Odin (Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse mythology and Norse paganism, like the Anglo-Saxon Woden it is descended from Proto-Germanic *Wōđinaz or *Wōđanaz.
His name is related to óðr, meaning "fury", "excitation," or "mind", "poetry," and ana-z "governs this". His role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is a god of wisdom, war, battle and death. He is also attested as being a god of magic, poetry, prophecy, victory and the hunt. He seems to be the equivalent of Zeus, king of the gods in Greek mythology, though others (like Tacitus) have connected Zeus to Thor and Odin to Hermes (such as in the days of the week).