A friend asked me a question.

> If you were to pay tribute to an Aesir, which one would you choose? > Why?

Well, because I have no vengeful feelings towards others and because I care about the future/survival, I would at least include ones that give hope. Maybe laughter, but the main person for that, Loki, goes mad. Odin goes mad too.

For hope you've basically got Odin, for survival against extinction events/holocaust, Freyja for procreation, and Thor for justice (against tyranny). All three count as wanderers on whatever quest, either alone or in small bands.

Loki and Freyja have some complexity. They have in-universe (Loki/Fenrir/Lopt/Fenrisulfr/Garm) and out-of-universe (Freyja/Frigg/Frey) time slices or instances. So remain careful which you ask for help.

Odin certainly has both in and out of universe variations.

Thor, unless we look at Snorri's claim that he was also Odin's dad out of universe (which I dismiss), has the most straight forward and noncomplex personality. Also, if you believe in time travel, possibly a bullet in his brain. I think Tolkien hinted the Gandalf used a pistol against the goblins that night the unexpected party and the hobbit rested in the cave. Or just a rock and a fire cracker! fine…

I think I would probably pick Odin because he's the best planner. He somehow manages to convince the valkyries to save einherjar from oblivion, something the chief Norns probably teased him about, since life magic typically belongs to women, seidrs often. And even though he dies at the doom, without him, Baldr would have fallen at Ragnarok. Instead we are free to assume that Baldr eventually leaves Hel, probably to fight Nidhogg. After that we don't really know what happens. We also don't know much about Freyja's story anymore, just that she's searching for Odr, who could just as well be Odin in disguise.

Unfortunately I did not make good on my promise, yet, to release my notes and prose on the norse myths.