Odin from Levide

A sensational small amulet of Odin has been found in Levide in Southern Gotland, Sweden.
The pendant belongs to a group of figurines commonly called the “weapon-dancers”.
 Weapondancer from Torslunda, Öland Source: Wikipedia

Odin – or Woden, Wotan or Woutan – is an ambiguous and enigmatic God, who plays both
priestly and martial roles. First of all he is the great sorcerer, a competent magician. Thus he is a
shape-shifter (shaman) who can appear as both man, woman and animal. He commands the
weather and high seas and rules over fire. Through self-sacrifice he has acquired the knowledge
of Runic wisdom and by manipulating Runes he can communicate with the dead and throw
spells. Added to this should be the acts through which he was able to lay hands on the heavenly
drink of mead – sometimes it is told he accomplished this through deceit; a different story tells
how he paid for the recipe with his eye. Another feature is his companions, the Ravens “Hugin”
and “Mugin” plus his two wolves,”Gere” and “Freke”, and his eight-feeted steed, “Sleipner”. To
his possessions are counted “Gungnir”, his spear, and “Draupnir”, a fabulous golden ring, from
which smaller rings drip every ninth night, making it possible for him to play his most important
role as lord of the gang of dead warriors, for whom he throws a party every night in his great Hal
in Valhalla.
Odin from the Finglesham Buckle. On loan to the Asmolean, Oxford. Source: Wikipedia

These stories (and others) are prominent parts of the Nordic mythologies written down in the
12th century and onwards. Scholars naturally disagree with the extent to which they were formed
at a later stage and under the impression of Christianity. However, independent archaeological
finds and images on rune-stones and figurines do tend to corroborate some of the myths, one of
which is that at the first war between the Vanir and the Aesir Odin throws his spear over the
heads of an assembly of Vanir Gods in order to start the fight. It is perhaps this story, which has
inspired the images and figurines, where Odin is presented as a one-eyed “weapon-dancer”
hurling his spear and instigating the first war.

As such, Odin has been identified on a series of different artefacts from the 6th to 7th century.
One key element in this identification are the four cast-bronze-dies found in Torslunda in 1870.
According to a very recent scan of the dies, the dancing naked warrior carrying a helmet with
horns ending in two birds of prey, is in fact one-eyed. It has been proved that originally the
dancer on the die had two eyes. One, however, was removed with a sharp instrument during the
manufacture.
The identical motive may be found on the Sutton-Hoo helmet. There, however, the dancing
warriors are clothed as opposed to the men on the plates on the helmets from Valsgärde 7 and 8
found in Sweden.

A third rendering of the motive may be found on the Finglesham Buckle (6th century) from an
early Anglo-Saxon burial ground. But here the dancer is naked.

Odin from Staraya Ladoga

Odin from Levide in full figure

A fourth may be seen at the Ekhammer pendant from Kungsängen in Uppland (now in the
Swedish National History Museum) as well as a fifth found in Staraya Ladoga in Russia (8th
century) slightly different versions from Birka and Uppåkra.

This last one is virtually identical with the newly found amulet from Gotland. It measures app. 4
cm. and is made of an alloy of silver and bronze. It is preliminarily dated to the period between
6th – 7th AD. Holes have been drilled into the sides, signifying its use as an amulet, says
archaeologist Dan Carlsson from Gotland.

SOURCE