The Sayings of Vikings

by Bjorn Jonasson (Translator)

This is the authentic Havamal, the famous northern guide on how to manage everyday life, which gave spiritual nourishment to the Vikings on their long journeys across the seas to discover new lands. It advises on the art of living, friendship, money, happiness, eating, traveling and even positive thinking.

Genres: Poetry, History, Philosophy, Classics, Nonfiction, Literature, Mythology

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau]

Better than 99.9% of the self help books out there today! I really like reading about what influenced people in times past; what codes did they follow that made them unique. There is so much misinformation out there about the Vikings out there; I was very happy to read this book to get a better understanding of their unique perspective on life.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣]

Lllovely.
Q:
When I was young
and walked alone,
alone I lost my way.
I felt rich
when I found company.
Man delights in man. (c)
Q:
The shy stays shallow. (c)
Q:
Never a friend more faithful, nor greater wealth than wisdom. (c)
Q:
Listens with ears, learns with eyes. Such is the seeker of knowledge. (c)
Q:
It is fortunate to be favored with praise and popularity.
It is dire luck to be dependent on the feelings of your fellow man. (c)
Q:
Do not ever mock other men at meeting.
They pass for wise who pass unnoticed
stay dry in the storm. (c)
Q:
Go you must. (c)
Q:
Beware
of befriending an enemy's friend. (c)
Q:
Wake early
if you want
another man's life or land.
No lamb
for the lazy wolf.
No battle's won in bed. (c)
Q:
Ask you must
and answer well
to be called clever. (c)
Q:
To many a place
I made my way late
and far too soon to come. (c)

[Doris]

What narrated and told Vikings, a people who lived in cold, harsh , ferocious, tempestous , hard, ruddy climate struggling and surviving but nevertheless were inspired by friendship, loyalty togethernss , hospitality, strangers because who knows, under the aspect of a very humble stranger a god may be hidden. Here are some of their traditional beliefs on which they based their life among themselves and the world, the nature , comprising their family, their inferiors and superiors. All of these are ideal for any society , a most modern one, ours They reveal man in their struggle to alleviate the destiny and to improve it by the best in himself

Bonheur et moderation

tout homme devrait etre a motie sage au plus qu'il ne soit jamais trop sage. Le coeur du docte qui s'estime omniscient est joyeux bien rarement.

Connaitre sa destine

Tout homme devrait etre a moitie sage au plus qu'il ne soit jamais trop sage, Le coeur en repos vivra celui qui ignorera ce que destin lui reserve.

le Timidite

le feu du buche en buche se relaie jusqu'a extinction. La flamme a la flamme s'allume. la parole se relaie d'homme en homme, le sot se prive du commerced'autrui.

Qui de bon matin

Tot le matin se levera qui veut la fortune ou la vie d'un autre homme. Rarement le loup dormant s'empare d'un gigot ou triomphe d'un homme qui dort.

Priorites

Toujours lave et ressasie tu te rendras a l'assemblee meme si tu es mal habille. De ses souliers et de ses chausses personne n'aura honte ni de son cheval fut-il pitoyable. Always be washed and refreshed when you go to the assembly even when you are badly dressed. No one will put you to shame, no one will take umbrage of your shoes or your breeches or your horse even if it is pitable

Fondements de l'existence

Ce qu'il y a de meilleur pour les hommes est le feu et de voir le soleil...
si tu peux sante conserver et vivre sans vices.

Foundations of existence

What is the best in men is the fire and to see the sun...
if you can health preserve, and live without vice

[James]

I received this book as a gift from a very dear friend. The translated Hávamál was fascinating insight. I find myself picking it up from time to time and opening to random pages, reading, and reflecting.

[Kiof]

Overlooked spirtual guidepost. The Western warrior Tao.

[Anders]

"Self-Deceit

Only fools
hope to live forever
by escaping enemies.
Age promises
no peace
though the spear spares them."

So this was a fun little book that is the "code of ethics" part of the Eddaic poems. I don't know much about the translation or translator here, but everything seemed in order to me. As far as Jónasson's explanation of the meter goes, I think his poetic renderings into English are quite nice with their short lines and alliteration. My parents brought it back to me from Denmark. Presumably this is the book by which I should guide my life from now on.

In the life guiding principles respect, the book is pretty basic-be good to your friends, be a good guest and host, be moderate, be wise, travel, and such things. I particularly liked some of the bluntness of the Viking outlook, but found it to be gentle in other respects. Although these sayings are pretty limited; it's hard to draw a whole lot out of them. Or, completely opposite, you can get a multitude of things out of each of them.

Some of the sayings had common phrases or ideas and these three (How to Be Cunning, How to Treat False Friends, and Dissimulation) shared the idea of being kind in word or deed, but being treacherous in thought or cunning (particularly along the lines of be good to friends, be bad to enemies). The idea of retribution is an old one, but it was surprising to me to see not only cunning and false in thought but also "treacherous" and "betrayal": ideas that usually are considered more evil rather than just reprisals, but hey! maybe I'm reading too much malicious intent into it. More and more these days I get the impression that that is more common than I'd like to think.

The other one I really like is below. Friendship is hard.

"The Nature of Friendship

A bad friend
is far away
though his cottage is close.
To a true friend
lies a trodden road
though his farm lies far away."

[Thomas Margot]

The book consists of 70 short poems originally found in the Hávámal, a poem from the Viking age situated between the 8th and 10th century AD. Unlike most literary finds this is a didactic poem, where the "Words of the Highest" (Odin, the Wise) are written down with the intention to tell the people how they should live a good life. The author explains the style models used at the time and managed to translate the poems in English in a way that both style and content are relevant. No easy task.

Whilst reading it I often thought about the book of Proverbs from the Old Testament, with the difference being that the Vikings seemingly had no problems with the eye-for-an-eye philosophy. Yet it is the same kind of ancient wisdom that is relevant for all people who have been born and are yet to be born. Ancient wisdom texts like these are a cure for modern people who are lost in the same emotional problems that humanity always had to deal with.

Only fools
hope to live forever
by escaping enemies.
Age promises
no peace
though the spear spares them.

[Thomas Pattinson]

Searched for a copy of the Hávamál for some time now, was not disappointed.
I enjoy the simple, everyday wisdom set down by my ancestors. It is timeless; just as practical and meaningful now, as a thousand years ago.

[PenguinKaiser]

Es muy corto al ser menos de 100 páginas de dichos escritos en forma de verso, en el cual se plasma la filosofía y el modo de vivir de los pueblos vikingos, supuestamente dictados por el dios Odin.

Algunos no tienen ya mucho uso en la actualidad al referirse a asuntos pasados, pero otros aún pueden aplicarse hoy en día, en particular como ser un buen amigo, una persona de bien y alguien más sabio.

Recomendable para pasar el tiempo y reflexionar un poco.

[Urd]

For what this book sets out to be, I have no real complaints. It's basically a quaint little book of Viking age proverbs, with very little additional insight. Each page is dedicated to a short snippet taken from the Hávamál, while the table of contents lists them individually by subject (such as moderation, hospitality, wisdom, etc.) The translation is effective enough, while remaining pure and simple.

I would most likely recommend it to someone with just a passing interest in Viking culture. It's format would make it a nice gift. For those unfamiliar with this work, it will reveal an overlooked intelligence which often gets lost behind a more savage Viking image.

If you're already acquainted with the Hávamál, then you wont learn anything new with this, but it's a nice little book to have around because it's clean and simplistic, and thus easy to read. I also find the table of contents to be helpful with this book. I have the hardcover edition which is quite nicely made with a good feel to it, so although I didn't learn much, I'm definitely keeping it.

Cattle die
kinsmen die
all words are mortal.
Words of praise
will never perish
nor a noble name.

--The Hávamál, translated by Björn Jónasson

[Zach]

Hávamál, The Sayings of the Vikings, is pithy and powerful. These sayings allow us insight into the vikings' experience of life as well as our own. Many elements of wisdom here resemble familiar phrases from around the world -- not surprisingly, since the vikings were world travelers!

Here's a few favorites.


When to Keep Silent


Often it's best 

for the unwise man

to sit in silence.

His ignorance

goes unnoticed

unless he tells too much.

It's the ill fortune

of unwise men

that they cannot keep silent.


Loneliness


A lone fir

in an open field

withers away.

A lone man

loved by none

how can he live long?

[sillypunk]

My favourite saying:

Never walk
away from home
ahead of your axe and sword.
You can't feel a battle
in your bones
ore foresee a fight

Not very trusting, the vikings.

[Joannarokosz18gmail.com]

I purchased the wisdom of Vikings for 1 pound in a charity shop.
I read it so fast because is a quite short book with amazing sayings.

[Nathan]

It was okay. I expected a little more. They are obsessed with axes and drinking.

[Andrea Rossi]

Very short but interesting glimpse into the mind of the Vikings

[Viktor]

Translation is more suitable for children's age, but it's a great as a children's book. :)

[Norm]

The Sayings of the Vikings, or "Havamal" is a collection of Norse poems, dated, is is believed, from 800 to 1000 A.D., although I think there's still some debate on the actual dates. The title derives from Words of the Havi, or "High One" and is attributed to the Norse god Odin. This neat and compact 1992 paperback is translated and collected by Bjorn Jonasson and was published in Iceland.

This edition contains dozens of brief sayings, similar to the "Tao Te Ching" and in fact, the back cover refers to this book as the Wisdom of the North. In a sense, it's a practical manual, addressing such everyday affairs as how to treat guests and how to behave at a dinner party, as well as advice on Life, money, travel, tact and secrecy and much more. Imagine a Viking warrior of a thousand years ago carrying a pocket guide to Life!

I'd like to include one complete saying, as an example (all of the sayings are roughly this same length)...

Basics of Life...

A man needs warmth,
the warmth of a fire
and of the shining sun.
A healthy man
is a happy man
who's neither ill nor injured.

[Bree Hatfield]

“Cattle die
kinsmen die
all men are mortal.
Words of praise
will never perish
nor a noble name.”

Such a beautiful, and wholly readable, translation that MAINTAINS THE POETIC METER!!!! Every single verse in this translation is written in the Ljóðaháttr meter, which was what this original section of the Hávamál was written in (as it says in the back of the book). This makes me indescribably happy. I love it when a translation is accurate and also manages to keep the original meter — it makes for a more authentic English reading, and helps bring the magic of the poem to life. The separate stanzas being sectioned by page makes the reading experience feel much like a modern poetry book, which only bolsters the outreaching audience of this edition.

It’s worth mentioning that this isn’t the whole poem. This book contains most (though, not all) of the Gestaþáttr, the first 80 stanzas which are the wisdom proverbs of the poem. This makes perfect sense for a book like this, although I wish it was mentioned somewhere in the introduction of afterward.

Overall, I cannot recommend this enough. If you want to get into Old Norse literature, this is a great place to start; if you’re interested in reading the Hávamál, this is an excellent translation; and if you just want a good bit of poetry to read, this will do it for you. Whether you’re familiar or not with Old Norse literature/poetry, this is a fantastic book.

[المر بن سلطان بن بطي بن مجرن المري]

كتاب " كلمات كبير الآلهة " هي مقطوعة شهرية تسمى هاوڤاماول التي تعني " كلمات كبير الآلهة " وهو أودن أو وودن آلة الڤايكنقز ... وهو بمثابة كتاب مقدس يسدي فيه أودن نصائحه لشعبه ليعيشوا حسب التقاليد المعروفة بينهم وكلها آداب وفضائل يتحلى بها الشخص .

مثال :

خَيْرٌ للأحمق

أن يلتزم الصمت دوماً

إذ لا يُعرف جهله

حتى يسرف بالحديث

ومن سوء حظ الحمقى

أنهم لا يحسنون الصمت

[Joanna]

While similar in wisdom and advice as many proverbs, these sayings have an added flair with the specific structure and alliteration used in this particular style. I would like to head them read in the original Icelandic, since I imagine the poetic nature is more evident in the language they were first written in.

[Rune Fey]

Funny little curiosity of a book.

[Brian Borman]

Epic - wild how many human themes stay relevant 1000 years later and across vastly differing cultures

[Erik]

yëæş

[Bec]

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Worth the read, the wisdom echoes through the ages.

[sncottle]

i picked up a copy of this book at the kolaportid indoor flea market in reykjavik during my recent trip there. flipping through it, i found several of the entries pithy and clever and universally applicable...i thought it would be a perfect souvenir. one of my favorite entries is actually painted on the wall at the keflavik airport in reykjavik - for you to ponder as you're waiting in line to go through immigration: "better weight than wisdom a traveller cannot carry." truth.

[Ann Westerheim]

It's amazing to read this knowing the words were written over a thousand years ago. With all the changes in our lives, ubiquitous technology, cities, and conflicts, at the heart we're still the same humans we were back then. Here's one passage: "Worry. The unwise man is awake all night worries over and again. When morning rises he is restless still, his burden as before". This is so old yet so modern at the same time. This is a very quick read and a connection to our ancestors.

[Zee]

I like how this book was really easy to read but still maintained the original rhyme scheme and whatnot. I was surprised at how short it was, though; I think I read the whole thing in 20 minutes?

[Heather]

Great advice for life.

[Kadri]

mõned olid huvitavad ja panid mõtlema, teised mitte

[Huda Abdulaziz]

Edifying!