Slow Havamal: 126

[kylec]

In verse 126, Odin counsels Loddfafnir not to make shoes or weapons for anyone but himself. If there’s something wrong with the item, others will curse Loddfafnir’s name.

My first reaction to this verse is that it has a “take my ball and go home” note to it. Rather than own up to the defects, or work to improve one’s craft, our friend Loddfafnir is told not to bother trying to provide for others who will only whine about the details. I have to admit, Odin is right. No matter how hard a business tries to be customer-forward, there’s always a Karen who can find a flaw in the most well-intentioned act. For some reason, we expect every five dollar hamburger we receive to be naught but perfect.

Even if the shoemaker did his utmost, it seems inevitable that some error would slip through. A bad review is harmful to an online retailer, but the cursing Odin refers to may have been of a more serious variety. Reputations were more local, and a mistake could easily harm one’s name in a way that would be hard to repair. At the very least, our early efforts at making weapons should be for ourselves. That way, we personally test and refine the builds until we are happy. But should we ever give or sell to others?

We could read these line as advising against making efforts on behalf of the ungrateful. There will always be people who are happy with our best effort, even when the cake is a little dense or the cup a bit wonky. These are probably people who already love us enough that it would take a serious transgression to change their mind; or good-natured folks who understand the difficulties of providing goods and services. To an extent, our generosity is a fine way to test who we want to relate to. The complainers get the cold shoulder, and the polite people get our future efforts.

What seems to be at stake here, though, is our status. Odin is saying that in many cases, it’s better not to risk the consequences of a mistake rendered unto others. If we ignore this advice, then we accept that eventually, someone will tarnish our name whether or not we deserve it. What we gain when successful is outweighed by what we lose when we slip up. Perhaps he’s warning us not to volunteer too quickly when absolute success is treated as all in a day’s work, and failure is scorned. In the end, Odin never says don’t do anything for anyone. The examples are limited to essential items whose reliability is taken for granted. If anything, we should take our risks when we’re expected to fail, and a victory is a pleasant surprise, and let others cook their own rice.