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Hávamál, The Saying of Odin, Stanza 14
Hail and welcome! This is Huginn's Heathen Hof, with your Daily Hávamál.
Original-
Ölr ek varð
varð ofrölvi
at hins fróða Fjalars
því er ölðr bazt
at aptr of heimtir
hverr sitt geð gumi
Translation-
I got drunk,Far too drunk,
when feasting with wise Fjalar.
The best kind of feast is the one
that you can still remember the next morning.
-Hávamál: Stanza 14
Yesterday we saw a glimpse of a greater narrative from Lore outside the Hávamál itself. Today's stanza is essentially expounding upon that experience. "Fjalar the Wise" is thought to be an alternate name for Suttungr (the giant from whom Odin stole the Mead of Poetry). This stanza is explaining that the three days Odin spent with Gunnlöð were lost in a drunken haze.
No matter how much fun you might have had, it doesn't matter much if you can't remember what happened the next morning!
In the end, the stanza continues to reinforce this theme of moderation. It's possible to have too much of a good thing, and if we aren't careful we can ruin the experience by overindulging.
