THE WRAITH OF ODIN by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
King Olaf throws a lively feast when a mysterious one-eyed old man steps in from the cold, captivating everyone with his gripping stories all night, only to disappear without a trace by morning.
The poem
The guests were loud, the ale was strong, King Olaf feasted late and long; The hoary Scalds together sang; O'erhead the smoky rafters rang. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. The door swung wide, with creak and din; A blast of cold night-air came in, And on the threshold shivering stood A one-eyed guest, with cloak and hood. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. The King exclaimed, "O graybeard pale! Come warm thee with this cup of ale." The foaming draught the old man quaffed, The noisy guests looked on and laughed. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. Then spake the King: "Be not afraid; Sit here by me." The guest obeyed, And, seated at the table, told Tales of the sea, and Sagas old. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. And ever, when the tale was o'er, The King demanded yet one more; Till Sigurd the Bishop smiling said, "'T is late, O King, and time for bed." Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. The King retired; the stranger guest Followed and entered with the rest; The lights were out, the pages gone, But still the garrulous guest spake on. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. As one who from a volume reads, He spake of heroes and their deeds, Of lands and cities he had seen, And stormy gulfs that tossed between. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. Then from his lips in music rolled The Havamal of Odin old, With sounds mysterious as the roar Of billows on a distant shore. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. "Do we not learn from runes and rhymes Made by the gods in elder times, And do not still the great Scalds teach That silence better is than speech?" Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. Smiling at this, the King replied, "Thy lore is by thy tongue belied; For never was I so enthralled Either by Saga-man or Scald," Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. The Bishop said, "Late hours we keep! Night wanes, O King! 't is time for sleep!" Then slept the King, and when he woke The guest was gone, the morning broke. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. They found the doors securely barred, They found the watch-dog in the yard, There was no footprint in the grass, And none had seen the stranger pass. Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang. King Olaf crossed himself and said: "I know that Odin the Great is dead; Sure is the triumph of our Faith, The one-eyed stranger was his wraith." Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang.
King Olaf throws a lively feast when a mysterious one-eyed old man steps in from the cold, captivating everyone with his gripping stories all night, only to disappear without a trace by morning. The king comes to understand that the stranger was the ghost — the "wraith" — of Odin, the ancient Norse god, visiting for one final time. This eerie encounter in the poem symbolizes the transition from the old Viking religion to Christianity.
Line-by-line
The guests were loud, the ale was strong, / King Olaf feasted late and long;
The door swung wide, with creak and din; / A blast of cold night-air came in,
The King exclaimed, "O graybeard pale! / Come warm thee with this cup of ale."
Then spake the King: "Be not afraid; / Sit here by me." The guest obeyed,
And ever, when the tale was o'er, / The King demanded yet one more;
The King retired; the stranger guest / Followed and entered with the rest;
As one who from a volume reads, / He spake of heroes and their deeds,
Then from his lips in music rolled / The Havamal of Odin old,
"Do we not learn from runes and rhymes / Made by the gods in elder times,
Smiling at this, the King replied, / "Thy lore is by thy tongue belied;
The Bishop said, "Late hours we keep! / Night wanes, O King! 't is time for sleep!"
They found the doors securely barred, / They found the watch-dog in the yard,
King Olaf crossed himself and said: / "I know that Odin the Great is dead;
Tone & mood
The tone feels atmospheric and reminiscent of a ballad — it has a steady, almost hypnotic rhythm, thanks to the recurring refrain. It’s eerie but not terrifying, with a hint of dry humor woven in (like a god who can’t stop chatting and a king who brushes off his bishop twice). By the end, the mood shifts to something more solemn and elegiac: an ancient presence has faded, and Longfellow honors that loss sincerely while also portraying the triumph of Christianity as inevitable.
Symbols & metaphors
- The one-eyed stranger — Odin's most recognizable feature is his missing eye, which he sacrificed in exchange for wisdom. The disguise comes straight from Norse mythology, where Odin often roams among humans wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat. In this context, the disguise also symbolizes the old religion that remains hidden in plain sight within a Christian kingdom.
- The refrain ("Dead rides Sir Morten of Fogelsang") — Borrowed from an old Danish ballad, this line appears in every stanza like a reminder of mortality. It ensures that death lingers at the feast, even as laughter and drinking fill the air, hinting at the poem's conclusion that Odin himself is among the dead.
- The Havamal — A genuine Old Norse text filled with wise sayings attributed to Odin. When the stranger recites it, he’s essentially sharing his own scripture — the collective wisdom of a fading religion. It acts as a sort of farewell address.
- The barred doors and absent footprints — The stranger's inability to leave confirms he never truly belonged to the physical world. These details highlight the line between the natural and the supernatural, indicating that what visited Olaf was a spirit, not a man.
- Bishop Sigurd — The bishop symbolizes the emerging Christian order encroaching on the traditional Norse world. His repeated efforts to conclude the evening are gentle yet insistent — the Church subtly guiding the king away from the pagan storyteller.
- The mead-hall feast — The feast represents the last bastion of old Viking culture—boisterous, communal, and rich with Sagas and Scalds. Odin selects this setting for his final appearance, turning the hall into a symbol of a world teetering on the brink of vanishing.
Historical context
This poem is included in Longfellow's 1863 collection *Tales of a Wayside Inn* and also features in his longer narrative *The Saga of King Olaf*, which Edward Elgar later set to music. King Olaf Haraldsson, who became Saint Olaf, was a real Norwegian king who ruled from 1015 to 1028 and is known for his efforts to Christianize Norway, often through force. Longfellow wrote during a time when Americans were particularly fascinated by Norse and Germanic mythology, influenced by the Romantic movement's desire to explore pre-Christian heroic cultures. The poem exists at the crossroads of two worlds: the Viking age that Longfellow idealized and the Christian civilization he viewed as its successor. He approaches both with a sense of empathy, which contributes to the poem's mournful rather than celebratory tone.
FAQ
He is Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology. Odin is known for sacrificing one eye at Mimir's well to obtain cosmic wisdom. He frequently roamed among humans in disguise, donning a cloak and hood. Longfellow hints at this early on with the phrase "one-eyed guest, with cloak and hood," allowing King Olaf to reveal his identity only at the end.
A wraith refers to a ghost or spectral apparition, particularly one seen shortly after a person's death. Longfellow uses this term to suggest that Odin is already dead—effectively killed off by the advent of Christianity—and that what visits Olaf is merely his lingering spirit.
The Havamal, which translates to "Sayings of the High One" in Old Norse, is a genuine collection of Old Norse poems that have been preserved in the 13th-century *Codex Regius*. This work offers practical wisdom, ethical guidance, and mythological tales, all credited to Odin. The irony that Longfellow weaves in is that the stranger cites the Havamal's commendation of silence — yet continues to speak regardless.
Longfellow took this line from an ancient Danish ballad. It serves as a somber contrast to the festive celebration, reminding us that death lingers nearby, even amidst the loudest revelry. Additionally, it hints at the poem's ending, where we learn that Odin, the mightiest of the old gods, is himself one of the deceased.
Yes, King Olaf Haraldsson was indeed a real Norwegian king who ruled from 1015 to 1028. He played a significant role in converting Norway to Christianity and was later canonized as Saint Olaf. Longfellow featured him as the main character in a longer poem sequence titled *The Saga of King Olaf*, with this poem being one of its episodes.
Not at all. Longfellow shows real respect for Odin. Olaf refers to him as "Odin the Great," even while acknowledging his death. The poem expresses sorrow over the old religion's decline just as much as it honors the new one. The elegiac tone — a feeling of something grand disappearing — serves as the emotional heart of the piece.
These details suggest that the visitor was not of this world. A human guest would have left some trace behind. The locked doors, the calm watchdog, and the lack of footprints all lead to the same conclusion: the stranger was never truly present. He was a spirit merely passing through.
The poem uses rhyming couplets arranged in five-line stanzas, where the fifth line serves as a refrain. This ballad structure is traditional for narrating tales of heroes, ghosts, and legendary events from medieval Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Longfellow selected this form intentionally to align with the Norse themes, as it resonates with the Sagas and folk songs recited by the stranger within the poem.