ODENSE, a seaport-town of Denmark, capital of the island of Funen, on the N. bank of the Odense-Aue, a small stream flowing into the fiord of the same name, 88 miles W. by S. of Copenhagen. It is one of the oldest places in Denmark, and is said to have been founded by Odin, whose grave is shown about a quarter of a mile to the N. of the town. The cathedral, in the Gothic style, founded by Canute IV. in 1080, and completed in 1301, is one of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in Denmark, and contains the tombs of several Danish kings. There are here also an old episcopal palace, a royal palace, a town-hall, several schools, a theatre, two public libraries, an hospital, &c. The manufactories of the place consist of breweries, distilleries, iron-foundries, and woollen mills; and some trade is carried on, which is facilitated by several harbours near the town. Pop. (1851) 11,122.