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The Poetic Edda: Hovamol · 10 of 16 · tr. Henry Adams Bellows

Section 1j

On his ring swore Othin | the oath, methinks; Who now his troth shall trust? Suttung's betrayal | he sought with drink, And Gunnloth to grief he left. * * * 111. It is time to chant | from the chanter's stool; By the wells of Urth I was, I saw and was silent, | I saw and thought, And heard the speech of Hor. (Of runes heard I words, | nor were counsels wanting, At the hall of Hor, In the hall of Hor; Such was the speech I heard.) [111. With this stanza begins the Loddfafnismol (stanzas 111-138). Loddfafnir is apparently a wandering singer, who, from his "chanter's stool," recites the verses which he claims to have received from Othin. Wells of Urth : cf. Voluspo , 19 and note. Urth ("the Past") is one of the three Norns. This stanza is apparently in corrupt form, and editors have tried many experiments with it, both in rejecting lines as spurious and in rear ranging the words and punctuation. It looks rather as though the first four lines formed a complete stanza, and the last four had crept in later. The phrase translated "the speech of Hor" is "Hova mol," later used as the title for the entire poem.] p. 53 112. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,--- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Rise not at night, | save if news thou seekest, Or fain to the outhouse wouldst fare. 113. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: Beware of sleep | on a witch's bosom, Nor let her limbs ensnare thee. 114. Such is her might | that thou hast no mind For the council or meeting of men; Meat thou hatest, | joy thou hast not, And sadly to slumber thou farest. 115. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: [112. Lines 1-3 are the formula, repeated (abbreviated in the manuscript) in most of the stanzas, with which Othin prefaces his counsels to Loddfafnir, and throughout this section, except in stanzas 111 and 138, Loddfafnir represents himself as simply quoting Othin's words. The material is closely analogous to that contained in the first eighty stanzas of the poem. In some cases (e. g., stanzas 117, 119, 121, 126 and 130) the formula precedes a full four-line stanza instead of two (or three) lines.] p. 54 Seek never to win | the wife of another, Or long for her secret love. 116. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: If o'er mountains or gulfs | thou fain wouldst go, Look well to thy food for the way. 117. I rede thee, Loddfafnir! | and hear thou my rede,-- Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest: An evil man | thou must not let Bring aught of ill to thee; For an evil man | will never make Reward for a worthy thought. 118.
Themes
◆Animismcosmology

The doctrine and worldview that natural phenomena, places, and objects possess inherent spirit, soul, or personality — and that the cosmos is populated by countless local, plural, embodied divine agents: kami in mountain and tree, sidhe in cairn and well, landwights in field and stone, nymphs in spring and grove, haltija in forest and lake, lares and penates in household and threshold, Iamblichean daemons in element and place. Distinct from monotheism (single transcendent God), pantheism (one underlying substance), and emanation_hierarchy (cascading single source); animism's signature is the plurality, locality, and embodied-in-landscape character of the divine.

The text depicts a world populated by local spiritual agents such as the Norns at the wells and witches with inherent might inhabiting the landscape.

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◆Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

Divine and preternatural beings are described with human characteristics such as swearing oaths, having bosoms, limbs, and eating habits.

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◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The text warns that a witch's physical limbs can ensnare the mind and cause loss of joy and counsel, framing the body as a potential trap.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

Wisdom is presented as esoteric counsel received in secret at the Wells of Urth and Hall of Hor before being transmitted to Loddfafnir.

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◆Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

The narrator describes a state of receptivity where he 'saw and was silent' while receiving divine knowledge at the wells.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

Othin is portrayed as an active, personal deity who swears oaths, gives advice, and interacts directly with the mortal singer.

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◆Word Power Incantationpraxis

The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.

The speaker mentions hearing words of runes which carry counsel and power, aligning with the Norse tradition of galdr and magical speech.

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◆World Tree Axiscosmology

A vertical structure connecting cosmic levels — a tree, pillar, mountain, or ladder linking heaven, earth, and underworld around which the cosmos is organised. Yggdrasil binding the Nine Worlds in Norse cosmology, the Kalevala's Sampo as world-pillar, the Mayan ceiba, the Vedic Aśvattha, the shamanic central tree of Eliade's analyses. Cosmic-structural in character: distinct from sefirot_tree (a kabbalistic emanation diagram) and emanation_hierarchy (an ontological cascade); world_tree_axis is the cosmos's spine rather than the divine's outflow.

The passage explicitly references the 'Wells of Urth' and the Norns, which are cosmological anchors associated with Yggdrasil in Norse mythology.

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Related passages · 1 parallel
◆celtic|The Mabinogion|Tale TALIESINc
“Elphin of notable qualities, Be not displeased at thy misfortune; Although reclined thus weak in my bag, There lies a virtue in my tongue. While I continue thy protector Thou hast not much to fear; Remembering the names of the Trinity, Non…”
Both passages feature a wise figure imparting knowledge and advice. In Passage A, Odin shares his wisdom with Loddfafnir, while in Passage B, Taliesin offers his insights to Elphin. Both figures are depicted as having mystical knowledge and a connection to the divine.