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Hávamál, The Saying of Odin, Stanza 1
Original-
Gáttir allar
áðr gangi fram
um skoðask skyli
um skygnask skyli
því at óvíst
er at vita
hvar óvinir
sitja á fleti fyrir
Translation-
At every door,
before you enter
look carefully
and be mindful of your surroundings.
You can never be sure
where an enemy may be
sitting within.
-Hávamál: Stanza 1
So here we are! Beginning our journey through the words of Odin, starting with the first stanza!
But first, a bit of history!
The Hávamál (Pronounced hah-ve-mall) is one of the largest sections of the Poetic Edda. The only source we have left for this work is a 13th century, Icelandic text called the Codex Regius.
Written from the perspective of Odin himself, the poem is mostly practical and spiritual advice meant to help people live a good and honorable life. It also contains a number of stories about Odin's various adventures, presented so that we can learn from his experiences.
The first stanza of the Hávamál really sets the tone for the whole text. Throughout the poem Odin portrays Himself as a cynical, and somewhat paranoid, survivalist. He is a God from a harsher place and a more dangerous time, and it shows in His suspicious and overly prepared nature.
