Slow Havamal: 104

In verse 104, Odin reports having visited the hall of a giant named Suttung, where far from remaining silent, he spoke many words in support of his cause.

Reading and writing verse by verse, I don’t yet have context for what Odin’s visit was about, or how it played out. Besides the joy of good stories and poetry, I study this poem in order to glean some practical advice, even if it may not have been the writer’s original intent. Dealing broadly with this verse, I see Odin visiting a race of people whose power is portrayed as on par with, sometimes in excess of, the gods’. The Aesir and the giants are not often on friendly terms in Norse mythology. (Note: there is no indication that I’m aware of, here or elsewhere, that giants are oversized, or look any different than the gods.) So Odin visits the hall of a giant who must be important in order to persuade him. He can’t simply take what he wants directly—Suttung must grant it.( Read more... )