The Havamal, or Sayings of the High One, is a compendium of wisdom purportedly uttered by the God known to the Norse as Odin, to the Germans as Wotan, and to the English as Woden. The Havamal covers a range of topics - from everyday dealings to mystical knowledge of the Runes - and gives an intriguing glimpse into the traditional lifestyle of Germanic peoples.The Voluspa, or Prophecy of the Seeress, was purportedly spoken by a female shaman and addressed to Odin. The poem addresses the creation, destruction, and recreation of the world and provides us with further knowledge of the Germanic worldview.

The Havamal & The Voluspa

Religion & Spirituality

Bray, Olive

New Age & Spirituality

Independently published

The Poetic Edda - A Book That Inspired Tolkien: With Original Illustrations (Professor's Bookshelf)

THE POETIC EDDA – A BOOK THAT INSPIRED TOLKIEN. With Original Illustrations. The Professor’s Bookshelf #2. The Poetic Edda, also known as The Elder Edda or Saemund's Edda, is a magnificent and magical collection of thirty-four Icelandic poems, interwoven with prose, dating from the 9th century to the 12th. The original Old Norse verses are printed here, side by side with English translations. The collection includes the archetypal stories about wise Odin, hammer-wielding Thor, mischievous Loki and the other gods and goddesses of Asgard. Professor J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, readily acknowledged his debt to this source. He was sixteen years old when the Viking Club of London published this beautifully illustrated translation by Olive Bray. Readers of Tolkien’s work will easily spot his inspirations—the names of the dwarves in The Hobbit; riddle games; Mirkwood; the Paths of the Dead; an underworld creature being tricked into remaining above-ground until dawn, when sunlight turns him to stone; different races calling a single thing by various names, and more. In the Poetic Edda the realm where man dwells is called "Midgarth", which translates as "Middle-earth". Elves are mentioned, and there are dwarves called Thorin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Gloin, Fili, Kili Bifur, Bafur, Bombur, and Oaken-shield. The names Thrainn and Thror are mentioned, as is the name Gandalf, which Bray translates as "Wand-elf". Tolkien's Gandalf, of course, carries a staff, or wand. The poems features a dragon called Fierce-stinger: "Fares from beneath a dim dragon flying, a glistening snake from the Moonless Fells. Fierce-stinger bears the dead on his pinions away o'er the plains. I sink now and cease." The language is archaic, so for 21st century readers a glossary is provided at the back of this book, as well as an index of names to help identify all the characters. Bray’s lengthy introduction has also been revised for modern readers, and some footnote citations omitted; all else remains exactly as it was in Tolkien's time. Remarkably in Bray's edition, the original Icelandic text was included. This would have appealed to Tolkien, as a philologist. He must have relished comparing the English words with the Icelandic, page by page. Illustrator W. G. Collingwood was an English author, artist, antiquary and professor. In 1897 he travelled to Iceland where he spent three months exploring the actual sites that are the settings for the medieval Icelandic sagas. He produced a large number of sketches and watercolours during this time and published an illustrated account of his expedition in 1899. His study of Norse and Anglican archaeology made him widely recognized as a leading authority, and his gorgeous Art Nouveau-style illustrations for the Bray edition are rich with symbolism. The Poetic Edda, the most important existing source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, is part of the literature that influenced Tolkien’s inner world, informing the creation of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Literature & Fiction

Classics

Leaves of Gold Press

Huginn and Muninn Publishing presents the latest in our Pocket Havamal series. The thorough and easy to read Olive Bray translation is now available in a convenient pocket size for Asatru, Germanic Heathens and Odinists who wish to keep the words of Odin with them throughout their day. What is the Havamal? A book of Wisdom said to be the wisdom of Odin the most revered god of the Indo-european groups known as Germanics, Scandinavians and Vikings.

Pocket Havamal Olive Bray Translation

Overton, Carrie

Huginn and Muninn

Hávamál, (Old Norse: "Sayings of the High One [Odin]") a heterogeneous collection of 164 stanzas of aphorisms, homely wisdom, counsels, and magic charms that are ascribed to the Norse god Odin. The work contains at least five separate fragments not originally discovered together and constitutes a portion of the Poetic Edda. Most of the poems are believed to have been composed in Norway in the 9th and 10th centuries.The collection begins with poetry concerning rules of social conduct. Of perhaps greater general interest are the myths about Odin's erotic affairs, especially his amorous adventure leading to the theft of the precious mead. In another poem, the Vafþrúðnismál ("Lay of Vafþrúðnir"), Odin engages in a contest of wits with Vafþrúðnir, an immensely wise giant. The poem, in the form of question and answer, tells of the cosmos, gods, giants, the beginning of the world, and its end. The latter part contains the strange myth of how Odin acquired the magical power of the runes (alphabetical characters) by hanging himself from a tree and suffering hunger and thirst for nine nights. The Hávamál ends with a list of magic charms.

Havamal: Saying of the High One

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

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