Slow Havamal: 158

In verse 158, Odin says he knows a thirteenth spell: If he throw water on a young man, that man will never be killed by violence, not even in battle.

There’s some uncertainty in this verse, because it can be translated as referring to throwing a larger amount of water onto a young man, or due to the requirements of alliteration, could also be seen as sprinkling water on a newborn, i.e. baptism. Crawford sides with the former in this translation, though not without reservations.( Read more... )