Wotan
German
Alternative forms
- Wodan
- Wuodan
- Wuotan
Etymology
Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Wōdanaz, cognate with English Woden, Old Frisian Weda, Old Norse Óðinn. Attested since the 12th century in the Latin Chronicon of Godfrey of Viterbo, where it is spelled Wotan. In Old High German, the name could be spelled Wotan, Wuotan or Woatan, depending on regional dialect.
After Christianization, the name persisted in folklore and formed various derivations, such as Old High German Wuotunc, Wodunc, medieval Wüetung.
In literary modern German, the spellings Wodan and Wotan competed during the early 19th century, but Wotan became prevalent in the wake of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, published in 1853.
A male given name Wotan (also Wuotan, Woatan) is attested in Latin beginning in the 9th century.[1] It became obsolete during the high medieval period, but was revived as a rare given name in the 20th century.
Proper noun
Wotan m (genitive Wotans)
- Woden/Odin, a deity of the old Germanic religion, and of modern German reconstructions of this religion
- A male given name