Woden was the son of Freotholaf. According to the geneology of the saxon kings of Wessex, recorded in the Anglo-saxon Chronicles, their ancestor, Woden, would have lived in the second christian century. Since the saxons practised hereditary kingship, Woden was evidently one in a line of warrior chieftains whose community survived the ages, into historical times. The most likely home of Woden's family was at Gudme, on the island of Fyn, off the east coast of Jutland in the Baltic Sea. So, it prospered initially towards the end of Woden's stuartship, and flourished for several generations afterwards.
Excavations there yield some of the most spectacular treasures of the age.
The gold and silver trade goods, gold coins, jewel encrusted weapons, and masses of bog sacrifices, testify to an exceptionally favoured community. Somehow, the era of Woden came to be known as the days at the beginning of time. Woden's name, in particular, became associated with all the great traditions which survived from that era. He was, according to tradition, the master of all poets. In the scandinavian custom, the poets were considered able to converse with the gods of Asgaard , the home of their ancestor heros.