Slow Havamal: 149

In verse 149, Odin says he knows a fourth spell in which he can make chains and locks burst from his hands and feet when he is bound.

The fourth situation that warrants the use of magic in Havamal is being restrained in irons. As with last week, iron doesn’t seem to hinder Norse works of magic in the same way that it does those from other cultures, and several of these spells are directed at iron or steel to good effect. It isn’t difficult to imagine why someone might want to escape captivity, and given the lifestyles of the viking age, I’m sure that many people had their opportunity, whether taken prisoner for a crime, or captured as slaves. ( Read more... )