Slow Havamal: 116

[kylec]

In verse 116, Odin counsels Loddfafnir that is he plans to wander by land or sea, to bring plenty of provisions.

The start of a journey is often so full of excitement and fear that we see its promise alone as sufficient. The lure of a foreign land, or the hounds on our trail driving us onward give things a feeling of inevitability. We have a destination, and the details will sort themselves out. Odin advises against such complacency.

Our travels today are not as arduous as the old Norsemen. There are many friendly places to find a meal and a warm bed. We don’t need friends, or their recommendations. Nor do we have to burden ourselves with food and weapons. The way is not likely beset by outlaws. Storms won’t do more than delay us. To a traveler in the past, though, a journey was not for the faint of heart. By foot or by sea, the travel itself was too hard for the very young and old. Nothing could be counted on. The wanderer always took his life into his own hands, resting on his wisdom, skills, and resources.

Therefore, it was important to know the kinds of things he might expect to encounter, and to provide for himself in advance. To bring enough food to get you to the next forage or friendly home was only the beginning. A traveler needed clothing appropriate to the weather, and tools to mend, craft, and defend. All of this had to be comfortably bearable on his back if he wasn’t lucky enough to have a pack animal, which requires its own special set of provisions.

Though our own journeys are nowhere near as dangerous, they come with their own complications. For example, I don’t own a smartphone in a world that revolves around them. So before I go somewhere outside of my usual orbit, I have to look up directions and either memorize them or jot notes. Print out tickets in advance. Know how to contact someone on the other end if I have trouble. We still pack snacks and a means to change a tire. Documents have to be arranged, reservations confirmed, passes purchased, and many other tedious items.

If we take land and sea as broader terms, we must provide for our physical and emotional needs, whether we leave our towns or not. This includes making a healthy body through good eating and challenging work, and resting instead of forging on incessantly. It means understanding what we expect, what may actually happen, and having the ability to adapt to calamity. If we never go far, we wander through life no less than the world traveler. It may be possible to wing it, but we do so at our own peril. Better to start out in the best possibly way, with just enough to get us through the unexpected, but not so much as to overburden ourselves.