{"id":54114,"date":"2016-01-31T15:56:47","date_gmt":"2016-01-31T21:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=54114"},"modified":"2026-01-13T20:36:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T02:36:05","slug":"the-80-wisdom-sayings-of-the-vikings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/character\/self-improvement\/the-80-wisdom-sayings-of-the-vikings\/","title":{"rendered":"The 80 Wisdom Sayings of the Vikings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Vance<\/a><\/p>\n

Editor’s note: Over 1,000 years old, the H\u00e1vam\u00e1l (“Sayings of the High One”) is a series of Old Norse poems from the Viking age. Stanzas 1-80 include a collection of proverbs and wisdom sayings that are attributed to the god Odin<\/a>. The maxims deal with the rules of being a guest and showing hospitality — behaviors that for the Vikings were more than a matter of etiquette, but of honor. They also concern general counsels for how a man should conduct himself and live worthily.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. All door-ways,
\nbefore going forward,
\nshould be looked to;
\nfor difficult it is to know
\nwhere foes may sit
\nwithin a dwelling.<\/p>\n

2. Givers, hail!
\nA guest is come in:
\nwhere shall he sit?
\nIn much haste is he,
\nwho on the ways has
\nto try his luck.<\/p>\n

3. Fire is needful
\nto him who is come in,
\nand whose knees are frozen;
\nfood and rainment
\na man requires,
\nwheo’er the fell has travelled.<\/p>\n

4. Water to him is needful
\nwho for refection comes,
\na towel and hospitable invitation,
\na good reception;
\nif he can get it,
\ndiscourse and answer.<\/p>\n

5. Wit is needful
\nto him who travels far:
\nat home all is easy.
\nA laughing-stock is he
\nwho nothing knows,
\nand with the instructed sits.<\/p>\n

6. Of his understanding
\nno one should be proud,
\nbut rather in conduct cautious.
\nWhen the prudent and taciturn
\ncome to a dwelling,
\nharm seldom befalls the cautious;
\nfor a firmer friend
\nno man ever gets
\nthan great sagacity.<\/p>\n

7. A wary guest
\nwho to refection comes,
\nkeeps a cautious silence,
\nwith his hears listens,
\nand with his eyes observes:
\nso explores every prudent man.<\/p>\n

8. He is happy,
\nwho for himself obtains
\nfame and kind words:
\nless sure is that
\nwhich a man must have
\nin another\u2019s breast.<\/p>\n

9. He is happy,
\nwho in himself possesses
\nfame and wit while living;
\nfor bad counsels
\nhave oft been received
\nfrom another\u2019s breast.<\/p>\n

10. A better burden
\nno man bears on the way
\nthan much good sense;
\nthat is thought better than riches
\nin a strange place;
\nsuch is the recourse of the indigent.<\/p>\n

11. A worse provision
\non the way he cannot carry
\nthan too much beer-bibbing;
\nso good is not,
\nas it is said,
\nbeer for the sons of men.<\/p>\n

12. A worse provision
\nno man can take from table
\nthan too much beer-bibbing:
\nfor the more he drinks
\nthe less control he has
\nof his own mind.<\/p>\n

13. Oblivion\u2019s heron \u2018tis called
\nthat over potations hovers,
\nhe steals the minds of men.
\nWith this bird\u2019s pinions
\nI was fettered
\nin Gunnl\u00f6ds dwelling.<\/p>\n

14. Drunk I was,
\nI was over-drunk,
\nat that cunning Fjalar\u2019s.
\nIt\u2019s the best drunkenness,
\nwhen every one after it
\nregains his reason.<\/p>\n

15. Taciturn and prudent,
\nand in war daring
\nshould a king\u2019s children be;
\njoyous and liberal
\nevery one should be
\nuntil the hour of his death.<\/p>\n

16. A cowardly man
\nthinks he will ever live,
\nif warfare he avoids;
\nbut old age will
\ngive him no peace,
\nthough spears may spare him.<\/p>\n

17. A fool gapes
\nwhen to a house he comes,
\nto himself mutters or is silent;
\nbut all at once,
\nif he gets drink,
\nthen is the man\u2019s mind displayed.<\/p>\n

18. He alone knows
\nwho wanders wide,
\nand has much experienced,
\nby what disposition
\neach man is ruled,
\nwho common sense possesses.<\/p>\n

19. Let a man hold the cup,
\nyet of the mead drink moderately,
\nspeak sensibly or be silent.
\nAs of a fault
\nno man will admonish thee,
\nif thou goest betimes to sleep.<\/p>\n

20. A greedy man,
\nif he be not moderate,
\neats to his mortal sorrow.
\nOftentimes his belly
\ndraws laughter on a silly man,
\nwho among the prudent comes.<\/p>\n

21. Cattle know
\nwhen to go home,
\nand then from grazing cease;
\nbut a foolish man
\nnever knows
\nhis stomach\u2019s measure.<\/p>\n

22. A miserable man,
\nand ill-conditioned,
\nsneers at every thing;
\none thing he knows not,
\nwhich he ought to know,
\nthat he is not free from faults.<\/p>\n

23. A foolish man
\nis all night awake,
\npondering over everything;
\nhe then grows tired;
\nand when morning comes,
\nall is lament as before.<\/p>\n

24. A foolish man
\nthinks all who on him smile
\nto be his friends;
\nhe feels it not,
\nalthough they speak ill of him,
\nwhen he sits among the clever.<\/p>\n

25. A foolish man
\nthinks all who speak him fair
\nto be his friends;
\nbut he will find,
\nif into court he comes,
\nthat he has few advocates.<\/p>\n

26. A foolish man
\nthinks he knows everything
\nif placed in unexpected difficulty;
\nbut he knows not
\nwhat to answer,
\nif to the test he is put.<\/p>\n

27. A foolish man,
\nwho among people comes,
\nhad best be silent;
\nfor no one knows
\nthat he knows nothing,
\nunless he talks too much.
\nHe who previously knew nothing
\nwill still know nothing
\ntalk he ever so much.<\/p>\n

28. He thinks himself wise,
\nwho can ask questions
\nand converse also;
\nconceal his ignorance
\nno one can,
\nbecause it circulates among men.<\/p>\n

29. He utters too many
\nfutile words
\nwho is never silent;
\na garrulous tongue,
\nif it be not checked,
\nsings often to its own harm.<\/p>\n

30. For a gazing-stock
\nno man shall have another,
\nalthough he come a stranger to his house.
\nMany a one thinks himself wise,
\nif he is not questioned,
\nand can sit in a dry habit.<\/p>\n

31. Clever thinks himself
\nthe guest who jeers a guest,
\nif he takes to flight.
\nKnows it not certainly
\nhe who prates at meat,
\nwhether he babbles among foes.<\/p>\n

32. Many men
\nare mutually well-disposed,
\nyet at table will torment each other.
\nThat strife will ever be;
\nguest will guest irritate.<\/p>\n

33. Early meals
\na man should often take,
\nunless to a friend\u2019s house he goes;
\nelse he will sit and mope,
\nwill seem half-famished,
\nand can of few things inquire.<\/p>\n

34. Long is and indirect the way
\nto a bad friend\u2019s,
\nthough by the road he dwell;
\nbut to a good friend\u2019s
\nthe paths lie direct,
\nthough he be far away.<\/p>\n

35. A guest should depart,
\nnot always stay
\nin one place.
\nThe welcome becomes unwelcome,
\nif he too long continues
\nin another\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

36. One\u2019s own house is best,
\nsmall though it be;
\nat home is every one his own master.
\nThough he but two goats possess,
\nand a straw-thatched cot,
\neven that is better than begging.<\/p>\n

37. One\u2019s own house is best,
\nsmall though it be,
\nat home is every one his own master.
\nBleeding at heart is he,
\nwho has to ask
\nfor food at every meal-tide.<\/p>\n

38. Leaving in the field his arms,
\nlet no man go
\na foot\u2019s length forward;
\nfor it is hard to know
\nwhen on the way
\na man may need his weapon.<\/p>\n

39. I have never found a
\nman so bountiful,
\nor so hospitable
\nthat he refused a present;
\nof his property
\nso liberal
\nthat he scorned a recompense.<\/p>\n

40. Of the property
\nwhich he has gained
\nno man should suffer need;
\nfor the hated oft is spared
\nwhat for the dear was destined.
\nMuch goes worse than is expected.<\/p>\n

41. With arms and vestments
\nfriends should each other gladden,
\nthose which are in themselves most sightly.
\nGivers and requiters
\nare longest friends,
\nif all (else) goes well.<\/p>\n

42. To his friend
\na man should be a friend,
\nand gifts with gifts requite.
\nLaughter with laughter
\nmen should receive,
\nbut leasing with lying.<\/p>\n

43. To his friend
\na man should be a friend,
\nto him and to his friend;
\nbut of his foe
\nno man shall
\nthe friend\u2019s friend be.<\/p>\n

44. Know, if thou has a friend
\nwhom thou fully trustest,
\nand from whom thou woulds\u2019t good derive,
\nthou shouldst blend thy mind with his,
\nand gifts exchange,
\nand often go to see him.<\/p>\n

45. If thou hast another,
\nwhom thou little trustest,
\nyet wouldst good from him derive,
\nthou shouldst speak him fair,
\nbut think craftily,
\nand leasing pay with lying.<\/p>\n

46. But of him yet further,
\nwhom thou little trustest,
\nand thou suspectest his affection;
\nbefore him thou shouldst laugh,
\nand contrary to thy thoughts speak:
\nrequital should the gift resemble.<\/p>\n

47. I was once young,
\nI was journeying alone,
\nand lost my way;
\nrich I thought myself,
\nwhen I met another.
\nMan is the joy of man.<\/p>\n

48. Liberal and brave men live best,
\nthey seldom cherish sorrow;
\nbut a base-minded man
\ndreads everything;
\nthe niggardly is uneasy even at gifts.<\/p>\n

49. My garments in a field
\nI gave away
\nto two wooden men:
\nheroes they seemed to be,
\nwhen they got cloaks:
\nexposed to insult is a naked man.<\/p>\n

50. A tree withers
\nthat on a hill-top stands;
\nprotects it neither bark nor leaves:
\nsuch is the man
\nwhom no one favours:
\nwhy should he live long?<\/p>\n

51. Hotter than fire
\nlove for five days burns
\nbetween false friends;
\nbut is quenched
\nwhen the sixth day comes,
\nand friendship is all impaired.<\/p>\n

52. Something great
\nis not (always) to be given,
\npraise is often for a trifle bought.
\nWith half a loaf
\nand a tilted vessel
\nI got myself a comrade.<\/p>\n

53. Little are the sand-grains,
\nlittle the wits,
\nlittle the minds of (some) men;
\nfor all men
\nare not wise alike:
\nmen are everywhere by halves.<\/p>\n

54. Moderately wise
\nshould each one be,
\nbut never over-wise:
\nof those men
\nthe lives are fairest,
\nwho know much well.<\/p>\n

55. Moderately wise
\nshould each one be,
\nbut never over-wise;
\nfor a wise man\u2019s heart
\nis seldom glad,
\nif he is all-wise who owns it.<\/p>\n

56. Moderately wise
\nshould each one be,
\nbut never over-wise.
\nHis destiny let know
\nno man beforehand;
\nhis mind will be freest from care.<\/p>\n

57. Brand burns from brand
\nuntil it is burnt out;
\nfire is from fire quickened.
\nMan to man
\nbecomes known by speech,
\nbut a fool by his bashful silence.<\/p>\n

58. He should early rise,
\nwho another\u2019s property or life
\ndesires to have.
\nSeldom a sluggish wolf
\ngets prey,
\nor a sleeping man victory.<\/p>\n

59. Early should rise
\nhe who has few workers,
\nand go his work to see to;
\ngreatly is he retarded
\nwho sleeps the morn away.
\nWealth half depends on energy.<\/p>\n

60. Of dry planks
\nand roof-shingles
\na man knows the measure;
\nof the fire-wood
\nthat may suffice,
\nboth measure and time.<\/p>\n

61. Washed and refected
\nlet a man ride to the Thing,
\nalthough his garments be not too good;
\nof his shoes and breeches
\nlet no one be ashamed,
\nnor of his horse,
\nalthough he have not a good one.<\/p>\n

62. Inquire and impart
\nshould every man of sense,
\nwho will be accounted sage.
\nLet one only know,
\na second may not;
\nif three, all the world knows.<\/p>\n

63. Gasps and gapes,
\nwhen to the sea he comes,
\nthe eagles over old ocean;
\nso is a man,
\nwho among many comes,
\nand has few advocates.<\/p>\n

64. His power should
\nevery sagacious man
\nuse with discretion;
\nfor he will find,
\nwhen among the bold he comes,
\nthat no one alone is the doughtiest.<\/p>\n

65. Circumspect and reserved
\nevery man should be,
\nand wary in trusting friends.
\nOf the words
\nthat a man says to another
\nhe often pays the penalty.<\/p>\n

66. Much too early
\nI came to many places,
\nbut too late to others;
\nthe beer was drunk,
\nor not ready:
\nthe disliked seldom hits the moment.<\/p>\n

67. Here and there I should
\nhave been invited,
\nif I a meal had needed;
\nor two hams had hung,
\nat that true friend\u2019s,
\nwhere of one I had eaten.<\/p>\n

68. Fire is best
\namong the sons of men,
\nand the sight of the sun,
\nif his health
\na man can have,
\nwith a life free from vice.<\/p>\n

69. No man lacks everything,
\nalthough his health be bad:
\none in his sons is happy,
\none in abundant wealth,
\none in his good works.<\/p>\n

70. It is better to live,
\neven to live miserably;
\na living man can always get a cow.
\nI saw fire consume
\nthe rich man\u2019s property,
\nand death stood without his door.<\/p>\n

71. The halt can ride on horseback,
\nthe one-handed drive cattle;
\nthe deaf fight and be useful:
\nto be blind is better
\nthan to be burnt:
\nno one gets good from a corpse.<\/p>\n

72. A son is better,
\neven if born late,
\nafter his father\u2019s departure.
\nGravestones seldom
\nstand by the way-side
\nunless raised by a kinsman to a kinsman.<\/p>\n

73. Two are adversaries:
\nthe tongue is the bane of the head:
\nunder every cloak
\nI expect a hand.<\/p>\n

74. At night is joyful
\nhe who is sure of travelling enjoyment.
\n(A ship\u2019s yards are short.)
\nVariable is an autumn night.
\nMany are the weather\u2019s changes
\nin five days,
\nbut more in a month.<\/p>\n

75. He (only) knows not
\nwho knows nothing,
\nthat many a one apes another.
\nOne man is rich,
\nanother poor:
\nlet him not be thought blameworthy.<\/p>\n

76. Cattle die,
\nkindred die,
\nwe ourselves also die;
\nbut the fair fame
\nnever dies
\nof him who has earned it.<\/p>\n

77. Cattle die,
\nkindred die,
\nwe ourselves also die;
\nbut I know one thing
\nthat never dies, \u2013
\njudgement on each one dead.<\/p>\n

78. Full storehouses I saw
\nat Dives\u2019 sons\u2019:
\nnow bear they the beggar\u2019s staff.
\nSuch are riches;
\nas is the twinkling of an eye:
\nof friends they are most fickle.<\/p>\n

79. A foolish man,
\nif he acquires
\nwealth or a woman\u2019s love,
\npride grows within him,
\nbut wisdom never:
\nhe goes on more and more arrogant.<\/p>\n

80. Then \u2018tis made manifest,
\nif of runes thou questionest him,
\nthose to the high ones known,
\nwhich the great powers invented,
\nand the great talker painted,
\nthat he had best hold silence.<\/p>\n

Be sure to listen to our primer on Viking mythology: <\/strong><\/p>\n