Hávamál (Sayings of the Wise One)

Góða kvöldið,

I'm working on a translation for an upcoming exam and I thought I would share my thoughts with you all. The piece I am working on is called "Hávamál" ("Sayings of the Wise One" in English). It is an incredibly famous skaldic poem written by the Norse God Óðinn. Or attributed to him anyway. If you read my previous entry about my favourite kenning you will know that this type of verse can be very challenging. Hávamál is written in ljóðaháttr however, a simpler type of verse than dróttkvætt. Ljóðaháttr has connotations of wisdom and balladry.

Hávamál is a gnomic text, and its primary function is to impart social wisdom. How to behave in the world to live a good life. Scholars use it to gain insight into the mind of pagan Scandinavians. Beginning MA students are frustrating by how difficult it can be to interpret for non-native speakers of Icelandic.

Like all good gnomic texts, plenty of Hávamál rings true even today for people all across the world. It is a shame if you cant read the language because so much of the poem's purity of form is lost in translation.

But I prepared this video!

Stanza 77 from Gestaþáttur

Deyr fé,

deyja frændr,

deyr sjálfr et sama;

ek veit einn,

at aldri deyr:

dómr of dauðan hvern.

Cattle die,

kinsmen die

the self must die the same;

I know one thing

which never dies:

the reputation of each dead man

góða nótt,

Nicolás