Slow Havamal: 120

[kylec]

In verse 120, Odin counsels Loddfafnir to find a good man to join him in joyful talk, and to learn a healing spell while he lives.

This is a timely verse for me. On the same day that I cracked the cover of Havamal to read it, I received my exam questions to complete the curriculum for Modern Order of Essenes, a program focused on healing. It may not seem to follow from “joyful talk” that one should learn a healing spell, but Crawford notes that the verb used for talk, gamanrunar, can also be translated as joyful runes. While he feels “talk” is more appropriate in this context, runes are often associated with magic, and so the mention alongside a healing spell might refer to a couple of guys sharing magical techniques.

But there need not be any overt magic to it. The healing power of laughter and a good attitude is well-documented. Few things would benefit Loddfafnir more than a good companion to share his joys with. A joy hardly seems complete if we can’t tell someone about it. When it belongs to another and they share it with us, we likewise experience some of the same bright spirit.

There are many characterizations of a good man in Havamal, and a joyful conversationalist is one of my favorite, perhaps because it’s the hardest for me and my introverted nature, and the most rewarding when I do get to spend time with someone I love in a fit of celebration. A joyful demeanor shouldn’t be reserved for close friends, either. In order to express its full power, it has to be the natural state of that individual. We have all met someone who can’t be brought down for long no matter what happens, and there are few traits more moving. Joy is a habit. We can cultivate it by asking ourselves what about this situation warms our hearts—first, when the context is wonderful, then when it’s neutral, and as we get the knack, when things seem most difficult. Of course we can look at any experience through a number of emotional lenses. It’s the practice of choosing the joyful one that infects others and makes them crave our company.

This process of becoming a joyful person may itself qualify as a healing spell for both the learner and their associates. That said, even for those who are less-runically inclined, learning how to help others heal with food, movement, lifestyle, prayer, or something else is a worthwhile undertaking, and guaranteed to leave you surrounded by more joyful people, and for longer.