The Comparative Hávamál: Historic Advice & Guidance from the Viking Age God Odin “A tree withers that on a hill-top stands; protects it neither barks nor leaves: such is the man whom no one favors: why should he live long?” Widely celebrated and referenced in popular culture as a literary treasure and even achieving the status of holy scripture in some contemporary new religious movements, the enigmatic Hávamál reaches us today by way of a single Old Icelandic manuscript from the 1200s, though the poem’s contents are dated to the late pagan period (900s-1000s). This material ranges from the practical to the profound, from the everyday to the deeply occult, all presented in the voice of the god Odin (Óðinn) as guidance for humankind, his creations. Featuring original art from Katie Metcalfe and Jacqui Alberts Lund, newly introduced by scholar Lyonel Perabo, and with commentary from philologist Joseph S. Hopkins, this beautiful edition presents three celebrated translations of the text beside its original Old
