> [[franks]]. *Óðinn: A Queer týr? A Study of Óðinn’s Function as a Queer Deity in Iron Age Scandinavia*. Ritgerð til M.A.-prófs í Viking and Medieval Norse Studies, 2018. [academia.edu](https://www.academia.edu/37674999/%C3%93%C3%B0inn-A-Queer-tyr-A-Study-of-%C3%93%C3%B0inns-Function-in-Iron-Age-Scandinavia-MA-thesis) [pdf](http://hdl.handle.net/1946/29925) [pdf](a/a-franks2018.pdf) ## Abstract Óðinn’s gender has been very contentious within scholarship. While he is the god of war, he has also been argued to be queer or ergi - that is, perceived as somewhat passively homosexual or cross-dressing. Brit Solli argues that ‘as a god, Odin thus constitutes a paradox: He is the manliest god of warriors, but also the unmanly master of seid.’ Ármann Jakobsson also argues that ‘a god who is queer is not queer,’ implying that these two roles are mutually exclusive. I will be using these two statements as points of departure for this thesis, which will explore the ways in which Óðinn can be perceived queer, using the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda as my primary source material, and argue that this is not paradoxical to his role as a god, or a god of war. I start by analysing what it meant to be a deity in pre-Christian Scandinavia, questioning emic words and categories, alongside discussions of cultic worship and the ideas of omnipotence and omniscience to demonstrate the disparity between pre- Christian deities and supernatural beings and modern Western ideas pertaining to this. I then explore narratives and iconography surrounding Óðinn’s queer nature, and employ a queer theoretical perspective to do so. By exploring semantic centres, various narratives, and religious variation, I demonstrate that Óðinn can be read as queer based on various examples, and that there was also diversity in how he was perceived based on source types. I finally discuss the idea of the warrior cult and the role of women within this to demonstrate that this was not a strictly masculine space, and that therefore Óðinn’s role within this did not constitute a paradox. Finally, I conclude that Óðinn was a queer týr, and that this fits into a broader understanding of diversity of gender in Iron Age Scandinavia.