Mount Odin () is the most prominent peak, though not the highest, in the

Asgard Range The Asgard Range is a mountain range in Victoria Land, Antarctica. It divides Wright Valley from Taylor Glacier and Taylor Valley, and was named by the Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition (1958–59) after Asgard, the home o ...

, of

Victoria Land Victoria Land is a region in eastern Antarctica which fronts the western side of the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf, extending southward from about 70°30'S to 78°00'S, and westward from the Ross Sea to the edge of the Antarctic Plateau. It ...

, Antarctica. It rises over just south of

Lake Vanda Lake Vanda is a lake in Wright Valley, Victoria Land, Ross Dependency, Antarctica. The lake is long and has a maximum depth of . On its shore, New Zealand maintained Vanda Station from 1968 to 1995. Lake Vanda is a hypersaline lake with a salinit ...

. It was named by the

Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition The Antarctic Research Centre (ARC) is part of the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. Its mission is to research "Antarctic climate history and processes, and their influence on the global clima ...

(VUWAE) (1958–59) for the Norse god

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

Location

Mount Odin lies to the south of

in the

Wright Valley The Wright Valley, named for Sir Charles Wright, is the central one of the three large Dry Valleys in the Transantarctic Mountains, located west of McMurdo Sound at approximately . Wright Valley contains the Onyx River, the longest river in Ant ...

. The Odin Valley is to its east, and Obelisk Mountain to its south. Junction Knob is to the southwest. A study of soil microbiology from sites in the Odin valley down to the

Onyx River The Onyx River is an Antarctic meltwater stream which flows westward through the Wright Valley from Wright Lower Glacier and Lake Brownworth at the foot of the glacier to Lake Vanda, during the few months of the Antarctic summer. At in length ...

in the Wright Valley, published in 1972, showed that despite the cold and dry conditions, there was active in-situ microbial life in all the soils examined.

Features

Features in the region around the mountain include Odin Valley, Tiw Valley, Mime Glacier, Siegfried Peak, Siegmund Peak, Heimdall Glacier, Mount Beowulf, Beowulf Glacier,, Mount Valhalla, Valhalla Glacier, Obelisk Mountain, Hind Turret, Junction Knob, Odin Glacier, Alberich Glacier, Sykes Glacier, Donner Valley and Odin Glacier.

Odin Valley

. An ice free valley immediately east of Mount Odin. Named by

New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee New Zealand Antarctic Place-Names Committee (NZ-APC) is an adjudicating committee established to authorize the naming of features in the Ross Dependency on the Antarctic continent. It is composed of the members of the New Zealand Geographic Board pl ...

(NZ-APC) in association with Mount Odin.

Tiw Valley

. A valley lying next eastward of Odin Valley. The feature is one in a group in this range named from Norse mythology, Tiw being the god of rules and regulations in war and peace. The name was suggested by United States

Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

(US-ACAN) in consultation with the NZ-APC.

Mime Glacier

. A small glacier at the south (upper) end of Tiw Valley. The name is one in a group given by NZ-APC from Norse mythology. In Der Ring des Nibelungen, Mime is the smith who aids Siegfried to win the ring and is slain by the hero for his treachery.

Siegfried Peak

. Peak that forms a saddle with Siegmund Peak immediately southward, standing at the east side of the entrance to Odin Valley in the Asgard Range. The peak is one in a group of features in the area named mainly from Norse mythology by NZ-APC. Siegfried was the hero of various German legends, particularly of the Nibelungenlied.

Siegmund Peak

. The peak forms a saddle with Siegfried Peak just northward, located at the east side of the entrance to Odin Valley. The name was applied by NZ-APC after Siegmund, the father of the German legend hero Siegfried in Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Mount Beowulf

. A peak rising to about high at the southeast side of Mime Glacier. Mapped by the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) in 1962 from United States Navy aerial photographs taken 1947-59. Named by the NZ-APC in 1983 after the hero of the Old English epic poem.

Beowulf Glacier

. A small north-flowing glacier located between Mime Glacier and the head of Rhone Glacier in the Asgard Range. Named in 1983 by the NZ-APC from association with Mount Beowulf which stands at the head of this glacier.

Mount Valhalla

. A peak standing at the west flank of Valhalla Glacier from where it overlooks the south side of Wright Valley. The name is one in a group in the range derived from Norse mythology, Valhalla being the great hall where Odin receives and feasts the souls of heroes who have fallen bravely in battle. The name was suggested by US-ACAN in consultation with NZ-APC.

Obelisk Mountain

. A mountain, about high, between

Catspaw Glacier Catspaw Glacier () is a small alpine glacier just west of Stocking Glacier, flowing south from the slopes north of Taylor Glacier, in Victoria Land. It was so named by Thomas Griffith Taylor of the British Antarctic Expedition, 1910–13, because ...

and Mount Odin. Given this descriptive name by the Western Journey Party, led by Taylor, of the BrAE, 1910-13.

Hind Turret

. A descriptive name that is suggestive of the appearance and position of this peak at the south (hind) side of Obelisk Mountain. The name was recommended by the US-ACAN in consultation with the NZ-APC.

Veli Peak

. A peak just east of Idun Peak and south of Brunhilde Peak. The precise origin of "Veli," applied by NZ-APC, is not known.

Brunhilde Peak

. A rock peak between the upper part of Donner Valley and Sykes Glacier. Named by NZ-APC after Brunhilde, one in a group of names in the range derived from Norse mythology. In the

Nibelungenlied The ( gmh, Der Nibelunge liet or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition ...

, Brunhilde is a young and stalwart queen whom Siegfried, by magic, wins and later tames for Gunther.

Idun Peak

. A small peak between Mount Thundergut and Veli Peak. The name, recommended by US-ACAN in consultation with NZAPC, is one in a group of names in Asgard Range derived from Norse mythology Idun being a goddess.

Colosseum Cliff

. An impressive banded cliff located between Sykes Glacier and the doleritic rock of

Plane Table A plane table (plain table prior to 1830) is a device used in surveying site mapping, exploration mapping, coastal navigation mapping, and related disciplines to provide a solid and level surface on which to make field drawings, charts and maps. ...

. The descriptive name was applied by the NZ-APC.

Junction Knob

. A descriptive name given by the NZ-APC to a small but distinctive peak at the junction of Odin Glacier and Alberich Glacier névé areas.

Odin Glacier

. A small glacier that drains the west slopes of Mount Odin. Named by NZ-APC in association with Mount Odin.

Alberich Glacier

. A small glacier that drains west from Junction Knob toward the east flank of Sykes Glacier. It is one in a group of features in the range named by NZ-APC mainly from Norse mythology. In German legend, Alberich is the all-powerful king of the dwarfs and chief of the Nibelungen.

References

Sources

* * * {{Include-USGov , agency=United States Geological Survey

McMurdo Dry Valleys