Abstract
Two myths that describe Óðinn's quest for the Sacred Mead are presented side by side in Hávamál - the myth of the self-sacrifice on the Tree and the journey to Suttungr!s hall. While their protagonist, the quest, and the boon are their connecting points, their content is otherwise completely different and the myths are usually interpreted as two unconnected stories.
The difference could be expressed as a series of oppositions: simplex-complex, static-dynamic, passive-active, etc. Their contrast is so pronounced that it paradoxically seems to point to their deeper connection.
This text presents an interpretation that connects both myths and explains their systematic contras. It uses Snorri!s description of a trance state ascribed to Óðinn and shows how one of the myths corresponds to the situation of the symbolically dead body while the other myth corresopnds to the active aspect of the person travelling to the Otherworld.
The pattern applied to the two Odinic myths is then analysed and other applications are suggested.