Wodin

Meet Wodin (Vinlands Wodin).

He was our surprise puppy. He arrived long after his five sisters.

Wodanaz is the old Proto-Germanic pagan name for Odinn of Norse mythology. In English it is Wodin (Wodan) which hopefully will be his call name, at least for now. He is the god of poets and seers, a healer, a shape-changer and a bringer of victory.

Wodin is a tricolor (black, tan and white) puppy with a typical "Odinn-face". He has double dews on both rear feet.

What do we mean by an Odinn split-face?

In the Norse religion, there are many gods in Asgard, the capital city of the gods surrounded by an incomplete wall. The wall is similar to the walls that almost completely surrounded (encircled) the English "Henges" - like Stonehenge. There were also wood henges. Some henges, like Stonehenge, celebrated the passing of life into Valhalla. They were lined up so that on the longest day of the year (June 21) the sun rose through one "door". On the shortest day of the year (December 21) the sun set through the opposite "door".

There were also henges that celebrated the beginning of life, fertility and birth. Their "doors" were lined up in the opposite direction. The henges seem to have been built in tandem.

Odinn, the one eyed god, and his wife Frigg rule Asgard. Mimir was the wisest of all the gods in Asgard and guarded a magical well, named Mimir’s Well. Anyone who drinks the water from the well will gain the wisdom of Mimir.

Odin was willing to go to any lengths for a sip of water from Mimir’s Well. When he was offered a chance to drink water from the well in return for an eye, he didn’t hesitate. Odin sacrificed an eye and rejoiced as he drank the water of wisdom.

That is how he ended up not only being the wisest god in Asgard, but also the one-eyed god. Occasionally there are Icelandic sheepdogs born with color (black, tan, yellow, gray, brown) on one half of their face; the other half is white. They are not blind, of course, but because their face has two different colors, they are said to be Odinn-faced.

There are several spellings for the name Odinn. The oldest is Wodanaz. In Old English this became Wodan, Woden or Wodin. (We get the name Wednesday - Wodan's day from Wodan.) Odinn, Odin, Othin, etc. are also common spellings.