Wuodan  is the god of the winds, magic and the afterlife. The main epithet of Wuodan is  Ans  which simply means 'god' or 'divine force', as he is the high chieftain ( druhtin ) who rules over all the other gods ( ansī ) from the heavenly realm of Ansgard. Wuodan blesses those who gain his favor with victory and success in their endeavors, in addition to seeing over all trade and mercantile activities, and granting fortune if propitiated with sacrificial offerings or  bluotan in old Frankish. The sacred trees of Wuodan are the ash ( aska ), the beech ( buoka ) and the yew ( īwa ); all symbolic of the mighty  Ermensūl , a giant cosmic pillar which links the realm of the spirits with the realm of mortals. Wuodan was also the psychopomp who acted as the guide of the  heug  (soul) of the deceased to the afterlife, which caused the Romans to identify him with their god Mercury.  Wuodan is associated primarily with the nobility, although he was also venerated by all folk as