The Odenwald is a mountain chain in southern Hesse, but the foothills extend into Bavaria and Baden-W?ttemberg. The name is probably derived from Odins Wald ("Odin's wood").
The Odenwald is bounded by the Neckar River in the south and the Main River in the east, while it gradually slopes away to the north and the west. The highest peak is the Katzenbuckel (literally "cat's hump", 626 m).