As well as being the king of the Aesir gods and the god of war, Odin was also the god of knowledge and associated with the practice of magic.

He would infamously make significant personal sacrifices to gain wisdom. For example, he agreed to sacrifice his eye in order to drink from the Well of Mimir, the waters of which imparted great knowledge.

This rune covered cylindrical disc pays homage to another of Odin's great feats. He hung himself from Yggdrasil, the tree of life, for nine days and nine nights pierced by his own sword in order to gain knowledge of the runes.

The Vikings believed that the runes not only represented reality, but could be used to create reality. This is why the Norns, the Norse fates, carved runes into the roots of Yddgrasil to write the fates of men.

As a master of the runes, Odin had access to Seidr magic, which also allowed him to shape reality and fate.

This runic cylinder is a homage to Odin, the king of the Norse gods, and also represents the power of the individual to shape their own fate. We may not know the secrets of the runes, but each of us has the power to shape our own path through our actions and decisions.