Wednesday, 9 April 2014

Havamal Snippets 136: Make sure your door has a good lock

This stanza is a continuation of the previous stanza 135 (which stresses the importance of treating guests well) because it highlights that in addition to treating guests well, hosts should also have a good & securable door (in Viking times this meant a beam across the door, in modern times this means a Yale lock) which the home-owner can use to keep out unwanted or malevolent people.

136
Rammt er þat tré
er ríða skal
öllum at upploki
baug þú gef
eða þat biðja mun
þér læs hvers á liðu
 
Powerful is that beam
that must move from side to side
to open for all;
give a ring,
or it will call down
every evil on your limbs


[End.]
 

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