Odin's Star: The All-Father's Throne

Another of Odin’s aspects, alongside his war-god and wanderer/runemaster faces, is his role as the All-Father and King of Asgard. When he is ruling here, his magical throne is Hlidskjalf (”high seat”), and from there he can see far and wide, into all the worlds that are not blocked to him, and into the entire world of humanity. The northern sky also has a King on a Throne, as well as a Queen. The Greeks named the constellation Cepheus, after a legendary king in one of their stories, and the major star was called Alderamin, from the Arabic “right shoulder”—which, oddly enough, is where one of Odin’s ravens sits when he is on the throne.

Odin’s Throne traditionally gives seriousness and possibly severity. This side of Odin is less forgiving, although he does care paternally for his subjects. However, he must make hard decisions and strategize the defense of Asgard, including speculating on the future and attempting to head off potential problems. Alderamin gives a tendency to worry about the future and the survival of one’s legacy; Odin certainly does this, even to the point of wrong decisions (such as the attempt to get rid of Loki and Angrboda’s children, which goes horribly wrong). The Throne Star also supposedly gives good theatrical acting ability, so long as the play is a tragedy. (Anyone who knows Odin will also understand why this is relevant.) Modernly, Alderamin is said to bestow the qualities of good leadership from a masculine perspective.