Jeff Russell

Also keep in mind that we have zero evidence of any "pan-Germanic" theology ever existing, or even a uniform set of deities all the Germanic-speaking peoples shared. At best, we know of a short list of gods with similar-enough names (ex: Woden/Wotan/Odin) that the different Germanic peoples venerated.

It seems that fixed pantheons and standardized mythological canons are a product of high civilizations that are able to extend their cultural influence over a wide geographic expanse and impose an ossified cultural template (via the written word) on their various subjects. With tribal societies things are generally a lot more fluid and always in some state of flux. It's very likely that different Germanic tribes and regions had different stories, or at least different variations of what was once a common set of myths and symbols. And those tribes close to the linguistic borders of course absorbed elements of neighboring peoples lore and customs (i.e. the Franks likely adopting Gaulish and Gallo-Roman deities into their native religion).

And the scraps of theology we do have today come from a very late period, at the tail end of the Viking Age, from Christianized Icelanders who were quite mixed with the many Irish slaves the Norse seafarers had taken as they settled the island (The Modern Icelandic genome is about 30-40% Irish). I wouldn't be surprised if medieval Icelandic poets were at least partially influenced by Irish bardic traditions and maybe even blended some Celtic mythic and/or stylistic elements into what became the Eddas. Norse-Gaelic hybridization was a very real thing during the late Viking Age, as much of the language and culture of the Hebrides and Scottish Highlands was affected by this as well (A good number of Highland Scot clans were founded by Vikings, as evidenced by their names).

What's clear as that Woden/Odin was the favorite god of the warband, and this was consistent over the course many centuries. What we know very little about though is what the everyday religion was like for the Yeoman and Thrall castes, beyond some hints of Thor/Donar and Ing-Frey being favorites of the commoners in some places.