Who is Vidar

Hail to the Silent One!
Hail to Leathershod!
Hail to the Wolf Ripper!
Hail to the Far-Seer!
Hail to the Survivor of Old Times!
Hail to the Son of Odin!
Hail to Fenrir's Bane!


Vidar is a god from the Aesir family of gods. He is the son of the chief of those gods, Odin. Vidar was born to avenge his father.

In the Voluspa, it tells of a coming final battle where the gods will fight their enemies, the giants. One of the enemies is a wolf called Fenrir. This wolf will, according to the prediction, swallow Odin.

Odin is a clever fellow. Knowing his fate, he conspired to make some changes in the way things work in the future. He sought out the correct mother for this purpose, and created Vidar. It would be Vidar's job to destroy Fenrir.

Vidar grew quickly. His strength became as great as the strongest of the Aesir. He was a skilled warrior and learned his trade fast. But there is more to him.

Because he was born for the future, he had the gift of foresight. That is why he is called Vidar the Far-Seer. He knew the nature of the future, but he did not tell the things he saw. It is for this reason that he is called Vidar the Silent. He knows the patterns of the future and the likely outcome of things.

He knows that in the last battle, the wolf will swallow his father and that Vidar will but his great boot on the lower jaw of the wolf and use his hands to hold the upper jaw. From this position, he will tear the wolf apart, releasing a great wind from the beast's belly. There is speculation that this great wind is actually Odin making his escape.

This act of rending the wolf is why Vidar is called Wolf Ripper and Fenrir's Bane. His reinforced boot, for standing on the wolf's lower jaw, is why he is called Vidar Leathershod.

When the last battle is over, and the worlds are renewed, Vidar will be one of the surviving gods. He will be a Survivor of Old Times.

Vidar is not an idle god while waiting for the wolf to die. He is an active part of even this noisy world. You can often find his presence in the silent places of nature. You can find him nudging mankind into the future as we explore science and space. He is a god of patience and foresight. He is a god of inspired thought and hope for better days. He is a god of seeing the patterns and estimating where they are likely to go.

Most importantly, Vidar is a sympathetic and caring god. He knows that humans plan the best they can despite their limitations. He knows we race to our future without really knowing where we will go. If he seems silent and grim, it is because he does know where we are going and he sometimes feels bad for us.

Vidar may not answer your questions directly; he has earned the name Silent One. However, if you can find the silent places and still the noise in your mind, he may help you see the patterns the way he does. That may be all the answer you need.