Slow Havamal 71

The 71st verse notes that a man with a gimp leg can still ride, a man missing a hand can herd animals, and a deaf man can fight and come out on top. Heck, even blindness is better than death, because the dead can do nothing.

This verse seems tailored for those who suffer an infirmity and proclaim that they’d be better off dead than to live in such a state. Odin disagrees. There’s no doubt that with each wound comes a limitation. The handless man, for example, will never be very good at cat’s cradle. He may struggle as a smith, or a carpenter. But there’s no reason he can’t take up a crook in his other hand and tend to a flock. Every condition eliminates certain options, but it also has the effect of making the choice more plain. ( Read more... )