The Scandinavian text the Hávamál is part of a 13th-century collection of Old Norse poems. The name of the work translates to “Sayings of the High One,” and the contents are presented as the wise words of Odin himself. The Hávamál includes 164 stanzas, all of which provide Viking sayings about how to live, love, play, and fight in the Viking world. Full of practical and philosophical wisdom, it's a fascinating look at Viking Age culture. It's also a handy guide to living a life pleasing to Odin, if you're into that sort of thing. We've gathered some Viking mottos and Norse wisdom from the Hávamál (several translations exist; we combined the most accessible). Take a look and vote up the wisest words Odin had to offer.
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The Hávamál: "The unwise man weens all who smile and flatter him are his friends, nor notes how oft they speak him ill when he sits in the circle of the wise." The takeaway: Just because someone is nice to you, doesn't mean they're not talking about you behind your back.
The Hávamál: "Less good than they say for the sons of men is the drinking oft of ale: for the more they drink, the less can they think and keep a watch o'er their wits." The takeaway: If you drink too much, you might do stupid things.
The Hávamál: "A guest must depart again on his way, nor stay in the same place ever; if he bide too long on another's bench the loved one soon becomes loathed." The takeaway: Staying too long at a loved one's home is going to cause tension.
The Hávamál: "About his intelligence, no man should be boastful, rather cautious of mind; when a wise and silent man comes to a homestead blame seldom befalls the wary; for no more dependable friend can a man ever get then a store of common sense." The takeaway: When you arrive at a new place, the wisest thing to do is to keep your mouth shut.
The Hávamál: "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." The takeaway: You're not perfect, so stop making fun of others. This also resembles the wisdom delivered by Jesus in Matthew 7:1-3 - “judge not, that ye be not judged.”
The Hávamál: "Let none put faith in the first sown fruit nor yet in his son too soon; whim rules the child, and weather the field, each is open to chance." The takeaway: Whether it's your firstborn son or the crops in your field, they can fall victim to fate.
The Hávamál: "A coward believes he will ever live if he keep him safe from strife: but old age leaves him not long in peace though spears may spare his life." The takeaway: You may never fight or take a risk, but growing old doesn't mean you live without pain.
The Hávamál: "Not great things alone must one give to another, praise oft is earned for nought; with half a loaf and a tilted bowl I have found me many a friend." The takeaway: Big gifts don't make up for a lack of personal substance.
The Hávamál: "One's own house is best, though small it may be; each man is master at home; though he have but two goats and a bark-thatched hut 'tis better than craving a boon." The takeaway: There is pride in being able to take care of yourself and call things your own.
The Hávamál: "At every door-way, before one enters, one should spy round, one should pry round for uncertain is the witting that there be no foeman sitting, within, before one on the floor." The takeaway: You never know when an enemy is waiting for you.
The Hávamál: "A greedy man, if he be not mindful, eats to his own life's hurt: oft the belly of the fool will bring him to scorn when he seeks the circle of the wise." The takeaway: The only person hurt by your greed is you - and it won't make you any friends.
The Hávamál: "Oft, though their hearts lean towards one another, friends are divided at table; ever the source of strife 'twill be, that guest will anger guest." The takeaway: Get enough people in a room and someone's likely to fight, but it doesn't mean they don't care about each other.
The Hávamál: "Herds know the hour of their going home and turn them again from the grass; but never is found a foolish man who knows the measure of his maw." The takeaway: Even a cow knows when it's time to call it a night.
The Hávamál: "Cattle die and kinsmen die, thyself too soon must die, but one thing never, I ween, will die, - the doom on each one dead." The takeaway: Live a good life, because your legacy is what carries on.
The Hávamál: "To his friend a man should bear him as friend, to him and a friend of his; but let him beware that he be not the friend of one who is friend to his foe." The takeaway: Friends share friends - and they share enemies.
The Hávamál: "Praise day at even, a wife when dead, a weapon when tried, a maid when married, ice when 'tis crossed, and ale when 'tis drunk. Hew wood in wind, sail the seas in a breeze, woo a maid in the dark, - for day's eyes are many, - work a ship for its gliding, a shield for its shelter, a sword for its striking, a maid for her kiss; Drink ale by the fire, but slide on the ice; buy a steed when 'tis lanky, a sword when 'tis rusty; feed thy horse neath a roof, and thy hound in the yard." The takeaway: Be grateful when things come to an end, because there's a time and a purpose for everything.
The Hávamál: "The speech of a maiden should no man trust nor the words which a woman says; for their hearts were shaped on a whirling wheel and falsehood fixed in their breasts." The takeaway: Women say things out of passion and can't be trusted - men should be cautious.
