even Óðinn, with all his knowledge and power, continued to seek greater understanding. He was willing to sacrifice, suffer, travel, question, and learn. If the Allfather himself never considered his wisdom complete, why should we?
I believe that as Heathens, we have a duty to follow that example. Our Gods are beings we honor with offerings and words, but they are also examples whose virtues we should strive to embody. I personally think emulation is one of the ultimate expressions of veneration. Sure we honor Óðinn in ritual, by raising a horn in his name, but we can also honor him by opening a book, asking difficult questions, challenging what we think we know, and having the humility to admit when we're wrong. Hávamál stanzas 26-27 tell us about the person who believes himself knowledgeable when he isn't, and stanza 63 reminds us that those who wish to be considered wise must learn to ask and answer wisely. There is no shame in not knowing something. The real danger is believing we have nothing left to learn. Wisdom requires curiosity, humility, effort, and sometimes the courage to abandon an old belief when better knowledge comes to light.
Our Gods are deeply connected to our ancestral traditions, and for many of us, honoring them is inseparable from honoring our ancestors and the wisdom they passed down. Ancestral veneration should never mean allowing our knowledge to stand still though. Our ancestors learned, explored, adapted, and passed their understanding forward, and we should do the same. We owe it to those who came before us, to ourselves, and to those who will come after us to keep seeking higher knowledge. Study the lore, learn the history, question the sources, listen to others, and never become so certain of your own wisdom that you close the door to more of it. Every answer may lead to another question, and every lesson may reveal how much more there is to discover. The greatest way we can honor the Allfather is to follow in his footsteps. Seek knowledge, seek understanding, seek wisdom, and when you think you have learned enough, seek some more!
Hail Óðinn!
Hail the Ancestors!
Hail Raven Folk United!