Mimir's Well and Odin's Eye

Why did Odin give up an eye?

In *Gylfaginning*, Mimir's well lies beneath a root of the great tree that reaches toward the giants. Wisdom is hidden in its waters. Mimir, the well's owner, drinks from it with a horn. This is why he has such great wisdom.

Odin also visited the well and asked for a sip of its water. But he could not drink without giving something in return. So he left one of his eyes as a pledge. That was the price he had to pay to drink from the well.

In *Voluspa*, Odin comes to a seeress sitting alone. He looks into her eyes. She knows that his eye is hidden in Mimir's well. She says that every morning Mimir drinks mead from the eye Odin left as a pledge.

The poem also says that Heimdall's horn is hidden beneath the tall, holy tree. Odin gives the seeress rings and necklaces. She speaks words of wisdom, gazing far and wide across all the worlds.

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