This short book is a companion to my main work on this project, a book called The Layman’s Havamal. In The Layman’s Havamal, I present my interpretation of the poem and analyze each verse to make the lessons it holds relevant to modern audiences.
But this short companion ebook contains my version of Havamal’s verses in modern English and an essay that discusses some key points about the poem and its contents.
The purpose of my books, like the purpose of Havamal itself, is to improve your life so that you can be more successful, more respected, more gracious, more worldly, more adventurous, and more wise using the time-proven strategies of Old Norse culture, which have been poetically codified in the Havamal manuscript.
My goal is for everyone who reads my book to be better equipped to handle the many problems they will face in life and to succeed in whatever quest they pursue.
So I’m presenting my take on that treasure hoard of wisdom to you now in the hope that you too will find the answers to your problems between its lines.
If you want to:
– Master human relationships
– Be more courageous
– Gain the respect of your peers
– Be more successful in romance
– Develop a survivor’s mindset to improve your personal and business processes
Then you’ll find this remarkable poem has insights to help you in those areas and many more.
In my book, I describe the advice given in Havamal as “fatherly” or “grandfatherly” in tone. It’s the kind of advice you might hear from a kindly older mentor who wants to share some of the lessons he’s learned the hard way, through trial and error.
I find this paternal tone very appealing. It doesn’t come from a god on high, although the speaker of the poem is, in fact, a god who calls himself The High One. But rather than being a list of commandments from heaven, the poem is very much rooted in the mundane world and deals with common problems in a practical and earthy way.
I’ve had to figure things out for myself for most of my life, which is why old texts like Havamal have proven so valuable to me. It would take me a long damn time to learn what I know today if it wasn’t for these treasures of ancient literature.
I’m not the only one who rates this poem so highly. Scholars have been studying this poem for centuries, and many articles and papers have been written that relate to the timeless usefulness of this poem.
You don’t need to be an enthusiast of Viking or Medieval culture to benefit from studying Havamal. This is a work intended for the proverbial layman, the everyman, the person who needs guidance in general. But if you think you’ve got all the answers already, if you think you know it all and don’t need any help, then you’re not likely to get anything out of this poem until you come back down to earth a little.
So check it out and learn how to implement the ancient wisdom of The High One, The One-Eyed Odin, in your modern life.