Slow Havamal: 78

Note: This post is a day late, and there won't be a post next week, as I will be out of town enjoying the holidays.

In the 78th verse, Odin says he once saw large herds of cattle owned by the sons of a rich man, who are now reduced to beggars. Wealth is as fleeting as a twinkle in the eye, and there is no less faithful friend.

Fortunes turn. We might be inclined to believe our prosperity is a feature of life, rather than a passing circumstance. The wealthy heirs in this verse probably thought their lifestyle would last as long as their lives. Instead, wealth is like a stream that we may encounter and follow for a while. The terrain soon forces us back into the thickets. ( Read more... )