The Hávamál is one of the poems of the Poetic Edda. It sets out a set of guidelines for wise
living and survival. The Hávamál
consists of a number of poems, which shift in tone and tenor and narrative
position. Numerous English translations
exist of the text.
Stanza 96
Original -
Þat ek þá reynda
er ek à reyri sat
ok vættak mÃns munar
hold ok hjarta
var mér in horska mær
þeygi ek hana at heldr hefik
Translation -
I concealed myself in the bushes,
hoping my love would notice me.
For I loved her, both body and soul,
yet so concealed, I never earned her love.
-Hávamál: Stanza 96
Þat ek þá reynda
er ek à reyri sat
ok vættak mÃns munar
hold ok hjarta
var mér in horska mær
þeygi ek hana at heldr hefik
Translation -
I concealed myself in the bushes,
hoping my love would notice me.
For I loved her, both body and soul,
yet so concealed, I never earned her love.
-Hávamál: Stanza 96
Many
of us wear a mask when we want to impress those we love. Stanza 96 is about
those very masks. We can put on the facade, and act like the person we think
others will love, but it’s impossible to win someone’s heart if they don’t know
who you are.
Love may be understood as part of the survival
instinct, a function to keep human beings together against menaces and to
facilitate the continuation of the species.
It is an emotion of strong affection and personal
attachment. In philosophical context,
love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection.
Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, God is
love. Love may also be described as
actions towards others (or oneself) based on compassion or as actions towards
others based on affection.
When most people hear love they assume it to mean
the romantic love between two people, or maybe the love of an adult for their
child. And while these are beautiful and worthy things, the love referred to
here is the vitality and lust for life embodied in Freyr and Freya. It is the
erotic thrill of life itself, the lust of passion and the senses, the enjoyment
of pleasure. This is natural to our people and right for us to enjoy.
Frigg,
Goddess of romance, marriage, sex and reproduction, married women, household
duty, and divination. She has a chapter
in my new book, "Your Divine Friends", in Lulu Publishing. She
is said to be the wife of Odin, and the Queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological
stories as a wife and a mother.
Freya,
Goddess associated with magic, shamanism, sacrifice, war, death, and sexuality. She has a chapter in my new book, "Your Divine Friends", in Lulu Publishing. Freya
is the daughter of Njord and Nerthus, as well as the sister of Freyr. She was
once married to Odr, but he disappeared. She is the principle female fertility
Goddess of the native Germanic religion.
Freyr,
worshipped as a phallic fertility God, he was said to bestow peace and pleasure
on mortals. He has a chapter in my new
book, "Your Divine Friends", in Lulu Publishing. Freyr
is a leading member of the Vanir, the Lord of the Earth and a God of
fertility. Freyr gives up his sword for
love.
Sjofn,
Goddess associated with love. Sjofn is the Goddess of marital bliss, she stops
fights between husbands and wives. Sjofn is one of Frigg's attendants.
Step
out of the bushes. Take off the mask. If they are worth your love, then they
are worthy of knowing who you really are. Tell someone today you love them!
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