Stanza 23

Original Old Norse:

Ósviðr maðr

vakir um allar nætr

ok hyggr at hvívetna

þá er móðr

er at morni kømr

alt er vil sem var

Auden & Taylor:

Foolish is he who frets at night, 

And lies awake to worry' 

A weary man when morning comes, 

He finds all as bad as before,

Bellows:

The witless man | is awake all night,

Thinking of many things;

Care-worn he is | when the morning comes,

And his woe is just as it was.

Bray:

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.

Chisholm:

The stupid man lies awake all night

and thinks about everything

and is tired in the morning

though all is as it was.

Hollander:

The unwise man waketh all night,

thinking of this and that-

tosses, sleepless, and is tired at morn:

nor lighter for that is load.

Terry:

A stupid man stays awake all night

pondering his problems;

he's worn out when morning comes

and whatever was, still is.

Thorpe:

A foolish man

is all night awake,

pondering over everything;

he than grows tired;

and when morning comes,

all is lament as before.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF STANZA 23

I think this stanza is probably one of the most brilliant in the whole collection of wisdom we call the Havamal.  But, I may think that because I use this stanza so much.

The fool stays awake all night worrying about his problems, and in the morning he's tired...and his problems have not changed at all.

At the most basic level, this could be taken as advice about getting some good sleep, and not allowing your problems to keep you awake.  Because, the stanza is true...losing sleep worrying is not going to make your problems go away.

Looking a little deeper though, the stanza is talking about how problems actually get solved.  Problems are only solved by facing them and doing something about them.  Fretting, worrying, and wringing your hands does absolutely nothing.

I think any problem can be faced and you can do something about every problem.  You maybe can't completely solve every problem, but there is at least something you can do about any situation.

Example:  A friend betrays you.  Now, you may not be able to make the betrayal go away...or salvage the friendship.  So some may say you can't really solve that problem.  But, when you decide that you don't want to be friends with someone that betrayed you...and take action on that decision in order to protect yourself and your family, you are doing something.

Now, that's just my perspective.  I don't like the idea that there is anything in this world you can't face and do something about if you choose to do so.

At least once a week I remind myself of this stanza...and at least once with each of my children, I've had to give them the advice in this stanza.  It is incredibly practical advice.

Stanza 22

Original Old Norse:

Vesall maðr ok illa skapi

hlær at hvívetna;

hittki hann veit, er hann vita þyrfti,

at hann er-a vamma vanr.

Auden & Taylor:

An ill tempered, unhappy man 

Ridicules all he hears, 

Makes fun of others, refusing always 

To see the faults in himself

Bellows:

A paltry man | and poor of mind

At all things ever mocks;

For never he knows, | what he ought to know,

That he is not free from faults.

Bray:

The miserable man and evil minded 

makes of all things mockery, 

and knows not that which he best should know, 

that he is not free from faults.

Chisholm:

Ill tempered the wretch,

who laughs at everyone.

He cannot recognize, as he should,

that he is not without faults.

Hollander:

The ill-minded man who meanly thinks,

fleers at both foul and fair;

he does not know, as know he ought,

that he is not free from flaws.

Terry:

An evil-tempered, small-minded man

is scornful of what he sees;

he alone is unaware

that he's not free from faults.

Thorpe:

A miserable man,

and ill-conditioned,

sneers at every thing;

one thing he knows not,

which he ought to know,

that he is not free from faults.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF STANZA 22

OK.  Who are we talking about here?  We're talking about a man who is miserable, small-minded, evil-tempered, ill-minded, mean-thinking, and paltry.

And what does this ill-tempered man do?  The man sneers and is scornful of everything and everyone, regardless of whether it is deserved or not.  He mocks and ridicules everything he sees.

But, why is this jerk so clueless?  Well, though he's in the best place to know he's not perfect, he is completely unaware that he has faults.

He's a bitter, cranky, grump about everyone and everything, whether it is deserved or not...but he is completely blind to his own faults.  In other words, he thinks he's perfect and (pardon my language) his own "shit doesn't stink."

I think we've all known people...and we're certainly all encountered people on-line...who spend all their time criticizing and attacking others as though they are perfect and everyone else is worthless.  I think the stanza refers to this sort of person.

I think it is further suggesting that our time is better spent addressing our own faults, and working on those, rather than inflicting unjust criticisms on everyone and everything around us.

Stanza 21

Stanza 20

Stanza 19

Stanza 18

Stanza 17

Stanza 16

Stanza 15

Stanza 14

Dr. Jackson Crawford's translation:
14.   I was drunk,
I was too drunk,
at wise Fjalar’s house.
The best kind of feast
is the one you go home from
with all your wits about you.

Ǫlr ek varð,
varð ofrǫlvi,
at ins fróða Fjalars.
Því er ǫlðr bazt
at aptr of heimtir
hverr sitt geð gumi.

The name Fjalarr is known from three other places in the Eddas. In the Poetic Edda, it is the name of the rooster who crows at Ragnarok in Jotunheim according to Voluspá stanza 41 (another rooster, named Gullinkambi, will crow in Valhalla, and another, unnamed, will crow in Hel), and it is the name of a being Óđin mentions in Hárbarđsljóđ stanza 26 who may well be identical to the Prose Edda’s gigantic magician Útgarđa-Loki. In the Prose Edda, Fjalarr is the name of one of the dwarves who kills Kvasir and mixes his blood with honey in order to make the mead known as Óđrerir. Because of Óđin’s connection to the Óđrerir myth (see for instance Hávamál st. 104–10 and 141), the latter is the most intriguing possibility, but there is no record in any version of that myth of a visit that Óđin makes to Fjalar, though Fjalar’s name might originally have belonged to someone else in the Óđrerir narrative and only later become attached to one of the dwarves. It is also possible that “the wise Fjalar” is in fact the rooster and that the house or place (the noun is not specified in the Old Norse text) where Óđin got drunk was simply Jotunheim more broadly. And if this Fjalar is the same as the Útgarđa-Loki encountered by Thór in the Prose Edda, it is possible that Óđin also visited his hall and drank heavily there in a lost myth just as his son did in the surviving myth. There could also be yet a fourth Fjalar whose identity and exploits are not preserved in the surviving myths, or this stanza may refer to no specific myth at all, with the name chosen for metrical reasons.

The Wanderer's Havamal . Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Stanza 13

Stanza 12

Stanza 11

Stanza 10

Stanza 9

Stanza 8

Stanza 7

Stanza 6

Stanza 5

Original Old Norse:

Vits er þörf 

þeim er víða ratar. 

Dælt er heima hvað. 

Að augabragði verður 

sá er ekki kann 

og með snotrum situr.

Auden and Taylor:

Who travels widely needs his wits about him, 

The stupid should stay at home:

The ignorant man is often laughed at 

When he sits at meat with the sage,

Bellows:

Wits must he have | who wanders wide,

But all is easy at home;

At the witless man | the wise shall wink

When among such men he sits.

Bray:

He hath need of his wits who wanders wide, 

aught simple will serve at home; 

but a gazing-stock is the fool who sits 

mid the wise, and nothing knows.

Chisholm:

Wits are needful to he who travels far.

The dull should stay home.

He will be mocked,

who cannot sit with sages.

Hollander:

Of his wit hath need who widely fareth--

a dull wit will do at home;

a laughingstock he who lacketh words

amongst smart wits when he sits.

Terry:

It takes sharp wits to travel in the world --

they're not so hard on you at home;

in the flicker of an eye the fool is found

who wanders among the wise.

Thorpe:

Wit is needful

to him who travels far:

at home all is easy.

A laughing-stock is he

who nothing knows,

and with the instructed sits.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF STANZA 5

The first two lines are humorous, but no less true for being a little bit funny.  Basically, to you have to be pretty smart or pretty wise to travel the world, and stupid folks should stay home...or it can be said that they are easier on stupid folks at home.  Beyond this, these two lines could also suggest the value of traveling away from home in order to learn and be tested by those you encounter.  If they are easy on you at home, then traveling might provide some tough but necessary lessons.

Lines 3 and 4 basically state that the fool or stupid person is easily spotted when he sits down with wise people...or alternatively that fools and stupid people are quickly laughed at when among the wise.

Some have suggested that you could take from the stanza, that one should learn the customs and ways of places to which you are traveling.  In the time of our ancestors, I don't think this stanza had anything to do with learning customs...as much as being clever, foreseeing potential dangers, and knowing how to read and deal with people. But in a modern sense, learning customs, pre-learning a bit of the language, and being culturally sensitive to the people and customs of nations to which you travel seems wise advice.

I think it is funny that Bellows went with "At the witless man | the wise shall wink."  Bellows is trying to preserve the original meaning, while also preserving the alliteration of the original old Norse poetry.  So, witless...wise...and wink all do the job, and get across a similar meaning.

Stanza 4

Original Old Norse:

Vatns er þörf 

þeim er til verðar kemur, 

þerru og þjóðlaðar, 

góðs um æðis; 

ef sér geta mætti, 

orðs og endurþögu.

Auden and Taylor:

Water, too, that he may wash before eating, 

Handcloth's and a hearty welcome, 

Courteous words, then courteous silence 

That he may tell his tale,

Bellows:

Water and towels | and welcoming speech

Should he find who comes, to the feast;

If renown he would get, | and again be greeted,

Wisely and well must he act.

Bray:

He craves for water, who comes for refreshment, 

drying and friendly bidding, 

marks of good will, fair fame if 'tis won, 

and welcome once and again.

Chisholm:

Water is needful, for he who comes for a meal,

drying and friendly words as well,

and, if he can get them, kindness, good words,

and welcome again.

Hollander:

A drink needeth to full dishes who cometh,

a towel, and the prayer to partake;

good bearing eke, to be well liked

and be bidden to banquet again.

Terry:

There must be water when guests come to a meal,

towels and a welcome to the table;

it's good manners to give them both

talk and a turn to speak.

Thorpe:

Water to him is needful

who for refection comes,

a towel and hospitable invitation,

a good reception;

if he can get it,

discourse and answer.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF STANZA 4

Stanza 4 continues the advice on hospitality.

The first two lines make it clear that when the guest arrives for the feast, they should be greeted or welcomed well.  And they will need water and towels to clean themselves from their travels (or to drink, depending on the translation).

Lines 3 and 4 are presented translated differently here.  And the differences fall right in line with the differences in translation of Stanza 2.

Auden and Taylor, and Terry go very simple with lines 3 and 4.  Basically, it is good manners to talk to your guest and allow them to talk.  Very simple.

Bellows and Hollander make it a little more complex, by suggesting that the guest must act well if they wish to be invited back.

Bray, Chisholm, and Thorpe bring in a different idea.  The idea that the guest must earn being treated well, and earn being talked with well.  Thorpe says, "A good reception, if he can get it."  Bray says, "marks of good will, fair fame if 'tis won."  Chisholm says, "and, if he can get them, kindness, good words, and welcome again."  These three translations make it clear that the guest may not have earned his/her fair fame...may not have earned a good reception.  And for me, this refers back to what we say in Bray and Chisholm's translations of Stanza 2:

Bray and Chisholm are in line with the translations give by Auden and Taylor, Bellows, and Thorpe...but I think their translations gives us some additional insight into what lines 3 and 4 are all about. Chisholm's reads, "Hard pressed is he, who tests his luck by the fire." And Bray's reads, "Much pressed is he who fain on the hearth would seek for warmth and weal." To me, this could suggest that when a guest came into a hall for the first time, they were sat by the fire and essentially went through a process of proving themselves. It could be formal or somewhat informal, but questions were asked, conversation was made, and the guest over time would prove themselves a good guest.

I think that there is often a temptation to read multiple translations, and to sort of absorb or accept the easiest translation...or simplest tranlation.  But, there are real differences in meaning sometimes.  And I think it would be unfortunate to miss the more complex meaning here.

Guests do not get an automatic pass (just as hosts do not get an automatic pass).  When the guest enters the hall, he is implored in Stanza 1 to look about and make sure no foes are present.  In Stanza 2 we see this idea that the guest is placed near the fire and "pressed" or tested.  Questions are asked.  The guest is measured and his or her worthiness judged.  And in Stanza 4, we see that if the guest has earned it...he or she should get fair fame and conversation should be shared with him or her.

Another point that has been mentioned to me in the past, is something very easily missed.  The stanza makes it clear that our ancestors valued cleanliness, at a time in history when cleanliness was not at the top of every culture's list of values.

Stanza 3

Original Old Norse:

Elds er þörf 

þeim er inn er kominn 

og á kné kalinn. 

Matar og voða 

er manni þörf,

þeim er hefir um fjall farið.

Auden and Taylor:

Fire is needed by the newcomer 

Whose knees are frozen numb;

Meat and clean linen a man needs 

Who has fared across the fells,

Bellows:

Fire he needs | who with frozen knees

Has come from the cold without;

Food and clothes | must the farer have,

The man from the mountains come.

Bray:

He hath need of fire, who now is come, 

numbed with cold to the knee; 

food and clothing the wanderer craves 

who has fared o'er the rimy fell.

Chisholm:

Fire is needful for those who arrive

with cold knees.

Food and clothing is needful

to men who have fared over the fells.

Hollander:

The warmth seeketh who hath wandered long

and is numb about the knees;

meat and dry clothes the man needeth

over the fells who hath fared.

Terry:

There must be a fire for the frozen knees

of all arriving guests,

food and clothing for those who come

over the hills to your hall.

Thorpe:

Fire is needful

to him who is come in,

and whose knees are frozen;

food and rainment

a man requires,

who o’er the fell has travelled.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF STANZA 3

Stanza 3 is one of the more straight-forward stanzas.

When a cold guest arrives, get him or her warmed up by the fire.  A guest who has traveled far will be in need of food and clothing.

Here we have a very clear expression of hospitality.  When a guest comes to one's home, it is the responsibility of the host to provide for that guest.  And in this stanza, it makes it clear that the first prior or the first order of business is to get them warm, fed, and into some clean clothes.

In modern terms, the responsibility of the host has not lessened or changed.  When we welcome guests into our home, they are in our environment and in our care.  Welcome them warmly.  Offer them a drink of some sort and perhaps a snack.  Let them know where the restroom is, in case they would like to wash their hands or whatever after they journey.  And provide for what they need.

Their toddler's diaper leaks and they don't have spare clothes for the kid?  Well, if you have toddler clothes that will fit their child, loan them or give them to them.

Their 7 year old falls in the mud in the backyard and is wet and upset.  Provide a change of clothes from your own children, and facilitate give the parents what they need to get the child cleaned up, dry, and clothed.

And it goes further than just the basics.  If you know your guests have a certain food they can't eat, don't serve that food.  As a matter of fact, go the extra mile and find out what their favorite food is and prepare it.  Is there a brand of soda they really like?  Well, have it on hand.  Are they staying over-night?  Well, ensure they have a warm, clean, comfortable place to sleep...even if it means giving up your own bed.

When you do these things for your guests, you build bonds.  They see the respect you are showing them, and they show it back.  They are driven to reciprocate the honor that you are showing them.

In past discussions of this topic, I've had people question my example about giving up your bed to a guest.  I give this as more of an example, and not as something I believe a host is required to do.  As with all discussions of this nature, context is everything.

The one instance where we have given our own bed to guests, involved a family we are very close with that visits and stays with us.  This family has a small child that sleeps with them.  Our bedroom is the only one in the home with a bed bigger than a twin-sized bed in it.  So, for us to ensure the comfort of this family and their young child, our bed is the only one that will give them proper accommodations.  Obviously, we put fresh sheets on there...make sure our room and master bathroom are clean for them.

But, we don't always give up our bed!  If your bed is the only warm, comfortable place to sleep...then some sort of accommodation needs to be made or the bed given up.  I can't imagine guests sleeping on a floor while I'm in my bed.  That would make me feel very uncomfortable as a host.

If a couple came to visit us and didn't have a small child that slept with them, they will likely be given spots on comfy couches, twin beds, or even nice cots.  If I lived in a one-bedroom apartment, I would gladly give up my bed to a guest who I felt needed that bed.  I would sleep on the couch, if that was the level of respect and accommodation the guest required.  Hopefully, some of this discussion puts this stanza in context.

Stanza 2

Original Old Norse:

Gefendr heilir!

Gestr er inn kominn,

hvar skal sitja sjá? Mjök er bráðr

sá er á bröndum skal síns of freista frama.

Auden and Taylor:

Greetings to the host,

The guest has arrived,

In which seat shall he sit?

Rash is he who at unknown doors

Relies on his good luck,

Bellows:

Hail to the giver! | a guest has come;

Where shall the stranger sit?

Swift shall he be who, | with swords shall try

The proof of his might to make.

Probably the first and second lines had originally nothing to do with the third and fourth, the last two not referring to host or guest, but to the general danger of backing one's views with the sword.

Bray:

Hail, ye Givers! a guest is come;

say! where shall he sit within?

Much pressed is he who fain on the hearth

would seek for warmth and weal.

Chisholm:

Hail the givers! A guest has come

where shall he sit?

Hard pressed is he,

who tests his luck by the fire.

Hollander:

All hail to the givers! A guest hath come

say where shall he sit?

In haste is he to the hall who cometh

to find a place by the fire.

Terry:

Hail to hosts! A guest is in the hall,

where shall he sit down?

To please him, quickly give him a place

in front of the blazing fire.

Thorpe:

Givers, hail!

A guest is come in:

where shall he sit?

In much hast is he,

who on the ways has

to try his luck.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF STANZA 2

I don't agree with Bellow's note (the one directly under his translation).  I think all four lines do work well together, and I'm not sure at all about how he is interpreting the meaning of lines 3 and 4.  I think this is much more than a warning against using your sword to push your views.  But, let's start at the beginning.

The stanza starts with a "Hail to the Hosts," for a guest has entered the hall and we need to seat him in a good spot.  These first two lines are translated pretty consistently by our translators, and they are fairly easy to understand.  As a guide to living, the Havamal is beginning a series of stanzas that will tell us how to be a good host when we are hosting, and how to be a good guest when we are a guest.  Now for lines 3 and 4.

Lines 3 and 4 are translated a number of different ways.  When this happens, it makes me think that the way these lines were worded in Old Norse were a little obscure or difficult to directly translate.  We have Auden and Taylor, Bellows, and Thorpe seem to be suggesting that a guest who would be in a hurry to test his luck or his might in the hall is being a little bit rash or unwise.  Bellows goes a bit further with this idea of the guest enforcing his opinions with his sword..

Hollander, Terry, and ...seem to translate the lines as meaning the guest is in a hurry to get near the fire and get warm.  This is so simple and so different than what Auden and Taylor, Bellows, and Thorpe (by their translations) tell us is in the original language, that it seems to be an over-simplification of what is actually in the stanza on the part of Hollander and Terry.

Bray and Chisholm are in line with the translations give by Auden and Taylor, Bellows, and Thorpe...but I think their translations gives us some additional insight into what lines 3 and 4 are all about.  Chisholm's reads, "Hard pressed is he, who tests his luck by the fire."  And Bray's reads, "Much pressed is he who fain on the hearth would seek for warmth and weal."  To me, this could suggest that when a guest came into a hall for the first time, they were sat by the fire and essentially went through a process of proving themselves.  It could be formal or somewhat informal, but questions were asked, conversation was made, and the guest over time would prove themselves a good guest.  This idea is brought up again in Stanza 4.

Looking back at Stanza 1, the advice there was to look about when entering strange places to make sure there are no foes waiting for you.  Clearly advice for a guest.  Here in Stanza 2, it seems that we have advice for the host to sit his guest by the fire and press them a bit...to test their luck.  In this way they would earn their warmth and weal (welfare).  This is clearly advice for the host.

In modern terms, we see this actually happen quite a bit.  For instance, in your workplace.  When a new employee is hired, co-workers say hello, they welcome him or her in, but then everyone measures them up.  Co-workers (and their supervisor as well) talk with the person, ask them questions, get to know them, and eventually they earn their place among all the other employees (or they aren't really accepted and kept a bit isolated).

So, when you are a guest, actively think about this process that occurs.  Realize that if you are new guest, you are being measured...you are being pressed to prove your Luck.  Be a good guest and all will go well.  Be a bad guest, and you will not be accepted (or perhaps not invited back).

Daily Havamal

Skål, and welcome to my daily Havamal study!

Each day, I will post a study on each stanza of the Havamal. The information posted is a combination of several websites, books, and personal ideas. Please feel free to add your own comments and thoughts on each stanza!

As I am starting this part way through our group study, I will be catching up on the first 21 stanzas, then posting each new stanza daily.

Textual history

The only surviving source for Hávamál is the 13th century Codex Regius. The part dealing with ethical conduct (the Gestaþáttr) was traditionally identified as the oldest portion of the poem by scholarship in the 19th and early 20th century. Bellows (1936) identifies as the core of the poem a "collection of proverbs and wise counsels" which dates to "a very early time", but which, by the nature of oral tradition, never had a fixed form or extent. Von See (1981) identifies direct influence of the Disticha Catonis on the Gestaþáttr, suggesting that also this part is a product of the high medieval period and casting doubt on the "unadulterated Germanic character" of the poem claimed by earlier commentators.

To the gnomic core of the poem, other fragments and poems dealing with wisdom and proverbs accreted over time. A discussion of authorship or date for the individual parts would be futile, since almost every line or stanza could have been added, altered or removed at will at any time before the poem was written down in the 13th century. Individual verses or stanzas nevertheless certainly date to as early as the 10th, or even the 9th century. Thus, the line deyr fé, deyja frændr ("cattle die, kinsmen die") found in verses 76 and 77 of the Gestaþáttr can be shown to date to the 10th century, as it also occurs in the Hákonarmál by Eyvindr skáldaspillir.

Structure

The Hávamál is edited in 165 stanzas by Bellows (1936). Other editions give 164 stanzas, combining Bellow's stanzas 11 and 12, as the manuscript abbreviates the last two lines of stanzas 11. Some editors also combine Bellow's stanzas 163 and 164. In the following, Bellow's numeration is used.

The poems in Hávamál is traditionally taken to consist of at least five independent parts,

1. the Gestaþáttr, or Hávamál proper, (stanzas 1-80), a collection of proverbs and gnomic wisdom
2. a dissertation on the faithlessness of women (stanzas 81-95), prefacing an account of the love-story of Odin and the daughter of Billingr (stanzas 96-102) and the story of how Odin got the mead of poetry from the maiden Gunnlöð (stanzas 103-110)
3. the Loddfáfnismál (stanzas 111-138), a collection of gnomic verses similar to the Gestaþáttr, addressed to a certain Loddfáfnir
4. the Rúnatal (stanzas 139-146), an account of how Odin won the runes, introductory to the Ljóðatal
5. the Ljóðatal (stanzas 147-165), a collection of charms

Stanzas 6 and 27 are expanded beyond the standard four lines by an additional two lines of "commentary". Bellow's edition inverses the manuscript order of stanzas 39 and 40. Bellow's stanza 138 (Ljóðalok) is taken from the very end of the poem in the manuscript, placed before the Rúnatal by most editors following Müllenhoff. Stanzas 65, 73-74, 79, 111, 133-134, 163 are defective.

Stanzas 81-84 are in málaháttr, 85-88 in fornyrðislag. The entire section of 81-102 appears to be an ad hoc interpolation. Stanza 145 is also an interpolation in málaháttr.