The Havamal: A Heathen Path of Living (Introduction)

This blog is meant to inform readers of a little known code of ethics that originates not from the Far East or even from modern day motivational speaker, but from ancient, northern Europe. As a counselor, I know that every client is different and each of them respond to different treatments. But, as a Heathen, I also know that not everyone feels “in tune” with modern life. These ancient guides often speak to us more powerfully because they reach to our core natures as human beings. We see that people who lived in a very different time and place faced many of the same problems we face today. Though their existence was a very real life and death struggle to survive, the problems facing us today often feel the same way. Relating to people around us, especially people who we do not know or may even wish us harm, is something all human beings have had to deal with at one time or another.

I am starting this blog for anyone who is interested in learning a set of guiding principles from ancient Europe. This is not meant to be a scholarly work. This is not even meant to be only for Heathens or followers of the Norse gods and goddesses. This is meant for everyone even if they know nothing about Paganism, European history, or Norse mythology. This is also a good resource for Pagans of all traditions who are looking for a more specific set of guiding principles beyond the Wiccan Rede, “And it harm none, do what thou wilt.”

This translation is based on the work of multiple translators, but the majority comes from W.H. Auden & P.B. Taylor, which is thought to be in the public domain. The intention is to use a translation that is readily available to the modern English reader. This is not meant to be a scholarly work on Old Norse, the Poetic Eddas, or a history of the Viking Age. I do hope that after reading this small sample of the Old Norse literature will spur some of the readers to delve deeper into these ancient people.

Throughout much of this blog, I tend to use the masculine form of pronouns (he, him, his). This is done for two reasons. First, the pronouns used in the Havamal also use the masculine forms and so I am sticking with the theme of the original text. Second, I find it easier to read and write if a single pronoun is used rather than “he or she” or “he/she”. But, this does not mean that this book or the original Havamal was meant for men only. The ancient Norse were an egalitarian people and women were highly regarded. Their religion had many powerful goddesses such as Freya and Frigga. In some parts of Scandinavia, the women were the landowners because it was all too likely that the men would go off to sea and die far away in some battle. Even today in modern Scandinavian countries, women have many legal rights and social authority that are not found in other European countries.

This page includes the text of the Havamal that will be the basis of this blog:  http://www.heathengods.com/havamal/auden_taylor.htm

The next post will relate to the history of the Havamal.