When I first wrote this for The Odinist, I got lots of responses from Old Norse speakers who thanked me for FINALLY understanding that knowledge is not wisdom.

I have a feeling that you got hold of there was a somewhat interpretative version.

Nobodyis ever comfortable with Odin seeking mere knowledge. Richard Wagner’s opera said at the outset that Odin gave an eye for love of Freya. It was the romatic age.

One becomes more and like one’s enemies in any long-term war. It would have been easy for the word visindum to be substituted for knowledge. Who would want Christ to represent Wisdom while Odin was just looking for lowly information, all oc which JHWH already possessed?

I am the opposite. Wjo cares about Odin if he is just one more Chinaman seeking Wisdom?

Else Chsitensen was Danish, and a large part of her Odinist Fellowwhip was in Scandinavia.

You are the first person who has ever said that Odin sought Wisdom rather than knowledge.

Chances are that what you are quoting was a later adaptation, not as bad as Wagner, but pretty bad.

“Odin hung on the World Tree, Yggsradil, and lost an eye for KNOWLEDGE, not Wisdom.”

Peter says,

FYI only. This doesn’t take away form your point:

En undir theiri rót er til hrímthursa horfir, thar er Mímis brunnr, er spekdh ok manvit er í folgit, ok heitir sá Mímir er á brunninn. Hann er fullr vísindum fyrir thví at hann drekkr ór brunninum ag horninu Gjallarhorni. Thar kom Alfödhr ok beiddisk eins drykkr af brunninum, en hann fekk eigi fyrr en hann lagdhi auga sitt at vedhi.

Which means:

And under the root which to the rimethurses stretcheth is Mimir’s spring wherein insight and good sense are hidden. And it is named for Mimir whose spring it is. He is full of wisdom, for he drinketh from the spring out of the horn Yellinghorn. Thither came All-Father and bade one drink of the well, but he got it not until he had left an eye on loan.

Thus wisdom is defined as “insight and good sense (man-wit).”

Comment by Peter