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The Hávamál is a poem one can find within the Poetic Edda. It is called the “Sayings of Har” who is Odin. Many Heathens turn to this poem for idea of ethics and hospitality. The Hávamál is divided to into three informal sections. The first part is all about hospitality, how to treat a guest and the proper behavior if one is a guest, the second section is about relationships between men and women, and the third is the boasting of Odin, his proof that his words should be heeded because he has the knowledge of many things. What can be gleaned from poems and works of our ancestors like this one or the wider work it is a part of that can be applied to our lives in the political environment of today?
Some words of wisdom from Odin through the Hávamál:
No man should trust a maiden's words,
Nor what a woman speaks:
Spun on a wheel were women's hearts,
In their breasts was implanted caprice,
"It happens often enough that beauty ensnares with desire the wise while the foolish remain unmoved."
"If aware that another is wicked, say so: Make no truce or treaty with foes."
“Be your friend’s
true friend.
Return gift for gift.
Repay laughter
with laughter again
but betrayal with treachery.”
“Let no man glory in the greatness of his mind,
but rather keep watch o'er his wits.”
“A coward believes he will ever live
if he keeps himself safe from strife:
but old age leaves him not long in peace
though spears may spare his life.”
“Prosperity:
The brave and generous
have the best lives.
They're seldom sorry.
The unwise man
is always worried,
fears favors to repay.”
“The Nature of Secrecy:
Ask you must
and answer well
to be called clever.
One may know your secret
never a second.
If three, a thousand will know.”
