The Havamal: A Heathen Path of Living (Part 18)

35.

The tactful guest will take his leave

Early and not linger long:

He starts to stink, who outstays his welcome,

In a hall that is not his own.

This stanza is another lesson of hospitality directed to guests. Simply put, it is important to know when you have overstayed your welcome. Once you start staying longer than you need, then you are no longer a guest, you are a burden. Of course, this played a big role in Pagan Europe. Food was scarce and there wasn’t a grocery store that would provide a seemingly endless supply of food. So, if a guest came to someone’s home, then by default that guest is eating food that could have been saved up for the hosts to eat during a long winter. The longer the guest stays, the less food for others to have.

But even today, it is important to recognize when you are a welcome guest, a helpful servant, or just a burden. Sometimes the best way to help a situation is to just stay out of it. Even when we want to help, we have to realize that when we get into someone’s life, we are a ‘guest’ in their experience. Sometimes, it is best to know when to just leave the person alone and let them continue on as they wish before we ‘start to stink’.