From: [car l f] at [panix.com] (Carl Fink)
Newsgroups: sci.archaeology,soc.history,alt.pagan,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: Question regarding the Goddess in Europe
Date: 20 Aug 1993 20:16:00 -0400

[r--n--n] at [lysator.liu.se] (Vincent) writes in part:
R>Oden is the patron father.
 >Actually he has 3 sons, Tor, Balder and Loke (I spell it swedish).

  No, actually Loki (Norwegian spelling) was Odin's blood brother. He's
only Odin's son in Marvel Comics.  Actually the son of frost giants, as
I recall.

  The IE hypothesis is that historical Germanic religion
(Odin/Wotan/Oden as ruler of the gods, Thor/Tor/Donarr as most important
god, etc.) is a modification of the original IE religion, in which
Tyr/Zeus/Dyaus Pitar was king/sky god).   Thus Dumezil identified Tyr
with Odin's brother Vili or Ve (can't recall which).  Odin was
supposedly originally the psychopomp (guide for the dead) in Germanic
religion.  Since this religion became death-centered, the god of death
became more and more important and eventually became the god of kings
and king of the gods.

  BTW, Odin's role as psychopomp is why the Romans identified him with
Mercury, who was their psychopomp.
          
-- 
"Ignorant?!  Ha!  I don't even know the meaning of the word!" 

                                     "Fight-Man", Evan Dorkin
Carl Fink                            [car l f] at [panix.com]