Hávamál
The Old Norse 'Sayings of the High One' — a foundational gnomic poem.
Hávamál ('Sayings of the High One') is a poem of the Poetic Edda, preserved in the thirteenth-century Icelandic Codex Regius but drawing on older oral material. Its opening section is a long sequence of practical maxims attributed to Odin: on guest-friendship, moderation in drink, caution with strangers, and the value of reputation.
It matters to quotation study as one of the clearest surviving examples of gnomic poetry — verse whose primary purpose is to transmit portable wisdom in memorable metre. Each stanza is designed to detach cleanly from its neighbours, which is exactly why the poem is so heavily quoted.
Modern quotation of Hávamál is complicated by translation. Renderings differ substantially in tone, and lines circulating on social media as 'Viking wisdom' are frequently loose paraphrases, modern compositions, or lines from unrelated sagas. Responsible citation gives stanza number and translator.
Common mistake: quoting a stanza as generic Norse belief. Hávamál is one text with a distinct voice, not a summary of a whole culture's outlook.
“Cattle die, kinsmen die, you yourself die; I know one thing which never dies: the reputation of each dead man.”
Keep reading the glossary
Verse composed largely of aphoristic sayings, usually didactic in intent.
A traditional saying that expresses a generally accepted truth — almost always anonymous.
A short rule for conduct, usually stated as a general principle.
How faithfully a translated quote preserves the meaning and music of the original.