Slow Havamal: 159

In verse 159, Odin says he knows a fourteenth spell: he can count the gods for men and he knows the names of all the gods and elves.

The fourteenth spell seems to be entirely for the benefit of man. It allows Odin to count and name all of the gods and convey that information to humanity. It’s interesting to me that he gleans the names and number by a spell, not by learning in a more traditional manner, or through some census of experience. From where does the need to use magic arise? Perhaps the gods are reluctant to be known and counted, and only through craft can Odin nail them down. Or perhaps the notion of counting and naming these divine beings only makes sense to humans. Maybe there is no count or name on the spiritual plane, and the purpose of the spell is to take what is perhaps continuous (or otherwise) and render it discrete. ( Read more... )