I actually a short time before thought about a strange resemblance of the character of
Odin to... now, what are you expecting me to say? Manwë? No, actually I thought about
Sauron.
I'd better explain why, now. The resemblances which came to my mind are the following:
Odin, as many of you possibly know, has traded his eye for wisdom. He had but one eye, later then. It somehow reminds me of Sauron: losing much of his power, putting it to the Ring or losing it with his defeat. We all know that the most important symbol of Sauron in the Third Age was the Lidless eye, watching everything it could. Odin's two ravens patroling the Midgard also fit with the image of Sauron in my mind. And all those birds used as spies by the Enemy are well known (although the bird-spynet is typical for both the sides in ME). And two wolves were lying next to his throne - okay, this fits more with Melkor, but first, who knows, and second, imagining Odin in Tol-in-Gaurhoth does not look that bad.
Odin is also, and this is what brought me to this idea in the first place, a
Necromancer. He was the lord of magic and leader of the dead hosts.
And if I remember correctly, Odin had something like a ring which happened to create eight more rings in some periods of time.
So, what do you think? It is relevant to think of Sauron as having some inspiration in Odin, or not?
(Note please that I am far from saying "look ye, look ye, Sauron is Odin!". I know better than well that there are thousands of characters whom Odin resembles more, and Odin certainly fits more to the "good guys" environment, and when I remember him walking in an old pilgrim's shape...
I'm just pointing out these similarities to Sauron because I noticed it, that's all.)