Hávamál: Advice on Women and Love
The Hávamál (Words of Odin) contains a part called Domi Othins (”Odin’s Love Adventures”) which tells about two specific stories and gives general advice about women and love. There are several pieces of wisdom in it that can be beneficial in a number of ways. I’ll also add some stanzas from Sigrdrifumal. Stanzas used here are from the modern English translation of the ‘Poetic Edda’ by Dr. Jackson Crawford. Following here are the stanzas that are included in this part. I’ve put them in order of ‘advice value’. (More Hávamál posts can be found here)
Odin speaks on how to win a woman:
— Hávamál 92 A man should speak eloquently and offer gifts to a woman whose love he wants. Praise the body of a beautiful woman; you will win her if you praise her.
— Hávamál 130 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: If you want to win a good woman, speak cheerfully with her, and enjoy it while you do, make promises to her, and keep your promises you’ll never regret winning such a prize.
He also gives a number of warnings:
— Hávamál 84 No man should trust the words of a girl, nor anything a woman says Women’s hearts are molded on a wobbly wheel. Deception lurks in their words.
— Hávamál 85-89 (A list of things not to trust) … the words of a bride in bed … may you never be so trusting that you trust all these things.
— Hávamál 90 Take care not to love a deceitful woman, it is like driving an unshod horse, a playful, young, poorly-tamed foal, across slippery ice, or like sailing a ship in a wild wind, or trying to catch a reindeer on foot after the mountains thaw.
— Hávamál 102 There’s many a good woman, if you get to know her, who’ll change her mind about a man; I learned that when I tried to seduce a wise woman. That lady showed me every kind of shame, and I gained no wife for my trouble.
— Hávamál 115 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: Never seduce another man’s woman with whispers in her ear.
— Hávamál 118 I saw a bad woman’s words bite a man in the neck— a lying tongue was his death, and not even with good cause.
— Hávamál 131 I counsel you, Loddfafnir, if you’ll take my advice, you’ll profit if you learn it, it’ll do you good if you remember it: I advice you to be wary, though never fearful: be most wary about drinking, about other men’s women. and about a third thing: about men and their temptation to steal.
Though Odin is fair in his judgement and mentions this about men:
— Hávamál 91 I’ll speak plainly now, since I know both men and women: men lie to women. We speak most eloquently when we tell the biggest lies., and seduce even wise women with lies.
Here he mentions to not make fun of someone who has fallen in love:
— Hávamál 93 No man should mock another for falling in love. Love-sickness often strikes harder on a wise man than a fool.
— Hávamál 94 No man should mock another for falling in love; love is strong enough to make a fool out of a man who once was wise.
— Hávamál 79 If an unwise man chances upon money or a woman’s love, he will grow more arrogant but not more intelligent; he will be deceived about his own worth
A last stanza mentioning women:
— Hávamál 82 Chop wood when the wind blows, row your boat on the sea, court a lover at nighttime (for the day has many eyes). Value a ship for its speed, a shield for its protection, a sword for its sharpness, and a woman for her kiss.
Sigrdrifumal, a part of the hero story concerning Sigurth, mentions some advice on women as well:
— Sigrdrifumal 7 “ You should learn beer-runes if you don’t want another man’s wife to abuse your trust if you have a tryst. Carve them on the drinking-horn and on the back of your hand, and carve the rune for ‘N’ on your fingernail.
— Sigrdrifumal 28 “ I’ll give you a fifth shred of advice. If you see a pretty woman sitting on a bench, don’t let that woman into your dreams— don’t try to seduce a woman.
— Sigrdrifumal 32 “ I’ll give you advice an eight time. You should avoid evil, and stay a long way away from lying. Do not seduce a girl, nor any man’s wife— do not encourage women’s looseness.
