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Hávamál, The Saying of Odin, Stanza 3
Hail and welcome! This is Huginn's Heathen Hof, with your Daily Hávamál.
Original-
Elds er þörf
þeims inn er kominn
ok á kné kalinn
matar ok váða
es manni þörf
þeims hefir um fjall farit
Translation-
Give fire to the traveler,
who comes in from the cold.
Give fresh food and clothes
to the weary man
who has come down
from the mountains.
-Hávamál: Stanza 3
Again we see this idea of hospitality, especially where it concerns travelers. In an area where the climate was often harsh and any kind of long distance travel was difficult, it was important that those who braved the elements between villages were able to find aid. It should be noted, however, that this was expected to be a reciprocal relationship. Where the homeowners would be expected to provide warmth and food, the traveler was expected to share news from abroad. In an age before even the most basic communications network (even something as simple as a postal service, much less modern communications technology) this was the only way that most people had of learning what was going on in the world around them!
Today's "Daily Hávamál" was brought to you by Huginn's Heathen Hof.
