Large Fierce Mammal

“I’ve spoken before of the Hávamál (sayings of the high one), that being one of the poems in The Elder or Poetric Edda, also known as Sæmund’s Edda.

“For those of us with eyes to see, ears to hear, minds to think, and hearts to feel, the world of now is every bit as dangerous as it ever was, and Manners are never out of style for the Warrior. In the chapter titled Wisdom for Wanderers and Counsel to Guests, Hávamál has much still timely advice that you would do well to heed.” ~ Dark Sentiments 2015 – Day 16: The Stranger at the Door

Tonight’s fireside finds me introducing Dr. Jackson Crawford about whom you can read and learn at length on his website here and his YouTube channel here. He’s going to entertain and educate us with The Cowboy Hávamál.

“The text called Hávamál (literally “Words of the High One,” or perhaps “Words of the One-Eyed,” either way a reference to Odin) might be considered a Norse equivalent of the Book of Proverbs, containing as it does a series of disconnected stanzas encouraging wisdom and moderation in living one’s life.

“‘The Cowboy Hávamál’ is a condensation of the wisdom of the first, most down-to-earth part of Hávamál (often called the Gestatháttr, it includes stanzas 1-79, give or take a few) into mostly five-line stanzas of a Western American English dialect. I have not endeavored to render this dialect phonetically in a thoroughly consistent way, but only to present an ‘eye dialect’ of sorts, to suggest the dry tones of the accent behind the words.

“While my other translation of Hávamál (in my translation of the Poetic Edda) is more complete, the tone of this one seems more authentic to me. The voice is that of my grandfather, sad with wisdom and cynical with experience, which I have always heard when reading this poem in the original.” ~ The Cowboy Hávamál

And so now, Goode Reader, find comfort, something fine to sip, and if you are as blessed as I am, someone even finer to snuggle up with, and give the Goode Doctor your attention for as long as it takes to absorb the message he speaks.