Many

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

s ("place names") contain the name of

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 ...

(Norse Óðinn, Old English Wōden, proto-Germanic Wōdanaz).

Scandinavia, Nordic and Baltic countries

Denmark

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

Christiansen, Eric.'The Norsemen in the Viking Age'. Wiley-Blackwell, 2002. , .Length: 378 pages. Page 264 *Onsberg – formally Othensberg, "Odin's Berg".Grimm, Jacob. Stallybrass, John Steven. 'Teutonic mythology, Volume 1'. Courier Dover Publications, 2004. , . Length: 448 pages. Pages 151–158 *Onsbjerg *Onsholt – "Odin's

Holt Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

", located in Viby,

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. A marked hill now covered in corn fields that was, up until about the 18th century, covered in wetlands on all sides. It was covered by a wood (a "holt") during the Viking Age. Viby may mean "the settlement by the sacred site" and contains traces of sacrifices going back 2,500 years.Damm, Annette. Editor. (2005) ''Viking Aros'', pages 42–45.

Moesgård Museum Moesgaard Museum (MOMU) is a Danish regional museum dedicated to archaeology and ethnography. It is located in Beder, a suburb of Aarhus, Denmark. MOMU cooperates with the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, Medieval and Renaissance Archaeology ...

*Onsild *Onsved *OthinshilleBrown, Arthur. Foote, Peter Godfrey. Smith, Albert Hugh. 'Early English and Norse studies: Presented to Hugh Smith in Honour of His Sixtieth Birthday'. Methuen, 1963. University of California. Length: 225 pages. Page 105 *

Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).

Estonia

* Island of

Osmussaar Osmussaar ( sv, Odensholm, german: Odinsholm) is an Estonian island situated in the mouth of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, 7.5 km off the Estonian mainland. Administratively the island is part of Lääne-Nigula Parish in Lääne ...

– "Odensholm" in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, literally "Odin's islet".

Finland

*Island of Odensö – also known as Udensö, literally "Odin's island". Probably a medieval transformation of an original Finnic name unrelated to Odin.

Norway

*'' Óðinsøy'' ("Odin's island").

Sweden

*Odensbacken – ''Odin's Slope'' *Odensberg, Schonen – "Odin's Berg". *Odensvi – ''Odin's Sanctuary'', a place name appearing in Västmanland, Närke & Småland. *Odinslund'', modern toponym *Onsjö, Odensjö & Odensjön – ''Odin Lake''/''The Odin Lake'', several places in southern Sweden *Onslunda – ''Odin's Grove'' *

Odenplan Odenplan is a plaza located in the district Vasastaden in central Stockholm, Sweden. History Odenplan was named after the old Norse god Odin. Odenplan metro station, opened in 1952, and Stockholm Odenplan commuter train station on the Stockh ...

– "Odin's Square" in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. **Odengatan – "Odin Street"; running past Odenplan up to Valhallavägen "Valhalla Way" in

)'', modern toponyms *Odensåker, Skaraborg – ''Odin's Field'' *Odenssala ''Odin's Hall'' or ''Odin's Sala'', originally ''Odhins Harg'' meaning ''Odin's Shrine''

Mainland Europe

France

*Northern France around

Audresselles Audresselles (; nl, Oderzele; pcd, Auderselle) is a commune south of Cape Gris Nez in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The commune covers about of cultivated lands, two beaches, and seashore cliffs. In the 12th century it was k ...

(Oderzell) district of Marquise: **

Audinghen Audinghen (; Dutch: ''Oudinghen'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming commune, comprising several hamlets, some north of Boulogne-sur-Mer, at the junction of the D940 and the ...

–

Germany

Bad Godesberg Bad Godesberg ( ksh, Bad Jodesbersch) is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 to 1999, while Bonn was the capital of West Germany, most foreign embassies were in Bad Godesberg. Some buildings ar ...

– originally spelt Wuodenesberg, which is "Wotan's mountain". *

Gudensberg Gudensberg () is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany. Since the municipal reform in 1974, the nearby villages of Deute, Dissen, Dorla, Gleichen, Maden and Obervorschütz have become parts of the municipality. Geography Gudensberg is situated ...

– originally spelt ''Wodenesberg'' which means the same as above. *Godensholt – formerly ''Wodensholt'', ''Wotan's wood''. *

Odisheim Odisheim (in High German, in Low Saxon ''Godshem''; literally in en, Wotan's home or ''God's home'', respectively) is a municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Odisheim belongs to the Land of Hadeln, first an exclave ...

– in nds, Godshem (perhaps en, Wotan's home or ''God's home'', respectively) *Wodensweg.

Netherlands

Woensdrecht Woensdrecht () is a municipality (named after the village) in the southern Netherlands. Woensdrecht is the home of the Woensdrecht Air Base, which is located to the north-east of the village of Woensdrecht and to the north-west of Huijbergen. ...

.Taylor, Isaac. 'Words and Places: or, Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology, and Geography'. Macmillan, 1865, Harvard University. Length: 561 pages. Pages 322 and 323 *

Woensel Woensel is a former town in the Dutch province of North Brabant, but nowadays a borough of Eindhoven. An important rural village in North Brabant, Woensel is mentioned in a document from 1107; it was the seat of a deanage of the diocese of Liège. ...

Wânswert Wânswert ( nl, Wanswerd) is a village in Noardeast-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of approximately 193 in January 2017. Before 2019, the village was part of the Ferwerderadiel municipality. History ...

UK

England

Odin Mine Odin Mine is a disused lead mine in the Peak District National Park, situated at grid reference . It lies on a site of 25 hectaresWambrook Wambrook is a village and civil parish in the Blackdown Hills, Somerset, England. The village lies about southwest of the town of Chard. The parish includes the hamlets of Higher Wambrook and Lower Wambrook which is sometimes known as Haselcombe. ...

, Somerset – "Woden's Brook". *Wampool, Hampshire – "Woden's Pool".Kemble, John Mitchell. de Gray Birch, John (editor). 'The Saxons in England V1: A History of the English Commonwealth Till the Period of the Norman Conquest'. Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1849. . Length: 562 pages. Page 336, 343, 344 *

Wanborough, Wiltshire Wanborough is a large village and civil parish in the borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The village is about southeast of Swindon town centre. The settlement along the High Street is Lower Wanborough, while Upper Wanborough is on higher gr ...

– from ''Wôdnes-beorg'', "Woden's Barrow".Johnston, James Brown.'The Place-names of England and Wales. E.P. Dutton and Co., 1916, Princeton University. ASIN: B00088PRX4. Length: 532 pages. Page 493 *

Wanborough, Surrey Wanborough () is a rural village and civil parish in Surrey approximately 4 miles (6 km) west of Guildford on the northern slopes of the Hog's Back. Wanborough lies between Puttenham and Normandy. Wanborough village grew around and to s ...

.Allen, Grant.'Early Britain' BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2007. , . Length: 172 pages. Page 63 * Wansdyke – "Woden's dyke, embankment".Buckland, Raymond.'Buckland's Book of Saxon Witchcraft'. Weiser, 2005. , . Length: 155 pages. Page 12 *

Wanstead Wanstead () is a town in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge, London, Redbridge to the east and Forest Gate to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is ...

, Essex – "Woden's Stead". *

Wednesbury Wednesbury () is a market town in Sandwell in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town had a population of ...

– "Woden's

burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...

".
Woden Road
in Wednesbury. *

Wednesfield Wednesfield is a town and historic village in the City of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, It is east-northeast of Wolverhampton city centre and about from Birmingham and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It was historically wi ...

– "Woden's field". *Wednesham, Cheshire – "Woden's Ham". * Wensley – "Woden's meadow". *

Wembury Wembury is a village on the south coast of Devon, England, very close to Plymouth Sound. Wembury is located south of Plymouth. Wembury is also the name of the peninsula in which the village is situated. The village lies in the administrative di ...

, Devon – "Woden's Hill/Barrow" from the Old English "Wódnesbeorh". * Woden's Barrow – also Christianized as Adam's Grave or Walker's Hill, a barrow in Wiltshire. The Old English spelling was "Wodnes-beorh". *Woden Hill, Hampshire – a hill in

Bagshot Heath Swinley Forest is a large expanse of Crown Estate woodland managed by Forestry England mainly within the civil parishes of Windlesham in Surrey and Winkfield and Crowthorne in Berkshire, England. Coverage Situated to the south-west of Windso ...

.Maclear, G.F. 'Conversion of the West'. BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2009. , . Length: 196 pages. Page 10. Link: https://archive.org/stream/conversionofwest00macluoft/conversionofwest00macluoft_djvu.txt *A valley which the

West Overton West Overton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Marlborough. The river Kennet runs immediately north of the village, separating it from the A4 road. The parish includes the village of Lockeridge, al ...

–

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

road runs through was called ''Wodnes-denu'' which means "Woden's Valley". *Wonston, Hampshire – "Woden's Town". *

Woodbridge, Suffolk Woodbridge is a port and market town in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is up the River Deben from the sea. It lies north-east of Ipswich and forms part of the wider Ipswich built-up area. The town is c ...

– ''Wodenbrycge'' ("Woden's Bridge"). *

Woodnesborough Woodnesborough ( ) is a village in the Dover District of Kent, England, west of Sandwich. The population taken at the 2011 census included Coombe as well as Marshborough, and totalled 1,066. There is a Grade II* listed Anglican church dedicate ...

- also translates as "Woden's burgh", the centre of the town was known as "Woden's hill".Wilson, David Raoul. 'Anglo-Saxon Paganism'. Taylor & Francis, 1992. , . Length: 197 pages. Page 11, page 20 *

Woodway House Woodway House is in Teignmouth, South Devon, England. It was at one time a farm on lands held by the Bishops of Exeter. In around 1815 a thatched "cottage" in the " cottage ornée" style of Horace Walpole's (1717–1797) Thames-side villa,Evans, ...

– from the house on Woden's Way. *

Wormshill Wormshill ( ), historically Wormsell, is a small village and civil parish within the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, England. The parish is approximately south of the Swale and east of Maidstone. The village of Frinsted lies to the east and Bi ...

– also derived from "Woden's hill". * Grimsdyke – from "

Grim Grim may refer to: People * Grim (surname) * Myron Grim Natwick (1890–1990), American artist, animator and film director best known for drawing Betty Boop Mythical or fictional characters * Grim, Old Norse ''Grímr'', from the Norse saga '' Gr ...

", which means both "hooded" and "fierce", another name used for Woden. **

Grim's Ditch Grim's Ditch, Grim's Dyke (also Grimsdyke or Grimes Dike in derivative names) or Grim's Bank is a name shared by a number of prehistoric bank and ditch linear earthworks across England. They are of different dates and may have had different funct ...

– a 5–6 mile section on the Berkshire Downs, the chalk escarpment above the Oxfordshire villages of Ardington, Hendred and Chilton. **

Grim's Ditch (Harrow) Grim's Ditch or Grim's Dyke or Grimes Dike is a linear earthwork in the London Borough of Harrow, in the historic county of Middlesex, and lends its name to the gentle escarpment it crowns, marking Hertfordshire's border. Thought to have been bui ...

– also known as ''Grimsdyke''. A section of Anglo-Saxon era trenches in Harrow. Frederick Goodall's house

Grim's Dyke Grim's Dyke (sometimes called Graeme's Dyke until late 1891)How, Harry ''The Strand Magazine'', Vol. 2, October 1891, pp. 330–41, reprinted at ''The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive'', 20 November 2011 is a house and estate in Harrow Weald, in nort ...

and a local school are named after the area. ** Grim's Ditch (Hampshire) – another set of earthworks. ** Grim's Ditch (South Oxfordshire) – Iron Age/early Roman era earthworks in Oxfordshire. *

Grimes Graves Grime's Graves is a large Neolithic flint mining complex in Norfolk, England. It lies north east from Brandon, Suffolk in the East of England. It was worked between 2600 and 2300 BC, although production may have continued well int ...

Grimsbury Grimsbury is a largely residential area forming the eastern part of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It is east of the River Cherwell, the Oxford Canal and the Cherwell Valley Line railway. History Grimsbury was first settled in the 6th century ...

, Oxfordshire. *Grimsbury Castle, Berkshire – hillfort occupied at least between the 3rd and 2nd Centuries B.C. Named after Woden by the Saxons. *

Grimley, Worcestershire Grimley is a village and civil parish () in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England about north of Worcester. It is known for the Norman Parish Church; St Bartholomew. A la Carte Restaurant; Wagon Wheel. A 16th-centu ...

– from the Old English "Grimanleage", which means "the wood or clearing of Grim (Woden)" *

Grimspound Grimspound is a late Bronze Age settlement, situated on Dartmoor in Devon, England. It consists of a set of 24 hut circles surrounded by a low stone wall. The name was first recorded by the Reverend Richard Polwhele in 1797; it was probably ...

– an Iron Age settlement on Dartmoor. * Grimscote – a village in Northamptonshire, "Grim's Cott" *

Grimsthorpe Grimsthorpe is a hamlet in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A151 road, and north-west from Bourne. Grimsthorpe falls within the civil parish of Edenham, which is governed by Edenham Grimsthorpe Elsthor ...

– a village in Lincolnshire, "Grim's Thorpe" *

Roseberry Topping Roseberry Topping is a distinctive hill in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Great Ayton and Newton under Roseberry. Its summit has a distinctive half-cone shape with a jagged cliff, which has led to many comparisons with the much h ...

– ''Óðins bjarg'' ("Odin's rock or crag", plus "topping" added later). *The ford on the

River Irwell The River Irwell ( ) is a tributary of the River Mersey in north west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup and flows southwards for to meet the Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell marks the boundary be ...

which Regent's Bridge, Ordsall, now crosses, was traditionally called "Woden's Ford" and a nearby cave (no longer extant) was known as "Woden's Den".

Scotland

Edin's Hall Broch Edin's Hall Broch (also Edinshall Broch; Odin's Hall Broch) is a 2nd-century broch near Duns, Scottish Borders, Duns in the Scottish Borders, Borders of Scotland. It is one of very few brochs found in southern Scotland. It is roughly 28 metres i ...

, Berwickshire, sometimes ''Odin's Hall Broch'' and originally Wooden's (Woden's) Hall *Grim's Dyke – another term used for the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twe ...

*Woden Law – "Woden Hill", an Iron Age hillfort in the Cheviots very close to the border with

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

New World

Australia

Woden Valley The District of Woden Valley () is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory used in land administration. The district is subdivided into divisions ( suburbs), sections and blocks. The district of Woden Valley ...

, a district of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Canada

Mount Odin Mount Odin is a mountain in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park along the Akshayuk Pass, north of Pangnirtung and south of Mount Asgard. Mount Odin is the highest mountain on Baffin Island. Mount Odin is the ...

, on Baffin Island

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

United States

Odin, Illinois Odin is a village in Marion County, Illinois, United States. The population was 935 at the 2020 census, down from 1,076 in 2010. History Odin originally was settled chiefly by Scandinavians. The village was named after Odin, a god in Germanic m ...

Odin, Minnesota Odin is a city in Watonwan County, Minnesota, Watonwan County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Watonwan River. The population was 123 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Odin was platted in 1899. The city ...

* Odin, Pennsylvania, in Potter County, PA. *

Woden, Iowa Woden is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, United States. The population was 188 at the time of the 2020 census. History Woden was platted in 1898, and was incorporated as a city in 1904. Geography Woden is located at (43.230471, -93.909436). ...

Woden, Texas Woden is an unincorporated community in Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The area of Nacogdoches County was settled by immigrants from the Old South in the 1830s and was known as Jacobs, then later called King's Store. In 1886 a post offi ...

, an unincorporated community in

Nacogdoches County Nacogdoches County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 64,653. Its county seat is Nacogdoches. The Nacogdoches, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Nacogdoches County. N ...

Notes

References

{{Odin

Place names Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

Placenames Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...