Slow Havamal: 87

The 87th verse says:
A sick calf,
a stubborn servant,
a prophet who foresees good things,
a corpse on the battlefield,


We continue with a list of suspect things. We will see soon that we should never be so trusting that we trust all of them. To recap my position: there is nothing necessarily dangerous about a calf, a servant, a prophet, or a corpse. These nouns describe something that is in fact a shifting process. In certain phases of its life, namely the one described by the adjective, we should use more caution. What seems good one moment can turn quickly. Because I think the overall gist of these verses is well-established, let’s take it line-by-line to see if there is more specific advice in each item.( Read more... )