The Words of Odin: A New Rendering of Havamal for the Present Age

by Robin Artisson, Robin Artisson, Elizabeth Driskell Ahmad (Editor)

What is best for human beings in this human life? What does it mean to be a friend, and how are friendships best made and maintained? What are the best things humans can treasure, and how can they most easily secure them? In a strange world full of dangers, what strategies are best for getting through safely, and how was the greatest wisdom in the world won? "The Words of Odin" is a modern rendition of the ancient book Havamal- the words of advice given to human beings from the God of Wisdom himself, long ago. Filled with the ancient wisdom-sayings, proverbs, and stories of the Old Norse people, Havamal is a tried-and-true manual of wise living and cunning strategy for navigating the subtle complexities of human interaction and avoiding dangers of all sorts. Travelers, wanderers, guests, friends, and seekers of the ultimate wisdom within human life can benefit from Odin's perennial cleverness and timeless advice. This annotated edition contains a clear and nuanced rendering of Havamal into English, preserving its original poetic richness, and is followed by many detailed and informative notes regarding the cultural, mythological, and historical background from which the verses of wisdom arise, all to help readers from any background to understand the beauty and depth of the text. It also contains the text of Havamal in Old Norse.

Genres: Religion, Paganism, Witchcraft, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Occult

168 pages, Paperback

Published December 19, 2016

About the author

Robin Artisson has been studying folklore, mythology, and the interior metaphysics of sorcery and traditional witchcraft for over 20 years. His specialty areas of knowledge include spiritual ecology, occult history, herbalism and wortcunning, divination, and soul-flight or trance induction, along with a vocational interest in the extraordinary exploration of the eldritch dimensions of the mind, the soul, and the world.

Reviews

[Lanko · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find this in the Edda, but it's nice to have just the Havamal available.

[James Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful rendering of Havamal! The translated verses are clear and easily legible for modern readers. I have recommended this several times over the course of reading it and will certainly include it in beginner reading lists moving forward; it is a perfect introduction to Havamal before getting into older translations with a firm foundation.

My favorite part of this translation is the excellent, well-researched and informative footnotes. I will admit I rarely take the time to read through every footnote. Not so with this book! They are very informative and provided very needed context, reflections from the author and modern applications of the lines. This is a great addition that makes this version of Havamal especially useful for modern readers. I would, however, recommend it as a stepping stone rather than the final goal in Havamal translations if you want a deeper personal understanding of the work.

[Abdul Raheem · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE WHAT YOU DO
DO WHAT YOU LOVE

START WHERE YOU ARE
USE WHAT YOU HAVE
DO WHAT YOU CAN

PROTECT AND LOVE YOUR FAMILY
HONOR THE ELDERS
TEACH THE YOUNG

KEEP YOUR CRAFT AND SKILLS STRONG
LEARN FROM YOUR OWN MISTAKES, NOT OTHERS
BE LOYAL TO YOUR FRIENDS
TRUST YOUR BROTHERS

VOICE YOUR OPINION STAND YOUR GROUND WORK HARD, STAY HUMBLE FOCUS ON THE DETAIL
BE BRAVE
BE CALM
BE PATIENT

WAKE UP EARLY
HUNT WHEN YOU NEED FOOD
TEMPER YOUR BODY
LIVE IN THE NATURE WALK IN THE WOODS
CLIMB THE MOUNTAINS
FIND THE TIME TO BE ALONE

REST WHEN YOU CAN
WORK WHEN YOU MUST
ALWAYS LEAVE YOUR MARK

TAKE CHARGE WHEN OTHERS SHOW WEAKNESS
HAVE MORE, SPEND LESS
MORE TIME, LESS CONVENIENCE
CRAFT, NOT THE BUSINESS
VALUE, NOT THE PRICE
QUALITY, NOT THE QUANTITY
TO CREATE, NOT TO PRODUCE
HANDS, NOT MACHINES

[RfhenWulf Studios Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful glimpse into Nordic heathen's! Perhaps not so blood thirsty after all?

This text is as surprising as my first exposure to "Lao Tsu" the "Tao" of the East!
Why is the Western cultural "Heathen" past suppressed, when it is so much richer, than it's "Christian" counterpart?

Oh well, Being able to find it at all, is better than having never experienced it, for sure!!!

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first rendering/translation of the Havamal, so I can't really compare it to others. I think the work was well done, though some of the footnotes were rambling and overly long with insufficient information.

[Private Account · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well-done for what it is, but ... I am not very impressed with what it is. I wanted some good viking proverbs. This book has very few. I have found more proverbs by reading the sagas than in this supposed collection.

[Jim Dydo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read lots of information

This book is opening a new doorway for me to connect to ancestors and I feel this more so then the Christianity has.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice translation, I found myself reading very little of the footnotes/commentary. It just didn't seem to be needful. The kindle formatting was off, a lot of words were run together.

[Riobhcah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, I was reminded of the song "Listen to the Words of Odinn" but then my reason for reading it shifted somewhat when I found that this is quite a good book. Odinn himself was always searching for wisdom and the title is apt. This is a very good translation of the "Havamal". The author annotates the verses with a plethora of insights and refers the reader to a book that I am looking forward to reading, "Teutonic Mythology" by Rydberg. For anyone searching for more meanings in the "Havamal," I would highly recommend this book. It will make you think, ponder and consider aspects of the multifaceted deity who is Odin and his wisdom as well.

[KHLOARIS · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Havamal [trans. “Sayings of the High One”] is a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking age, c900-1000AD. Its told in the voice of Odin, the Norse God of Wisdom, so the poems are rather philosophic, presenting practical life advice as well as magical esoterica. The entire Havamal consists of only 164 stanzas and it takes up a mere quarter of this book’s length. The bulk of the book consists of hundreds of footnotes diving into speculative theories on Norse history. These 164 stanzas are collected into 4 main chunks, Gestaþáttr [1-110], Loddfáfnismál [111-137], Rúnatal [138-145], & Ljóðatal [146-164]. Odin describes each of his 18 magic spells in Ljóðatal, but sadly no detailed recipe for casting them is provided. In Gestaþáttr Odin gives some love advice based on examples from his own experiences. But most of this section is focused on how to treat house guests with proper hospitality. Loddfáfnismál [trans. “Ragged Dragon”] is a section where Odin addresses a regular Joe Schmoe with the sort of practical wisdom you might get from Confucius. It is here where Odin hints more about his magic spells: “When you drink ale, invoke the strength of the Earth! - For [ingesting clay] cures drunkenness, as fire cures sickness, - The oak cures distress of bowels, and the ear of corn witchcraft.” The most mysterious section, Rúnatal, is also the shortest. Here Odin tells about winning the Runes, a death/vision-quest that has become his most legendary tale. It begins with him hanging from the tree of Yggdrasil before embarking on a series of ordeals. Much of the story is filled out in the footnotes explaining that Odin manages to impart the gods’ Holy Wisdom to the Elves, Dwarves, Giants & Human races by carving & painting it out for them as the physical Runes. The footnotes are not very academic but Robin Artisson makes an effort to connect the mythology with some history in unexpected ways. Like the character Kvasir, whose name is related to the Norwegian word for "crush" and by extension "fermented drink". Kvasir’s own creation myth came about from the mingling of spittle Odin initiated with a rival family, ) is a direct reference to the mythic peace-making ritual Odin initiated with a rival family, who may or may not have actually existed as Indo-europeans. Was Odin’s psychedelic Mead something altogether different from the “Soma” stimulant known to the Vedic traditions of migrating Indo-europeans?