Slow Havamal: 40

The 40th verse advises us not to be so frugal that we forget to spend on our own necessities. Though we may intend to save it up to pass to our children, our money may fall to our enemies, and many things will turn out worse than expected.

Verse 40 reveals a couple of old Norse attitudes toward money and savings that will seem familiar to contemporary readers, and they imply a third. There would be no point in advising people not to save every penny while the roof falls apart if that weren’t an occasional habit then as it is now. The alternative offered is to save what you can but use what you need to keep yourself and your property in good condition. I assume from this verse and human nature that there were also those who pasted every income as soon as possible on any frivolity that caught their attention. That’s a habit in much older periods of history, though I may be emphasizing it due to its popularity in my own culture. ( Read more... )