The Mead of Poetry – Odin, Kvasir, and the Hidden Source of Inspiration

In this episode, I explore the Norse myth of Odin and the Mead of Poetry: how divine inspiration comes into being, how it is hidden, guarded, transformed, and finally released into the world.

The story begins with Kvasir, born from the reconciliation of the Æsir and the Vanir — a being formed from shared substance, embodying distilled wisdom. After his death, his blood is mixed with honey by the dwarves, creating the mead that grants poetic insight and inspired speech.

This mead passes into the hands of the giant Suttung, who hides it deep within a mountain, guarded by his daughter Gunnlöð. Odin does not seize it by force, but reaches it through patience, labor, transformation, and risk — drilling into the mountain, entering through a narrow opening, and escaping at great cost.

The episode reflects on the meanings of key names and objects in the myth — Kvasir, Óðrerir, the mountain, the drill, the act of guarding — and reads the mead not as intoxication, but as concentrated insight: inspiration that demands effort, responsibility, and discernment.

Alongside the Norse material, I briefly touch on a parallel current in Greek mythology — Aquarius and Ganymede, the divine cup-bearer — not as a direct equivalence, but as an ancient resonance: different cultures circling the same question of how divine insight is carried, poured out, and made accessible to the world.

This is not a moral tale, but a myth of transmission:
how wisdom is formed,
why it is hidden,
and what it costs to bring it into speech.

#NorseMythology #Odin #Mead #MythologyPodcast #myths #MythicStudies #Aquarius #Ganymede

Het verhaal van hoe de mede tot stand is gekomen en Odin deze verkregen heeft. Een verhaal dat enkele parallellenheeft met het verhaal van Aquarius en Ganymedes. #Odin #Edda #mythen #Vikings

The Mythical Self, the Podcast Part 3, Aquarius, the WatermanIs Aquarius really a man?In this episode of the mythological and astrological podcast, we search for the source of the nectar of the gods and the source of the Nile: the story of the constellation Aquarius. Who, by the grace of the gods, may pour out the elixir? Is it Hebe? Or is it Ganymede? When you like to support this podcast. Your support is very much appreciated: paypal.me/Aswind999

Het Mythische Zelf, de Podcast deel 3, Aquarius, de Waterman

Is Waterman werkelijk een man?

Met deze aflevering van de mythologische en astrologische podcast gaan we op zoek naar de bron van de godendrank en de bron van de Nijl: het verhaal van het Sterrenbeeld Aquarius. Wie mag met de gratie van de goden de heildrank schenken. Is het Hebe? Of is het Ganymedes ?

Met deze podcast gaan we op reis met de sterren en planeten op zoek naar de mythen achter de hemellichamen/ sterrenbeelden. En waar mogelijk duiken we nog dieper, op zoek naar de bron en de drank van onsterfelijkheid.

Midwintertale: Pan and Capricorn
At Midwinter, the Sun stands still. In this episode, we explore Pan as the spirit of Capricorn — the god who animates mountains, caves, and the deep places beneath the world. A mythological journey through Midwinter, where power pauses, chaos is contained, and listening becomes wisdom.

Hier wordt de Midwintermythe verteld volgens de Grieks- Romeinse mythologie en tegelijk kijken we naar waar de maan enkele planeten zich bevinden aan het firmament. En welke mythen zijn daar weer aan verbonden?

This is the same story as 'Thor en de Slangendrager' . But I was asked to do the podcast in English too.

It's about Greek and Nordic mythology... looking deeper than the eye can see , deeper in the depth of mythology and the beautiful hidden messages.

In deze tijd staat de zon in het Sterrenbeeld 'De Slangendrager, de 13e maan, de maan buiten de tijd'.