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Chapter 2. Connections 56
acting out of self-gratification, greed, and, consequently, ignorance. Greed, self-pity,
depression, jealousy, envy, hate, and hunger all place blinders over the eyes so that
one becomes incapable of acting knowledgeably. In the Hávamál stress is placed
on taking care of oneself so that life is not just a series of “re-actions” but is rather
a string of “actions” based on the knowledge of the past. And, indeed, the past is
stressed:
“The unwise man waketh all night,
thinking of this and that–
tosses, sleepless and is tired at morn:
nor lighter for that his load”
(St. 23, Hollander, tr.).
The poem guides one through a life where the future is yet unwritten and uncertain.
The bulk of the poem implores one to interact with others cautiously. To interact
with an ørlög which stems from a good lineage increases one’s own access to power/
luck but a poor lineage decreases it and should be avoided, therefore, at all costs:
“For from an evil man not ever wilt thou
reward for good;
a goodman, though will gain for thee
the love and liking of many”
(St. 123, Hollander, tr.).
“With his friend a man should be friends ever
and pay back gift for gift;
(the enemy’s scornful laughter he learn to repay,
and eke give lies for lies)”
(St. 42, Hollander, tr., [reformatted using the footnotes notes]).
Stanzas 112-137 are all prefaced with “Hear thou, Loddfafnir, and heed it well, learn
it, ’twill lend thee strength, follow it, ’twill further thee” which is often considered to
be just a formulaic device, but the “strength” which is lent is most likely that which is
acquired from knowledgeable interaction, i.e., that which is gained from the Waters
of Life. To imply that this is simply a formulaic phrase is a severe understatement.
The value of the entire poem is that by using it as a set of guidelines one is lead