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Sep 23, 2010
Odin gained great wisdom when he hanged himself on the world tree (also referred to as the gallows). This, however, was a spiritual death in which he sacrificed himself to himself. Odin hung on the Yggdrasil tree for nine days and nights and was pierced by a spear. He is said to have reached the world beyond the realms of death through his spiritual hanging. By this means he gained knowledge of the runes and learned to master their magic. This power allows him to bring the dead back.
When the Christian bunch came to Scandinavia, their attitude was basically "convert or die". Eventually, it became more advantegous to convert to Christianity and as with most pagan converts, the existing traditions and gods were renamed.