From what we've been figuring out it seems all the disparate parts of Norse society, Skalds Seers and Shapechangers, are all working off of different scraps of the true way to cultivate. So it's less different paths seperate, and more a different spokes of a spiders web, all connected.
This is just me and my Xianxia-opinions, but I'm pretty sure we've met some Norse cultivators who know the true way. When we met Thor and... the one guarding the bridge whose name I've forgotten. I don't think Born Gods really exist in this setting, so much as Gods Are Made.
So my theory is; The Norns in myth ended the gods golden age, though what the age meant changes based on interpretation, the equivalent here being (presumably) something like a typical Xianxia setting of commonplace pursuit of immortality and godhood.
Clearly the Norn forced some sort of deal on the Gods who remain, preventing them from making more of their kind. Why? Who knows. Maybe too many god-level cultivators break the world, or since their secondary job in myth from deciding fate was keeping the World Tree alive, maybe having too many gods breaks it somehow. Maybe they're just powerful jerks?
Either way, they are now the Enemy of those who discover Odr cultivation. Trying to stop it by all means. Manipulating Fate to prevent mankind's ascension to Godhood.
Odr cultivation is interesting because, unless I've missed the mechanics for it (entirely possible, i turned on reader mode on page 100 of 1500), it doesn't actually seem to rely on outward glory or stories at all? Our non-true external Cultivation is based entirely on being viewed positively by our people and having tales told of our greatness. But Odr is about Building a Home In Our Soul Strong Enough To Survive The Divine Waters.
It plays off some parts of What It Means To Be Norseman, but very different parts than what Orthstirr does. It's about the importance of hearth, Home, and farmland to the culture, not the importance of strength of arm or personal glory.
Interestingly enough, one of the first things we learned about Odr was that introducing it to our mind made us Frenzy. Odr is madness and violence. But we didn't get to the next stage with our internal cultivation by just adding more Odr, it wasn't internalizing more madness and violence that achieved that goal. We got stronger by adding a safe haven to protect us from that Odr, that violence.
I think in this internal cultivation metaphor, Odr is violence, it is warfare, it is enemies, it is death.
We reached the first stage by protecting Ourselves from death, surviving Odr.
We reached the second stage by protecting our Home from Odr, erecting a safe place from the horrors of war, a place of refuge we can come back to that Cannot be invaded by death.
Here I split into various theories depending on how many stages there may be:
Stage three might come from protecting our Livelihood/Livestock from Odr. This could be represented with the wisps we have been convincing to move in with us. Once we can open the gate again and the flood touches no Wisp, we ascend further?
In this theory I would guess the next stage would be either Protecting Our Family (though you might argue the second stage was that) or Protecting Our Hold - making all of the land around our home safe, becoming the Headsman of our internal village and keeping it safe from the ravages of Odr, of violence and madness.
The fifth stage of the latter portion would be Protecting Our Jarldom, as we become the Jarl of an expansive soulscape and learn to protect it from the Gate of War And Death.
Just slowly escalating until we have an internal Kingdom or World that makes us a God akin to Thor.
Any of these stages can be moved forward or backward as needed.
In this theory, Odr is a force of madness and violence that we must learn to overcome and survive and keep our Home/People/Land safe from, just like how Vikingr had to survive their rivals and their raids, with each stage increasing what is Ours. Where Orthstirr cultivation is offensive, it's claiming glory and taking names and goods, Odr cultivation is defensive, its protecting what you have from others.
My other theory is still that Odr is madness and horrors, but that instead of its cultivation being a metaphor for war coming to Your Home and killing you/ending your livelihood/burning down your home, it's a metaphor for... PTSD? Or other mental ailments common in warriors. A metaphor for what you bring home with you, when you come back from war.
By cultivating somewhere safe and peaceful to forget about the horrors. A place of healing and care and love that can help keep you from breaking down. A healthy home. A peaceful forest. Good neighbors. Etc.
Edit: I'm sure all of this has been theorized before, by people who have been reading far longer than I have. I apologize if it comes off as annoying
