Havamal - Part 10

Blessings Darlings!

We're still going thru' general advice here.  And I'm still just generally running off at the fingers.

Never lift your eyes and look up in battle,
Lest the heroes enchant you,
who can change warriors
Suddenly into hogs,

Focus on the task at hand.  One opponent at a time.  Use your to-do list - planning 'ahead of the battle' (before you start your day) lets you identify which opponent to fight when. 

With a good woman, if you wish to enjoy
Her words and her good will,
Pledge her fairly and be faithful to it:
Enjoy the good you are given,

Don't be a douche. Put a ring on it.

Be not over wary, but wary enough,
First, of the foaming ale,
Second, of a woman wed to another,
Third, of the tricks of thieves.

Oh! Among the survivalists/preppers I hand with I see the overwary often:  Everything seen as an immediate critical threat.  No ability to relax in any circumstance.  It's more than balanced among those who don't prep at all, who are not at ALL wary of the /thievesgovernment/wars/pandemics/other threats that do exist.

Mock not the traveller met On the road,
Nor maliciously laugh at the guest:
Scoff not at guests nor to the gate chase them,
But relieve the lonely and wretched,

The sitters in the hall seldom know
The kin of the new-comer:
The best man is marred by faults,
The worst is not without worth.

Never laugh at the old when they offer counsel,
Often their words are wise:
From shrivelled skin, from scraggy things
That hand among the hides
And move amid the guts,
Clear words often come.


Don't be a douche. Listen to everyone. Evaluate, of course, but listen.

Heavy the beam above the door;
Hang a horse-shoe On it
Against ill-luck, lest it should suddenly
Crash and crush your guests.
Medicines exist against many evils:
Earth against drunkenness, heather against worms
Oak against costiveness, corn against sorcery,
Spurred rye against rupture, runes against bales
The moon against feuds, fire against sickness,
Earth makes harmless the floods.

I need to understand those more.  Earth against drunkenness - not sure about that. Fire against sickness - fire purifies in general and destroys sources of contageon.  Beltain is tomorrow as I type, when herds would be driven between two fires.  Turns out that helps kill off lice and other insects that carry disease. 






And, dang, why translate whatever the original word was to "costiveness"?  I just looked the damn thing up - it's CONSTIPATION.  I assume they mean eat green leaves to fight that, because I'd use the tannins of bark and acorns in teas to fight diarrhea (and possibly the worms they use heather against).