Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of disability and depictions of ableism and sizeism. In addition, the source text uses offensive ableist and sizeist slurs, which are only replicated in quotes in this guide.

Odd is the protagonist and hero of the book. Odd is 12 or 13 at the beginning of the book, and 10 years old when his father dies and his leg is injured. His youthful perspective on the world allows him to look at seemingly intractable problems with fresh eyes, seeing solutions that others can’t. For example, while the gods fixate on their inability to defeat the Frost Giant, Odd realizes that he doesn’t have to defeat him; instead, he simply talks to the Frost Giant and helps him realize that what he wants most is to go home. This unique perspective leads others to see Odd as an enigmatic character. He tends to smile in incongruous situations and keeps his thoughts to himself, which frustrates and baffles the people around him. Odd is highly intelligent, however, and can reason his way into and out of a variety of situations—he uses rudimentary science to find a way to Asgard and outsmart the giant in ways the gods could never imagine.