Appearances: FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFXI, FFXIII, FFXIV
Amano concept art of Odin
Like the other summons introduced in Final Fantasy III Odin has become one of the staples of the Final Fantasy series. He is a tall heavily armored warrior who rides his stead Sleipnir into battle. His most famous attack is Zantestuken which instantly dispatches all foes in the fight. Some times the attack is renamed 'Gungir' where it simple deals damage to the enemies. There will be more on Gungir, Sleipnir and Zantestuken at a later date.
Odin is one of the major deities in the Norse pantheon. He is not exclusively Norse as he appears in many of the wider Germanic traditions. Odin was a wandering deity in search of knowledge. A common depiction of the god had him in long traveling cloak with staff and hat. This depiction of Odin bears a remarkable similarity to the Lord of the Rings' Gandalf the Grey and was likely the inspiration for the character. J.R.R. Tolkein was well versed Old English and Scandinavian lore having been one of the first people to translate 'Beowulf'. This wandering aspect of Odin caused the Romans to associate him with their god Mercury, the messenger of the gods.
Odin was at the begging of the universe. He, with his two brothers, slew the giant Ymer and created Midgard from his body. They then created humans to live for all the ages in this realm. But it is foretold since the begging that the world will end Ragnarok. At this time Odin will lead einherjar, warriors slain in battle that reside in Odin's halls, in battle against Loki and his hordes. The einherjar represent the warrior aspect of Odin.
In Odin's wandering pursuit of knowledge he came upon the well of Mimir, the god of wisdom. This place was hidden at the base of one Yggdrasil's roots. In the Prose Edda it is said that Mimir drinks often from these waters and is full of wisdom. At one time Odin sought this knowledge but Mimir denied him. Mimir demanded Odin's left eye as a pledge which the god gladly gave. In other sources Odin gains wisdom through Mimir's embalmed severed head
I highly recommend reading the translation of the Prose Edda linked above for a more thorough account of some of Odin's deeds.
'Odin the Wanderer' by Georg von Rosen. Not Gandalf the Grey.
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