#*havamal

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Hávamál: Trust

Trust; a fundamental pillar of any relationship, be it romantic, platonic, business or otherwise. Without it there is nothing. In this post I will include stanzas from the Hávamál (Words of Odin) that mention trust, wether directly or indirectly. Source taken from the English translation of the Poetic Edda by Dr. Jackson Crawford. (More Hávamál posts can be found here).

— Hávamál 1 At every doorway before you enter, you should look around, you should take a good look around— for you never know where your enemies might be seated within.

— Hávamál 9 A man is happy if he finds good advice within himself. Many men have received bad advice by trusting someone else.

— Hávamál 38 Never go even a single step without a weapon at your side; you never know when you might find yourself in need of a spear.

— Hávamál 43 If you have a good friend. and you really trust him, and want good to come of your friendship, you should speak your mind with him, exchange gifts, visit him often.

— Hávamál 45 But if you have another friend, and you mistrust him but want to benefit from him, nonetheless— you should speak to him kindly, flatter him, and repay his treachery with your own.

— Hávamál 46 This same friend, if you mistrust him, and suspect him to be false in his words: you should talk with him, laugh with him, but repay just what he gives you.

— Hávamál 63 If you want to be called wise, you should know how to ask and answer wisely. Tell your secret to one person, never to two— everyone knows, if three people know.

— Hávamál 73 Two men will defeat one; your tongue can endanger your head. In every hand hidden by a cloak, I expect to see a weapon.

— Hávamál 84 No man should trust the words of a girl, nor anything a woman says Women’s hearts are molded on a wobbly wheel. Deception lurks in their words.

— Hávamál 88 Do not put too much trust in your newly planted crops, nor in your child too early— weather will shape the field and whim will shape the child, and neither will stay the same.

— Hávamál 85-89 (A list of things not to trust) - 85 A breaking bow, a burning fire, a howling wolf, a cawing crow, a grunting pig, a rootless tree, a swelling wave, a boiling kettle, - 86 a flying spear, a crashing wave, one-night-old ice, a striped snake, the words of a bride in bed, a broken sword, a playful bear, the child of a king, - 87 a sick calf, a stubborn servant, a prophet who foresees good things, a corpse on the battlefield, - 89 your brother’s killer (even if you meet him in public), a half-burned house, a horse that’s too fast (remember, a horse is unusable if only only one foot breaks)— may you never be so trusting that you trust all these things.

— Hávamál 90 Take care not to love a deceitful woman, it is like driving an unshod horse, a playful, young, poorly-tamed foal, across slippery ice, or like sailing a ship in a wild wind, or trying to catch a reindeer on foot after the mountains thaw.

— Hávamál 91 I’ll speak plainly now, since I know both men and women: men lie to women. We speak most eloquently when we tell the biggest lies., and seduce even wise women with lies.

— Hávamál 117 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: Never let a bad man know of your misfortune, for you will never profit at all for telling him about it.

— Hávamál 119 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: If you have a friend, and you trust him, go and visit him often. Weeds and high grass will grow on a path that nobody travels.

— Hávamál 124 Men become friends when they can share their minds with one another. Anything is better than being lied to: a real friend will disagree with you openly.

— Hávamál 130 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: If you want to win a good woman, speak cheerfully with her, and enjoy it while you do, make promises to her, and keep your promises you’ll never regret winning such a prize.

Sigrdrifumal, a part of the hero story concerning Sigurth, mentions some advice on trust as well:

—  Sigrdrifumal 7 “ You should learn beer-runes if you don’t want another man’s wife to abuse your trust if you have a tryst. Carve them on the drinking-horn and on the back of your hand, and carve the rune for ‘N’ on your fingernail.

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Hávamál: Friends and Friendship

Friendship, companionship and comradery; a truly valuable aspect of life. Here are the stanza’s in the Hávamál (Words of Odin) that mention the subject of friendship. Source taken from the English translation of the Poetic Edda by Dr. Jackson Crawford. (More Hávamál posts can be found here)

— Hávamál 24 An unwise man thinks anyone who laughs with him is his friend. He doesn’t understand that the wise are mocking him, even when he overhears them.

— Hávamál 25 An unwise man thinks anyone who laughs with him is his friend, but he won’t find these friends when he goes to court— no one will speak on his behalf

— Hávamál 34 It’s a long and crooked walk to a bad friend, even if he lives nearby. But it’s an easy road to a good friend, no matter how long the journey.

— Hávamál 41 Friends should provide their friends with weapons and clothing; this kind of generosity shows. Generous mutual giving is the key to lifelong friendship.

— Hávamál 42 Be a friend to your friend, and repay each gift with a gift. Repay laughter with laughter, repay treachery with treachery.

It speaks of a warning:

— Hávamál 43 Be a friend to your friend and also to his friend, but never be a friend to the enemy of your friend.

And also about some lesser friends:

— Hávamál 44 If you have a good friend, and really trust him, and want good to come of your friendship, you should speak your mind with him. exchange gifts, visit him often.

— Hávamál 45 But if you have another friend, and you mistrust him but want to benefit from him, nonetheless— you should speak to him kindly, flatter him, and repay his treachery with your own.

— Hávamál 46 This same friend, if you mistrust him, and suspect him to be false in his words: you should talk with him, laugh with him, but repay just what he gives you.

— Hávamál 51 The friendship among false friends burns warmly for five days, but then it’s extinguished by the sixth day, and the friendship is over.

— Hávamál 52 You should not give only big gifts; often a little thing will win you favor. I have won friends with just half a loaf of bread and a bowl of soup.

This following stanza mentions a situation where a certain friend only invites you over if you won’t be an expense to him, but rather a benefit:

— Hávamál 67 Now and then I’ve been invited to a friend’s home, as long as I had no need for food, or as long as I could make my inhospitable host’s cellars fuller rather than emptier.

— Hávamál 119 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: If you have a friend, and you trust him, go and visit him often. Weeds and high grass will grow on a path that nobody travels.

— Hávamál 122 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: Never be the first to break friendship with your friend. Sadness will eat up your heart if you have no one you can talk to.

— Hávamál 124 Men become friends when they can share their minds with one another. Anything is better than being lied to: a real friend will disagree with you openly.

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Hávamál: Quality & Appreciation of Life

One person is born paralyzed from the waist down, another becomes handicapped from a car crash and has to deal with a tragic change of life. One person is born with a blood defect, another loses his hand in a work accident. In this post I will include stanzas from the Hávamál (Words of Odin) that talk about enjoying and appreciating life even when you’ve been dealt a bad hand or don’t have much to your name. Source taken from the English translation of the Poetic Edda by Dr. Jackson Crawford. (More Hávamál posts can be found here).

The following stanza’s talk about how you can still enjoy life even if you have a disability.

— 71 A limping man can ride a horse, a handless man can herd, a deaf man can fight and win. It’s better even to be blind than fuel for the funeral pyre; what can a dead man do?

— 70 Better to be alive, no matter what, than dead— only the living enjoy anything. I saw a rich man’s house, but it was on fire, and he lay dead outside the door.

— 69 No one is totally wretched, even if his health is bad— some find happiness in their children, some in their kin, some in their money some in work well done.

These stanzas mention how you should appreciate the little that you might have.

— 36 It’s better to have a home, even if it’s little— everyone should call somewhere “home”. Even if you own just two goats beneath a faulty roof, that’s still better than begging.

— 37 It’s better to have a home, even if it’s little— everyone should call somewhere “home”. Your heart will be wounded if you have to beg for every meal from somebody else.

— 133 Those inside the house rarely know anything about the stranger who knocks at their door, but there is no man so good that he has no flaw, nor a man so bad he’s good for nothing.

The sentence “Only the living enjoy anything” speaks true wisdom in a very self-evident way. Life is what you make of it. Seize the day and be the best version of yourself.

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Hávamál: Advice on Women and Love

The Hávamál (Words of Odin) contains a part called Domi Othins (”Odin’s Love Adventures”) which tells about two specific stories and gives general advice about women and love. There are several pieces of wisdom in it that can be beneficial in a number of ways. I’ll also add some stanzas from Sigrdrifumal. Stanzas used here are from the modern English translation of the ‘Poetic Edda’ by Dr. Jackson Crawford. Following here are the stanzas that are included in this part. I’ve put them in order of ‘advice value’.  (More Hávamál posts can be found here)

Odin speaks on how to win a woman:

— Hávamál 92 A man should speak eloquently and offer gifts to a woman whose love he wants. Praise the body of a beautiful woman; you will win her if you praise her.

— Hávamál 130 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: If you want to win a good woman, speak cheerfully with her, and enjoy it while you do, make promises to her, and keep your promises you’ll never regret winning such a prize. 

He also gives a number of warnings:

— Hávamál 84 No man should trust the words of a girl, nor anything a woman says Women’s hearts are molded on a wobbly wheel. Deception lurks in their words.

— Hávamál 85-89 (A list of things not to trust) … the words of a bride in bed … may you never be so trusting that you trust all these things.

— Hávamál 90 Take care not to love a deceitful woman, it is like driving an unshod horse, a playful, young, poorly-tamed foal, across slippery ice, or like sailing a ship in a wild wind, or trying to catch a reindeer on foot after the mountains thaw.

— Hávamál 102 There’s many a good woman, if you get to know her, who’ll change her mind about a man; I learned that when I tried to seduce a wise woman. That lady showed me every kind of shame, and I gained no wife for my trouble.

— Hávamál 115 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: Never seduce another man’s woman with whispers in her ear.

— Hávamál 118 I saw a bad woman’s words bite a man in the neck— a lying tongue was his death, and not even with good cause.

— Hávamál 131 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: I advice you to be wary, though never fearful: be most wary about drinking, about other men’s women. and about a third thing: about men and their temptation to steal.

Though Odin is fair in his judgement and mentions this about men:

— Hávamál 91 I’ll speak plainly now, since I know both men and women: men lie to women. We speak most eloquently when we tell the biggest lies., and seduce even wise women with lies.

Here he mentions to not make fun of someone who has fallen in love:

— Hávamál 93 No man should mock another for falling in love. Love-sickness often strikes harder on a wise man than a fool.

— Hávamál 94 No man should mock another for falling in love; love is strong enough to make a fool out of a man who once was wise.

— Hávamál 79 If an unwise man chances upon money or a woman’s love, he will grow more arrogant but not more intelligent; he will be deceived about his own worth 

A last stanza mentioning women:

— Hávamál 82 Chop wood when the wind blows, row your boat on the sea, court a lover at nighttime (for the day has many eyes). Value a ship for its speed, a shield for its protection, a sword for its sharpness, and a woman for her kiss.

Sigrdrifumal, a part of the hero story concerning Sigurth, mentions some advice on women as well:

—  Sigrdrifumal 7 “ You should learn beer-runes if you don’t want another man’s wife to abuse your trust if you have a tryst. Carve them on the drinking-horn and on the back of your hand, and carve the rune for ‘N’ on your fingernail.

—  Sigrdrifumal 28 “ I’ll give you a fifth shred of advice. If you see a pretty woman sitting on a bench, don’t let that woman into your dreams— don’t try to seduce a woman.

—  Sigrdrifumal 32 “ I’ll give you advice an eight time. You should avoid evil, and stay a long way away from lying. Do not seduce a girl, nor any man’s wife— do not encourage women’s looseness.

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Hávamál: How to be a Fool

The Hávamál (Words of Odin) has many pieces of advice. A number of stanzas, however, give advice in the opposite form: what a fool would do. Source taken from the English translation of the Poetic Edda by Dr. Jackson Crawford. (More Hávamál posts can be found here).

— 16 An unwise man thinks he’ll live forever if only he can avoid a fight, but old age will give him no peace, even if weapons do.

— 17 A foolish man misuses his mouth— he talks too much, or says nothing. As soon as he gets a drink, he’ll say anything he knows.

— 20 A gluttonous man, unless he watches himself, will eat to his own detriment. Wise men will often ridicule a fool on account of his belly.

— 21 Even cows know when they should go home and leave behind the fields, but an unwise man does not know the measure of his own appetite.

— 22 A stupid man and an undisciplined one laughs at everything. He hasn’t learned a lesson that would do him good: he himself isn’t flawless.

— 23 A fool stays awake all night worrying about everything. He’s fatigued when the morning comes, and his problems remain unsolved.

Alternatively: The unwise man is awake all night, and ponders everything over; when morning comes he is weary in mind, and all is a burden as ever.

— 24 An unwise man thinks anyone who laughs with him is his friend. He doesn’t understand that the wise are mocking him, even when he overhears them.

— 25 An unwise man thinks anyone who laughs with him is his friend, but he won’t find these friends when he goes to court— no one will speak on his behalf

— 26 A stupid man thinks he knows everything if he gets himself in a tough corner. But he doesn’t even know what he’ll answer, if men ask him questions.

— 27 It’s best for a fool to keep his mouth shut among other people. No one will know he knows nothing, if he says nothing. Ill-informed people are also the ones who don’t know when to stop talking.

— 31 A man may seem wise if he pokes fun at another when the other man is away. But the man who talks behind another man’s back is a fool, even if his listeners laugh.

— 75 The ignorant man does not know how little he knows. You become foolish by listening to fools. One man is rich, another man is poor, nether has the other to blame.

About love:

— 93 No man should mock another for falling in love. Love-sickness often strikes harder on a wise man than a fool.

— 94 No man should mock another for falling in love; love is strong enough to make a fool out of a man who once was wise.

— 103 If you want to be very wise, be happy at home, and cheerful with a guest​. Cultivate wisdom, a good memory, and eloquence, and speak kind words often You’ll be called a fool if you can’t say much— that’s the mark of the unwise

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Kind, brave people live best, they never nurture a grudge. It's unwise to spend your life worrying, dreading your responsibilities.

Hávamál, stanza 48

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Hávamál: Alcohol and Drinking

Here is a collection of the stanzas in the Hávamál (Words of Odin) that mention the use of alcohol and gives advice on the matter. (Stanzas used here are from the modern English translation of the ‘Poetic Edda’ by Dr. Jackson Crawford. I’ll also add some stanzas from Sigrdrifumal. (More Hávamál posts can be found here)

I will elaborate on their meaning if applicable.

— 11 A traveler cannot bring a better burden on the road than plenty of wisdom, and he can bring no worse a burden than too much alcohol.

  — 12 There is not as much good  as men claim there is in alcohol for one’s well-being. A man knows less as he drinks more, and loses more and more of his wisdom.

  — 13 It’s as if a memory-stealing bird flies overhead while you drink, and steals your mind away. I myself have been trapped in that bird’s feathers, when I drank at Gunnloth’s home.

— 14 I was drunk, I was too drunk, at Fjalar’s house. The best kind of feast is the one you go home from with all your wits about you.

This one shares an important piece of wisdom: it is better to leave a party with your mind intact than to get wasted and stumble home— You will still remember the party the next day if you drink responsibly. Getting wasted is arguably not beneficial in any way and you won’t be able to recall the good times you had the night before (the previous stanza 13 also speaks of this), not to mention hangovers.

— 17 A foolish man misuses his mouth— he talks too much, or says nothing. As soon as he gets a drink, he’ll say anything he knows.

— 19 Don’t hold on to the mead-horn, but drink your fair share. Say something useful or stay quiet. And no one else will judge you poorly if you go to sleep early.

This stanza speaks of the fact that you should not feel ashamed of ‘calling it a night’ and heading to bed. The ability to acknowledge that you’ve had enough to drink is a good and mature thing. Don’t let yourself get pressured by your peers.

Here are some optional ones that are not as direct:

— 131 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’l take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: I advise you to be wary, though never fearful: be most wary about drinking, about other men’s women, and about a third thing: about men and their temptation to steal.

— 137 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’l take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: When you drink beer, choose the might of the earth. for the earth is good against beer, and fire against sickness, oak against an irritable bowel, wheat against magic, an elder-tree against family quarrels, maggots against venomous bites, runes against distress, ground against water. Swear your hate beneath the moon.

Sigrdrifumal, a part of the hero story concerning Sigurth, mentions some advice on drinking and alcohol as well:

—  Sigrdrifumal 29 “I’ll advise you a sixth thing: If, in the course of drinking, men become drunk, do not fight your enemy while you are drunk. Wine steals the wits of many.

—  Sigrdrifumal 30 “Often a night of song and beer has caused men unhappiness; it’s sometimes caused their death, it’s sometimes gotten them cursed. Drunkenness has caused untold sorrows.

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The Afterlife: Interpretation and Speculation

What happens after life? What if the ‘Afterlife’ is the life that your name leads after you die?

Stanza 76 and 77 from the Hávamál (Words of Odin) are my inspiration for this interpretation. Stanzas used are from Dr. Jackson Crawford’s translation.

— 76 Cows die, family die you will die the same way. But a good reputation never dies for the one who earns it well.

— 77 Cows die, family die, you will die the same way. I know only one thing that never dies: the reputation of the one who’s died.

I.e. if you’ve been a good person worthy of praise, if you’ve attained glory through adventure and achievements, if you’ve made your mark on the world, if you’ve been substantial enough in any way your name ‘after-your-life’ lives on.

I feel this is an interesting concept to think of. I think this makes the ‘afterlife’ more tangible, since most arguments and discussions on the subject are mostly always about whether or not there is actual ‘life’ after death, i.e. that you continue living on in another plain of existence after you die.

So ask the question: How do you want people to remember you ‘after-your-life’? How do you want your name to live after death?

Model yourself to be a good soul, share wisdom with ones who want it, contribute to the world in a positive way and leave your mark, for one thing is certain:

This world is alive and true, even after you.