kylec | Slow Havamal: 38

The 38th verse warns us that we should never go one step without a weapon, because we don’t know when we might need a spear.

This verse is another difficult one for most modern Americans to apply, though we have an easier time than a European might. Few people travel armed at all times. Gangs and organized crime, proud holders of concealed carry permits, and law enforcement would all lend support to these lines. I know a fair number of Southerners who don’t roll armed into a fast food joint, but there’s always something useful in their vehicle and near the bedside at home. The reasons these folks might give wouldn’t be at all dissimilar to those of an old Norseman. You never know when someone might try to rob you, or deliver grievous insult. For many years, I carried a pocket knife at all times and accidentally through an airport once or twice, but relegated my small collection to a desk or a bookshelf when I finally admitted there just aren’t that many days when something begs to be cut.

A knife probably wouldn’t count as a weapon in Odin’s book, either. More of a tool with a broader application under necessity. What is it we’re supposed to have at hand, and why? It sounds as though the intent is a tool whose primary purpose is to harm other men—a sharp contrast to the Christian ideal of turning the other cheek. No Norseman need suffer at the hands of a scoundrel. There’s no penalty for defending yourself, and the inability to do so may undercut the “drengr” sensibility—living a life of manly virtue. Strength is favored over meekness, though it has the ring of a defensive strength. In no way do I get the sense we need a weapon in case we see some wealthy, vulnerable types walking around unarmed and find the opportunity to lighten their burden. The man with the spear isn’t looking for a fight, but he isn’t so naive as to think he can avoid one.

There’s a note of being prepared in this verse. Specifically, prepared to maintain your position of living, breathing, and possession-holding, unvexed by a cross word. In each instance, a weapon is a means of enforcing your will against resistance. We might take this beyond the physical kind, and consider that training in certain martial arts could qualify. So might a sharp tongue, a watchful eye, or a clever mind. The weapon of some may be stubbornness, and of others, lightning-fast adaptability. A reputation not to tangle with may intimidate more pests than a glittering blade. Few people would risk a direct assault on one who travels in the company of many friends. The list goes on. The point is that any talents or tools that enable us to stave off those who would impose upon us fulfill the sense of a weapon in this verse.

Furthermore, we have permission to use them. Since we never know when we might need a weapon (and if we left home looking for trouble we’d surely expect to use one), I’d argue that the nobler state is to have the ability to stand your ground at any moment, without being the kind of jerk who seeks confrontation. Our culture and even our laws sometimes look down on those who defend themselves with prejudice. Havamal issues a welcome reminder that not all cultures expect their people to make themselves targets in service of some austere meekness. A honed and handy weapon is the friend of a man who values his personal agency. Though he may hope that he pulls it sparingly, and then only to oil it.