More on Odin and Grimm, published on the 10/03/2026

When watching the later Harry Potter films recently, I contemplated again the deep symbolism of these films and the books they are based upon. How much of this was intentional on J.K. Rowling's part, who can say, but I came across a theory that Gandalf is actually the character Death or The Grim Reaper. One of the things about Odin and about The Grim Reaper is that they are both unlike many other gods. Odin is a god with a large number of alternative names. He takes many disguises. But he is always Odin. Out of all the certainties in life, and of all the things in life that are certain, Death is certain, and so in a sense, one could say that there is only "one" Death, which I wonder if could be why in British folklore Death itself was deified in a sense as the figure of the Grim Reaper. Odin possesses again,similar attributes, taking on many forms, having many names, but being always the same. Odin is also strongly associated with death, and even removes one of his eyes, and metaphorically hangs himself on a tree, effectively he experiences an inner death, to learn the secrets of the runes, and rune does not just mean a letter, it means a secret, a sigil, a key to the secret music and poetry of the cosmos. 

This idea of some kind of inner death is found in the story of Harry Potter as well as in the stories we attach to the figure Odin. In Harry Potter, Harry dies, or appears to, in The Deathly Hallows Part 2, and at least from my understanding, it is The Deathly Hallows, aka The Cloak of Invisibility, The Elder Wand and the Stone of Resurrection, which enable him to come back. 

In Western culture, particularly in Britain, we have a really strange relationship with death. Our TV channels are overrun with funeral advertisements, which the government still fails to change, which I find sickening, and this country as a whole, lacks a spiritual relationship with the idea of Death. We had this whole stupid "YOLO" idea a few years ago, that basically encourages people to not care about life or about their decisions, but this totally misses the point on what life is all about. Life, in the sense of our human lives, is also a transition, we are intended to live long and joyous lives, and this slow process is also a kind of transition, and a preparation from what lies beyond. We view death in Western Society as some inevitable end, and the evil elements of Western Society encourage us to not care, to have as many partners as possible in a detached and non-caring, emotionless way, to be mean if we like, to be selfish, because according to those unpleasant views, it is all going to disappear and be meaningless anyway - according to what British society and education teaches us. I think the opposite to this. I do not think life is meaningless, I do not think humans are meaningless, nor that our existence is meaningless, and I do not believe that this life is the only thing that there is. 

Mankind has long understood that this negative "YOLO" kind of a relationship with death as encouraged in Western Society, also brings about an unhealthy, and ultimately unhappy relationship with life. Because when we instead view death, not as an inevitable terror, but as a natural part of a new birth when we are old and die naturally, that this is a part of our becoming, as spiritual beings, we realise that this life and our actions in this life are important for helping us to spiritually awaken, to live our lives, and to eventually, naturally, move onward to what lies beyond. This is the wisdom of the ancients, and it is also the wisdom in Harry Potter in my opinion. Voldimort in Harry Potter is unwise precisely because he tries to overcome death with what is in a sense, a "YOLO" kind of egotistical attitude. In the story of "The Three Brothers" in which the Deathly Hallows are introduced to us, we learn that the third brother asks for something to protect him from Death, and receives an invisibility cloak. When he is an old man, he then passes his cloak to his son, and he himself greets Death as an old friend. This is, the wisdom of the ancestors. The figure, Death, is not an evil or malicious being, or personification, but a being and personification, and independent deity of life and time itself - a being who doesn't wish us suffering, but who, if we live a good and true life, when we reach a very old age, offers us peace, and returns us home. This is at least my opinion on this matter - which is not to say that I am correct, of course.

What we see happening in the world now, particularly in Britain, is a mental and psychological warfare that attempts to undermine the authority of Death and our sovereignty of life. In other words, it is an attempt to undermine the very nature of life and existence, by convincing us, that we are all just an accident, that life is about material gain, money and power, and that we never have to think about what any of this means - and that we can "live forever" in some digital copy of ourselves, or in our power, success and richness. Honestly, the kind of people who want to encourage a society like this are only a small minority, and the vast majority of us quite frankly, probably want these attitudes to go away, and we are fed up, and sick and bored of egotistical people who believe they are powerful, making bad decisions for us. Many of wish that those types of people would step down and simply stop getting involved with any kind of power. Most of us don't want more AI everywhere. We don't need everything to be efficient and perfect. We don't want to be told what to do or what to think by sociopaths in positions of power, who offer us "the future", when deep down we know that their future is full of lies, deceit and ignorance - just like they are. 

No, I think by and large, I think humans want soul. We want and need meaning in our world. We want ritual and meaningfulness that flows with the natural order of life and time - and this will return, I am sure. We would not be afraid of life and afraid of the inevitability of death, if we didn't have societal pressures trying to teach us to be powerful, to be cold, unfeeling narcissists - just like they are. This is the lie that they try and sell us, they want us to think like them. Voldimort, as a metaphor, teaches us why and how precisely this attitude of hyper-ego is detrimental to the human soul. Voldimort believes that his power and selfishness will enable him to overcome death. Ironically, it becomes the very thing that stops him from being able to pass into the afterlife, becoming, from what I understand, trapped in a kind of limbo for a very long period of time. So - when people encourage these kind of attitudes, of endless selfishness, or there being no afterlife - maybe it is because these kind of people know that deep down - they probably aren't going to reach the afterlife for a very long time. 

Odin is indeed a fascinating figure. I have written about him in other publications quite recently too, and elsewhere including elsewhere on this blog, and on other websites in relation to his connection to the Grim Reaper etc, including in an article on a different website focusing on Grimes's Graves. Odin is a mysterious being. I have also spoken to a few friends recently who feel drawn to Odin, and who privately told me this. And I understand. Another thing I recently became aware of is the existence of a significant series of dyke systems in southern England, sometimes referred to as Grim's Ditch or Grimsdyke. It seems that this figure of Grimm, and perhaps Odin, was in some way connected to the earth too, and to the idea of excavations in the earth, including dykes, the creation of which involves moving large amounts of earth, similar in a sense to Grimm's association with Grime's Graves in Norfolk. Is this because this figure is connected to burials, or is it something more specific that involves a connection to earthworks, mines, or to the underworld in some way? We know for example that Odin is associated with the underworld, with runes, and with the "waters below". In the near future I hope to also publish a blog post on this website involving County Durham and a sacred well there, which links into the subjects discussed in this blog post. I hope that this article (on this page) was an interesting read. Early tomorrow morning I will publish an article/blog post on this website about the MacQuithens, Beinn na Cailleach, polyandry and other topics related to Skye, then I will be publishing (also early tomorrow morning & on this website) another blog post about yet more different markings in a different Yorkshire Cave, which is unrelated to the many other publications I have done about these topics, including to the blog post concerning other carvings at a different cave which I published yesterday, before publishing another blog post yesterday, before publishing this one on this page today. Thank you for reading this article. This article is dedicated to my grandad, and to Odin.