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.
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