It is time
to sing from the seat of the wise
of what at Urd's Well;
I saw in silence,
I saw and thought on,
long I listened to men,
about nunes I heard spoken
and advise was given;
at Har's hall,
in Har's hall
There I heard this:
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Never rise at night
unless you need to spy
Or to ease yourself in the outhouse.
The first charm I know
is unknown to rulers
Or any of human kind;
Help it is named,
for help it can give
In hours of sorrow
and anguish
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Shun a woman,
wise in magic,
Her bed and her embraces:
I know a second
that the sons of men
Must learn who wish to be leeches
If she cast a spell,
you will care no longer
To meet and speak with men,
Desire no food,
desire no pleasure,
In sorrow fall asleep.
I know a third
in the thick of battle,
If my need be great enough,
It will blunt
the edges of enemy swords,
Their weapons will make no wounds
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Never seduce
anothers wife,
Never make her your mistress.
I know a fourth
it will free me quickly
if foes should bind me fast
With strong chains,
a chant that makes Fetters spring from the feet,
Bonds burst from the hands.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
If you must journey
to mountains and firths,
Take food and fodder with you
I know a fifth
no flying arrow,
Aimed to bring harm to men,
Flies too fast
for my fingers to catch it
And hold it in mid-air.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Never open your heart
to an evil man
When fortune does not favour you:
From an evil man,
if you make him your friend,
You will get evil for good.
I know a sixth
it will save me if a man
Cut runes on a sapling's Roots
With intent to harm;
it turns the spell;
The hater is harmed, not me
I saw a warrior
wounded fatally by the words
of an evil woman
Her cunning tongue
caused his death,
Though what she alleged was a lie
I know a seventh
If I see the hall
Ablaze around my bench mates,
Though hot the flames,
they shall feel nothing,
If I choose to chant the spell.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
If you know a friend
you can fully trust,
Go often to his house
Grass and brambles
grow quickly
Upon the untrodden track
I know an eighth
that all are glad of,
Most useful to men:
If hate fester
in the heart of a warrior,
It will soon calm and cure him
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
With a good man it is good to talk,
Make him your fast friend:
But waste no words on a witless oaf,
I know a ninth
when need I have
To shelter my ship on the flood,
The wind it calms,
the waves it smoothes
And puts the sea to sleep,
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Cherish those near you,
never be the first to
break with a friend:
Care eats him
who can no longer
Open his heart to another
I know a tenth
if troublesome ghosts
Ride the rafters aloft,
I can work it
so they wander astray,
Unable to find their forms,
Unable to find their homes
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
An evil man,
if you make him your friend,
Will give you evil for good:
I know an eleventh
when I lead to battle
Old comrades in-arms,
I have only to chant
it behind my shield,
And unwounded they go to war,
Unwounded they come from war,
Unscathed wherever they are
A good man,
if you make
him your friend;
Will praise you
in every place.
I know a twelfth
If a tree bear
A man hanged in a halter,
I can carve and stain
strong runes
That will cause the corpse to speak,
Reply to whatever I ask.
Affection is mutual
when men can open
All their heart to each other:
He whose words are always fair
Is untrue and
not to be trusted
I know a thirteenth
if I throw
a cup Of water over a warrior,
He shall not fall
in the fiercest battle,
Nor sink beneath the sword
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Bandy no speech
with a bad man:
Often the better is beaten
In a word fight by the worse
I know a fourteenth,
that few know:
If I tell a troop of warriors
About the high ones, elves and gods,
I can name them one by one.
(Few can the nit-wit name.)
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Be not a cobbler
nor a carver of shafts,
Except it be for yourself:
If a shoe fit ill
or a shaft be crooked;
The maker gets curses and kicks.
I know a fifteenth,
that first Thjodrerir
Sang before Delling's doors,
Giving power to gods,
prowess to elves,
Fore-sight to Hroptatyr Odhinn,
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
If aware that another is wicked,
say so:
Make no truce or treaty with foes.
I know a sixteenth
if I see a girl
With whom it would please me to play,
I can turn her thoughts,
can touch the heart
Of any white armed woman.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Never share
in the shamefully gotten,
But allow yourself what is lawful.
I know a seventeenth
if I sing it,
the young Girl
will be slow to forsake me.
To learn to sing them, Loddfafnir,
Will take you a long time,
Though helpful they are if you understand them,
Useful if you use them,
Needful if you need them.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Never lift your eyes
and look up in battle,
Lest the heroes enchant you,
who can change warriors
Suddenly into hogs,
I know an eighteenth
that I never tell
To maiden or wife of man,
A secret
I hide from all
Except the love
who lies in my arms,
Or else my own sister.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
With a good woman,
if you wish to enjoy
Her words and her good will,
Pledge her fairly
and be faithful to it:
Enjoy the good you are given,
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Be not over wary,
but wary enough,
First, of the foaming ale,
Second, of a woman
wed to another,
Third, of the tricks of thieves.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Mock not the traveler
met On the road,
Nor maliciously laugh at the guest:
The sitters in the hall
seldom know
the kin of the new-comer:
The best man
is marred by faults,
The worst is not without worth.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Never laugh at the old
when they offer counsel,
Often their words are wise:
From shriveled skin,
from scraggy things
That hand among the hides
And move amid the guts,
Clear words often come.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Scoff not at guests
nor to the gate chase them,
But relieve the lonely and wretched,
Heavy the beam
above the door;
Hang a horse-shoe
On it against ill-luck,
lest it should suddenly
Crash and crush your guests.
Listen to my counsel, Loddfafnir
and learn my advise,
You will fare well if you follow it,
It will help you much if you heed it:
Medicines exist
against many evils:
Earth against drunkenness,
heather against worms
Oak against costiveness,
corn against sorcery,
Spurred rye against rupture,
runes against bales
The moon against feuds,
fire against sickness,
Earth makes harmless the floods.
Wounded I hung
on a wind-swept gallows
For nine long nights,
Pierced by a spear,
pledged to Odhinn,
Offered, myself to myself
The wisest know not
from whence spring
The roots of that ancient rood
They gave me no bread,
They gave me no mead,
I looked down;
with a loud cry
I took up runes;
from that tree I fell.
Nine lays of power
I learned from
the famous Bolthor, Bestla' s father:
He poured me a draught
of precious mead,
Mixed with magic Odrerir.
Waxed and throve well;
Word from word
gave words to me,
Deed from deed
gave deeds to me,
Runes you will find,
and readable staves,
Very strong staves,
Very stout staves,
Staves that Bolthor stained,
Made by mighty powers,
Graven by the prophetic god,
For the gods by Odhinn,
for the elves by Dain,
By Dvalin, too,
for the dwarves,
By Asvid for the hateful giants,
And some I carved myself:
Know how to cut them?
know how to read them?
Know how to stain them?
know how to prove them?
Know how to evoke them?
know how to score them?
Know how to send them?
know how to send them?
Better not to ask
than to over-pledge
As a gift that demands a gift
Better not to send
than to slay too many,
Thund, before man was made,
scratched them,
Who rose first,
fell thereafter
The Wise One has spoken words
in the hall,
Needful for men to know,
Unneedful for trolls to know:
Hail to the speaker,
Hail to the knower,
Joy to him who has understood,
Delight to those who have listened.
Hail Odhinn!
