05 - Reflections on Odin's Wisdom

Hávamál Assignment


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Read Chapters 1; 16; 19; 23; 34; 54; 55; 70 (You will find the text below. If you are interested in more and would like to read them all, follow the link at the bottom of this page.)

Write Interpretations for each of the chapters. What do you think of it? Is it good advice? Can you use it in your day-to-day life? Why/why not? Is there any truth/wisdom to it? Explain. Do you agree/disagree with it? Why? Have there been any times in your life when you could relate?


Write Reflections for chapters 1 & 16. A reaction paper should be a minimum of 250 words and include all of the following: What do you think of what you’ve read or viewed? What are your opinions? Did you like/dislike it? Why? Is there anything you found to be particularly good/creative/enjoyable/entertaining? What made it so? If not, Why? What bothered you so much?


When you are finished, take some of your opinions over to the The Wisdom of Odin Discussion Forum and share your insights with the rest of the class. If some of these chapters have you stumped you can ask questions in the forum as well.


1.

Within the gates

ere a man shall go,

(Full warily let him watch,)

Full long let him look about him;

For little he knows

where a foe may lurk,

And sit in the seats within.

16.

The sluggard believes

he shall live forever,

If the fight he faces not;

But age shall not grant him

the gift of peace,

Though spears may spare his life.

19.

Shun not the mead,

but drink in measure;

Speak to the point or be still;

For rudeness none

shall rightly blame thee

If soon thy bed thou seekest.

23.

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.

34.

Crooked and far

is the road to a foe,

Though his house on the highway be;

But wide and straight

is the way to a friend,

Though far away he fare.

54.

A measure of wisdom

each man shall have,

But never too much let him know;

The fairest lives

do those men live

Whose wisdom wide has grown.

55.

A measure of wisdom

each man shall have,

But never too much let him know;

For the wise man's heart

is seldom happy,

If wisdom too great he has won.

70.

It is better to live

than to lie a corpse,

The live man catches the cow;

I saw flames rise

for the rich man's pyre,

And before his door he lay dead.


If you would like to see another translation of these you can view them here.


Hávamál: The Words of Odin the High One

from The Poetic Edda, by Henry Adams Bellows, [1936], at sacred-texts.com http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe04.htm