Wednesday 29 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 121: Be honest with your friends

One of the things that is continually stressed throughout the Havamal is the importance of valuing friends.  This is particularly pertinent in the modern times because the modern era when the number of Facebook friends (or My Space or whatever the latest on line socialising medium is) is high, but the number of real life friends is low.  A real friend, someone whom you can confide in and feel relaxed around, is valuable.  To feel relaxed one must be able to speak freely, even if that means being honest rather than genial.


121
Ráðumk þér Loddfáfnir
en þú ráð nemir
njóta mundu ef þú nemr
þér munu góð ef þú getr
vin þínum
ver þú aldregi
fyrri at flaumslitum
sorg etr hjarta
ef þú segja ne náir
einhverjum allan hug         
 
I advise you, Loddfafnir,
to take advice;
you would benefit, it you took it,
good will come to you, if you accept it:
[6] never be
[7] the first to make a breach
[5] with your friend.
Sorrow eats the heart
if you cannot tell
someone your whole mind.


[End.]

Monday 27 January 2014

What Does the Havamal Say About Women?


"The Stranger at the Door" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havamal

Quite alot actually.  There are a total of 17 verses out of 166 in the Havamal that comment on the character of women, all of which contain some practical wisdom that the everyman, John Doe, can use at some point in his life when dealing with women, regardless of their relation to him - be they his wife, girlfriend, co-worker, stranger etc.  Six of the verses are about Odin's unsuccessful attempts to, ahem, get his end away with a good looking woman.

The verses given here are from the Thorpe translation.  (For those who are interested there are several translations available for free online: as is inevitiable with translated works, there are different interpretations.  Some of them tend towards the more poetic translation (like the benezedrine taker W.H. Auden version), some towards the more literal (like Rothschild banker Benjamin Thorpe).  Seven of them can be found HERE Other translations exist, but alas, they are not available on the net).

So without further ado here are the verses:
79. A foolish man,
if he acquires
wealth or a woman’s love,
pride grows within him,
but wisdom never:
he goes on more and more arrogant.

81. At eve the day is to be praised,
a woman after she is burnt,
a sword after it is proved,
a maid after she is married,
ice after it has passed away,
beer after it is drunk.

84. In a maiden’s words
no one should place faith,
nor in what a woman says;
for on a turning wheel
have their hearts been formed,
and guile in their breasts been laid;

90. Such is the love of women,
who falsehood meditate,
as if one drove not rough-shod,
on slippery ice,
a spirited two-years old
and unbroken horse;
or as in a raging storm
a helmless ship is beaten;
or as if the halt were set to catch
a reindeer in the thawing fell.

91. Openly I now speak,
because I both sexes know:
unstable are men’s minds towards women;
‘tis then we speak most fair
when we most falsely think:
that deceives even the cautious.

92. Fair shall speak,
and money offer,
who would obtain a woman’s love.
Praise the form
of a fair damsel;
he gets who courts her.

93. At love should no one
ever wonder
in another:
a beauteous countenance
oft captivates the wise,
which captivates not the foolish.

117. I counsel thee, Loddfafnir,
to take advise:
thou wilt profit if thou takest it.
Another’s wife
entice thou never
to secret converse.

120. I saw mortally
wound a man
a wicked woman’s words;
a false tongue
caused his death,
and most unrighteously.

132. If thou wilt induce a good woman
to pleasant converse,
thou must promise fair,
and hold to it;
no one turns from good if it can be got.

133. I enjoin thee to be wary,
but not over wary;
at drinking be thou most wary,
and with another’s wife;
and thirdly,
that thieves delude thee not. 


Then there is the short six verse story of Odin's unsuccessful attempts to woo a good looking lass:
96
So I learned when I sat in the reeds,
Hoping to have my desire:
Lovely was the flesh of that fair girl,
But nothing I hoped for happened.

97
I saw on a bed Billing's daughter,
Sun white, asleep:
No greater delight I longed for then
Than to lie in her lovely arms.

98
"Come" Odhinn, after nightfall
If you wish for a meeting with me:
All would be lost if anyone saw us
And learned that we were lovers."

99
Afire with longing"; I left her then,
Deceived by her soft words:

I thought my wooing had won the maid,
That I would have my way.

100
After nightfall I hurried back,
But the warriors were all awake,
Lights were burning, blazing torches:
So false proved the path

101
Towards daybreak back I came
The guards were sound asleep:
I found then that the fair woman
Had tied a bitch to her bed.

102
Many a girl when one gets to know her
Proves to be fickle and false:
That treacherous maiden taught me a lesson,
The crafty woman covered me with shame";
That was all I got from her.

Source: http://www.heathengods.com/havamal/thorpe.htm  


The Havamal is also available in paperback form at Amazon for ~$6 if you're interested in a more tactile version:
http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Havamal-Benjamin-Thorpe-Version/dp/1494217104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390302197&sr=8-1&keywords=havamal+thorpe


[End.]

Friday 24 January 2014

Men of Yore: Henry Louis Mencken

This is another in a series of posts about men from history who have either achieved great things in one form or another by pushing boundaries: either in themselves or in society or science or exploration of some form. Boundary pushing and growth is what men do, it's their nature: to grow and push outwards. We, as men, are the frontiers men, the first to discover/uncover new territory, in a metaphysical sense (i.e. including both material and the immaterial) that is later colonised and 'civilised' by the rest of humanity. 

H.L. Mencken

Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, critic of American life and culture, and scholar of American English.[1] Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the twentieth century. Many of his books remain in print. 
Mencken is known for writing The American Language, a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States, and for his satirical reporting on the Scopes trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial". He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, pseudo-experts, the temperance movement, and uplifters. A keen cheerleader of scientific progress, he was very skeptical of economic theories and particularly critical of anti-intellectualism, bigotry, populism, fundamentalist Christianity, creationism, organized religion, the existence of God, and osteopathic/chiropractic medicine.

In addition to his literary accomplishments, Mencken was known for his controversial ideas. As a frank admirer of German philosopher Nietzsche, he was not a proponent of representative democracy, which he believed was a system in which inferior men dominated their superiors.[2] During and after World War I, he was sympathetic to the Germans, and was very distrustful of British propaganda.[3] However, he also referred to Adolf Hitler and his followers as "ignorant thugs." Mencken, through his wide criticism of actions taken by government, has had a strong impact on the American left and the American libertarian movement.[4]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Mencken
 
Author of the great book In Defence of Women, which can be found free online at the Gutenberg Press wesbite: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1270/1270-h/1270-h.htm.  A satirist who didn't consider anything to be worthy of reverence.  Thus considered nothing to be above him, much like the Buddha.




[End.]

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 120: Learn from a Good man

Learn from those who are friendly and well learned.  Learning is an active thing that requires effort.  While we may have brains like proverbial sponges that soak up data, we can't soak up that data if we don't first put ourselves close to a fountain of knowledge in the first place.  Learning requires effort, Willfulness as well as the source data (be they sentient or not - remember that the Havamal was originally orally transmitted because the Vikings didn't have a written culture, so the note about learning from a good 'man' may not be as relevant in modern times when we have access to many types of information e.g. written, audio, pictures, motion-pictures, etc).
 

120
Ráðumk þér Loddfáfnir
en þú ráð nemir
njóta mundu ef þú nemr
þér munu góð ef þú getr
góðan mann
teygðu þér at gamanrúnum
ok nem líknargaldr meðan þú lifir  
 
I advise you, Loddfafnir,
to take advice;
you would benefit, it you took it,
good will come to you, if you accept it:
[6] draw [5] a good man
to you with pleasant conversation,
and learn healing charms while you live.


[End.]

Monday 20 January 2014

Alternative Lyrics to Well Known Songs 16 - The Great White Race

[Pre-amble: This is one in a series of posts which includes an alternative set of lyrics to a well known song.  Each post will also contain a short introduction to the topic at hand, and a brief explanation of the song itself.  A video of the original song will be included so that the reader can listen to the original song while reciting the alternative lyrics at the same time.]



The Song: The Great White Race (based on 'The Ace of Spades' by Motorhead)
Firstly, this song is for entertainment purposes only.  The author does not condone or promote violence, except in instances of self-defence, and in accordance with the laws of your respective country.

Secondly, this song is intended as a motivational song for White men in White countries because their rights are being trampled on in their homeland.  All races/nations are justified in defending themselves from invasion, just like all home-owners are justified in defending their property from burglars, and all men are justified in defending themselves from attackers.  The God given right of self-determination means that every creature, man and beast, must be permitted to defend themselves (within reasonable bounds of course, and ignoring the debate about pre-emptive strikes etc), and the culture of political correctness in white countries currently denies that God-given right.  If men are allowed to defend themselves then it means they are allowed to respect themselves, and if they can respect themselves then they are more likely to respect other men.  This principle applies to individual men, and to groups of men, such as nation states, and I'd respect all groups who suffer from racial oppression to write motivational literature (songs, stories etc) as well.

If men are not allowed to defend themselves, then they are effectively made into prisoners, tormented by laws that they cannot alter, and to see what the results of that situation 'might' be then refer to the Stanford Prisoner Experiment, where all prisoners turned into super-compliant zombies.  And if you're short-sighted enough to think that there's nothing wrong with that, then just think what Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Charles Manson and others could have done with such a compliant population.

For men to be able to defend themselves, they must be able to summon, or conjure up (in a manner of speaking) those rousing, energetic emotions that are needed during times of physical exertion (like fighting).  Listening to music like the Ace of Spades or other powerful rock music, allows men to be able to experience those emotions personally.  Once men have experienced them immediately, then they can become aware of those emotions and begin to control them.  In order for a man to know a thing he must first be a thing; which means that he must experience powerful aggressive-like emotions if he is to be able to know them and then control them.  Emotions that can then be summoned and controlled up by merely Willing them.  A man who has such control over his emotions and can summon them merely by using his Will is a very dangerous character, as the Russian Spetsnaz special forces say: 
 


"Conquer yourself, and you'll become unconquerable"
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RdZLC223PQ)


 

Play the song in the video above and sing along with the alternative lyrics given below.



# The Great White Race #
If you like to gamble I'll tell you how you can,
You just stand up against the Great Aryan Man.
 
To stand against our race,
Will bring you nothing but disgrace.
 
The only one you need,
If you wanna bleed is,
The Great White Race.
The Great White Race.
 
Fighting with our Glocks and
Fighting with brass knuckles.
Fight is all we know.
We'll beat the shit out o' you.
 
Insult our Great nation,
We'll beat you black and blue.
 
If you wanna get hit,
Then just give some shit to
The Great White Race.
The Great White Race.
 
If you wanna lose,
Then give some abuse.
To a proud white skin-head fighter,
He will kick shit right out of ya.
He ain't no fucking punkster.
 
Pushing up the ante,
You'll come here with your homies.
Yet this time 'round,
Whites have formed in to gangs.
 
I see fear in your eye,
I grin and grab my knife.
 
The only one you need,
If you wanna bleed is,
The Great White Race.
The Great White Race.
 
 
[End of lyrics.]

Sunday 19 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 119: Visit a trusted friend often

This verse is similar to verse 41, which notes the importance of returning a gift for a gift and a lie for a lie.  In this verse, 119, it focusses on the human relationship rather than the gift giving, saying that a man should visit a good freind regularly, and make sure that the freindship lasts a long time.  A long lasting freindship will benefit both men, because they will give gifts to one another: material gifts and immaterial gifts (like knowledge and information); not forgetting that the experiences they share will be enjoyable!  After all, life is about experiencing the moment in emotional terms aswell as abstract terms.

 
119
Ráðumk þér Loddfáfnir
en þú ráð nemir
njóta mundu ef þú nemr
þér munu góð ef þú getr
veiztu ef þú vin átt
þanns þú vel trúir
farðu at finna opt
því at hrísi vex
ok hávu grasi
vegr er vættki trøðr             
 
I advise you, Loddfafnir,
to take advice;
you would benefit, it you took it,
good will come to you, if you accept it:
know this, if you have a friend
whom you trust well,
go to visit him often,
for [9] the path which no-one treads
[7] grows with underbrush
[8] and high grass.

 
[End.]

Friday 17 January 2014

Men of Yore: Archibal Belaney (aka 'Grey Owl')

This is another in a series of posts about men from history who have either achieved great things in one form or another by pushing boundaries: either in themselves or in society or science or exploration of some form. Boundary pushing and growth is what men do, it's their nature: to grow and push outwards. We, as men, are the frontiers men, the first to discover/uncover new territory, in a metaphysical sense (i.e. including both material and the immaterial) that is later colonised and 'civilised' by the rest of humanity. 


Archibald Belaney (also known as 'Grey Owl')

Grey Owl (or Wa-sha-quon-asin, from the Ojibwe wenjiganoozhiinh, meaning "great horned owl" or "great grey owl") was the name Archibald Belaney (September 18, 1888 – April 13, 1938) adopted when he took on a First Nations identity as an adult. Born in England as Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, and migrating to Canada in the first decade of the 20th century, he rose to prominence as a notable author, lecturer, and one of the "most effective apostles of the wilderness".[1] In his experiences with the Ojibwe Indians, Belaney learned the Aboriginal harvesting techniques, trapping, and Ojibwe culture. The pivotal moment of departure for Grey Owl's early conservation work was when he began his relationship with a young Iroquois girl named Gertrude Bernard, who assisted in his transition from trapper to conservationist.[2] 
In working with the National Parks Branch, Grey Owl gained recognition and fame in his early career as a conservationist, becoming the subject of many films, and being established as the “‘caretaker of park animals’ at Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba” in 1931.[3] Together with his numerous articles, books, films and lectures, his views on conservation reached audiences beyond the borders of Canada, influencing how people saw their adverse relationship with nature. His conservation views largely focused on humans' negative impact on nature through their commodification of nature's resources for profits, and a need for humans to develop a respect for nature.[4] 
Revelation of his British origins after his death adversely affected Grey Owl's reputation for some time. Since the 1970s and, with the centennial of his birth, there has been renewed public appreciation for his conservation efforts. Recognition has included biographies, a historic plaque at his birthplace, and a 1999 biopic about his life by the director Richard Attenborough
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Owl


Environmentalism and obsessions with all things 'eco' might be practised by middle-class luvvies these days, but back in the 19th and early 20th centuries it was something that free-sprited men like Archibald Belaney practised irregardless of the fashions of the day.


[End.]

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 118: Beware of the bad woman and her deceit-crafty tongue

Lying women are harmful to good men, be they in the courts during a divorce, or slander to friends and family.  The Androsphere/Manosphere is replete with tales of men who have suffered from the lying words of a poison-tongued woman.


118
Ofarla bíta
ek sá einum hal
orð illrar konu;
fláráð tunga
varð honum at fjörlagi
ok þeygi um sanna sök     
 
[2] I saw a man
[1] deeply bitten
by the word of a bad woman;
her deceit-crafty tongue
was the death of him,
and yet the charge was not true.

[End.]

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 117: Keep your weaknesses private

Never trust a person of ill repute, and especially don't tell them your weaknesses, because it will only bring you mis-fortune.  Used car salesman, bankers who sell pyramid schemes, politicians, girlfriends or whoever, don't touch them with an extendable barge pole.
 
117
Ráðumk þér Loddfáfnir
en þú ráð nemir
njóta mundu ef þú nemr
þér munu góð ef þú getr
illan mann
láttu aldregi
óhöpp at þér vita
því at af illum manni
fær þú aldregi
gjöld ins góða hugar           
 
I advise you, Loddfafnir,
to take advice;
you would benefit, it you took it,
good will come to you, if you accept it:
[6] never allow
[5] a bad man
to know of your misfortune,
because from a bad man
you will never get
a good return for your good will.

[End.]

Monday 6 January 2014

Alternative Lyrics to Well Known Songs 15 - My Name is Magnus

[Pre-amble: This is one in a series of posts which includes an alternative set of lyrics to a well known song. Each post will also contain a short introduction to the topic at hand, and a brief explanation of the song itself. A video of the original song will be included so that the reader can listen to the original song while reciting the alternative lyrics at the same time.]

 

The Song: My Name is Mangus (based on 'My Name is Jonas' by Weezer)
This song is told from the perspective of two people who sail on the ship known as 'Will' (as in the word 'Will', as in "I Will do this!"): Magnus, who pilots the ship; and Wake-ful, who is in the wake of the ship after jumping overboard.
 
In the song, Magnus speaks first, addressing the listener on how to get aboard the ship 'Will' and how joyful the life is.  After which Wake-ful then speaks, telling us why he decided to abandon the Will and remain in it's wake.  After a while Wake-ful begins to regret his decision to jump ship and starts mourning his choice.  In his sorry state, alone, no future, no possibilities, and no motivation, Wake-ful cries out for help.  Just as Wake-ful cries out for help the Will, piloted by Magnus, arrives and fishes him out of the water.  Magnus didn't want to leave anyone behind in the ships wake leaving an awful life, so he plotted a circular course making sure that the ship would turn up again at the exact spot that Wake-ful jumped overboard.  That's what the last line in the song indicates: that Magnus has returned to rescue Wake-ful.
 
The moral of the song is that there's always a chance of redemption so long as humility is present.  Without humility, genuinely admitting that we've fouled up, there is no chance that we can learn from our mistakes and get back on the proverbial 'straight and narrow'.  That's something we can all benefit from - knowing when to admit that we're in the wrong and then Righting ourselves.  Once we've done that, then we can get back on board the 'Will' and do our thing, whatever that may be.
 

Play the song in the music video above and sing along with the alternative lyrics given below.


# My Name is Magnus #
"My name is Magnus.
"I pilot the Will.
"Come and jump aboard it,
"and see how we live.
 
"Come sit next to me,
"I will speak with you,
"of the life of the joy and the passion.
"It will rouse you,
"and en-grippen you,
"And take you to places you could never dream of.
 
The Willful ship left right on time.
The ticket is bought by your mind
The pilot said "hey man we go all the way.
"The joy of it shall blow your mind."
 
"My name is Wake-ful.
"I live a sick morbid life.
"I live in the wake made,
"by the ship known as Will,
"Known as Will.
 
"It makes me so sad,
"and yet also mad,
"knowing that I am left,
"deep deep in it's wake.
"Never knowing what;
"Never feeling what;
"The love and the joy of being in Will.
 
"I left the ship free of my choice.
"I tired of living the life,
"of enthusiasm and earnestness,
"And was desperately in need of rest.
 
"But here I am far behind.
"But here I am far behind.
"But here I am far behind.
"But here I am far behind,
"Will!
 
"But here I am far behind.
"But here I am far behind.
"But here I am far behind.
"But here I am far behind.
 
"Help!
"Help!
"Help!
 
"My name is Magnus."
 
 
[End of lyrics.]

Sunday 5 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 116: Plan for your journeys into the future

Be prepared for any journeys you make.  This means thinking ahead and foreseeing any circumstances you may encounter.  Whether this journey is a simple and short one over a few steps, yards & minutes (like a drive into the mountains), or a complex and long one over many steps, miles & years (like starting up a business), the ability to plan ahead 'to see into the future' is one that is really good to have.  Thinking ahead requires a man to get his mind out of day-to-day matters and into long term ones.  It's also a good stepping stone which allows a man to move from thinking about physical things to spiritual things, because it moves his attention away from the immediate to the distant.
 
116
Ráðumk þér Loddfáfnir
en þú ráð nemir
njóta mundu ef þú nemr
þér munu góð ef þú getr
á fjalli eða firði
ef þik fara tíðir
fásktu at virði vel               
 
I advise you, Loddfafnir,
to take advice;
you would benefit, it you took it,
good will come to you, if you accept it:
[6] if you long to travel
[5] over mountain or fjord,
be sure you have ample food.

[End.]

Friday 3 January 2014

Men of Yore: Ignaz Semmelweiss

This is another in a series of posts about men from history who have either achieved great things in one form or another by pushing boundaries: either in themselves or in society or science or exploration of some form. Boundary pushing and growth is what men do, it's their nature: to grow and push outwards. We, as men, are the frontiers men, the first to discover/uncover new territory, in a metaphysical sense (i.e. including both material and the immaterial) that is later colonised and 'civilised' by the rest of humanity. 



Ignaz Semmelweis


Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (July 1, 1818 – August 13, 1865), also Ignác Semmelweis (born Semmelweis Ignác Fülöp), was a Hungarian physician called the “saviour of mothers” who discovered, by 1847, that the incidence of puerperal fever, also known as childbed fever could be drastically cut by use of hand washing standards in obstetrical clinics.
While employed as assistant to the professor of the maternity clinic at the Vienna General Hospital in Austria in 1847, Semmelweis introduced hand washing with chlorinated lime solutions for interns who had performed autopsies. This immediately reduced the incidence of fatal puerperal fever from about 10 percent (range 5–30 percent) to about 1–2 percent. At the time, diseases were attributed to many different and unrelated causes. Each case was considered unique, just like a human person is unique.
Semmelweis’ hypothesis, that there was only one cause, that all that mattered was cleanliness, was extreme at the time, and was largely ignored, rejected or ridiculed. He was dismissed from the hospital and harassed by the medical community in Vienna, which eventually forced him to move to Budapest.
Semmelweis was outraged by the indifference of the medical profession and began writing open and increasingly angry letters to prominent European obstetricians, at times denouncing them as irresponsible murderers. His contemporaries, including his wife, believed he was losing his mind and he was in 1865 committed to an asylum (mental institution). Semmelweis died there only 14 days later, possibly after being severely beaten by guards. 
Semmelweis’ practice only earned widespread acceptance years after his death, when Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory of disease which offered a theoretical explanation for Semmelweis’ findings. Semmelweis is considered a pioneer of antiseptic procedures. 
Source: http://semmelweis.org/about/dr-semmelweis-biography/


The case of Ignaz Semmelweiss demonstrates a couple of things about 'experts': that they are not infallible; that they will attack anyone who doubts their theories, going so far as to label them insane if needs be; they consider their theories more important than the people they are supposed to (and claim to be) looking after.  Modern day experts are no different to those of 150 years ago, or of any era.  If someone has a PhD, M.D., Dr, Prof, Priest, Imman, Lord, King, President or some other letters or title around their name then that's no reason to consider them infallible.  It's also worth considering that those letters or title were given to them by a group, a culture, that has a particular set of values that might not be in accord with your own values.


[End.]

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Havamal Snippets 115: never seduce another mans wife

This verse advises against extramarital affairs with other men's wives.  It shows that monogamy is the way of the Viking, or at least the way of living that they aspired towards (after all, they were only human, and may have suffered temptation as we do in modern times). 

The benefits of not interfering with another man's wife is similar to not interfering with another mans property: it promotes mutual feelings of trust amongst the two men, and then amongst the community as a whole.  In turn this allows men to feel safe in their surroundings and thus provides them with a good environment in which to express themselves, to express their own character, to express their own Will.  A society in which men exploit one another and cheat one another is not conducive to this, and thus is not pleasant.  Thus respecting other men's property (inlcuding his wife) is the way to go.
 
 
 
115
Ráðumk þér Loddfáfnir
en þú ráð nemir
njóta mundu ef þú nemr
þér munu góð ef þú getr
annars konu
teygðu þér aldregi
eyrarúnu at          
 
I advise you, Loddfafnir,
to take advice;
you would benefit, it you took it,
good will come to you, if you accept it:
[6] never seduce
[5] another's wife
to be your mistress.
 
[End.]