#21NightsOfHavamal

“Cows die,
Family die,
You will die the same way.
I know only one thing
That never dies:
The reputation of the one who’s died.”

-Hávamál 77

Together with verse 76, which is much the same, this is the most famous part of the Havamal. 76 starts the same and says that “a good reputation never dies, for the one who earns it well,” but I prefer this verse. It implies that the reputation you have earned at your death is the one that will stick around, whether good or bad.

The advice, then, is to work on that reputation while you have time to do so. Leaving a good legacy is more than doing one good deed, it's continuing to be a good person as you grow and change with life.

I think this also applies to remembering those who have passed. Odin wouldn’t say, “Don’t speak ill of the dead.” Everyone should be remembered as they lived, even if they were an asshole, and it’s okay to say so.

#21NightsOfHavamal

“It’s a long and crooked walk to a bad friend,
Even if he lives nearby.
But it’s an easy road
To a good friend,
No matter how long the journey.”

-Hávamál 34

You should actually want to hang out with your friends. This seems like a ridiculously simple concept, but as social creatures, we tend to hold onto relationships even when they’re harming us.

Odin’s advice is that if you have to force yourself to hang out with someone, if you dread their texts, if you have to prepare yourself for their phone call, then that person is bad for you. A friend should be someone you actually want to spend time with because they’re fun, and they make you feel good. Yeah, we all have days where we just don’t want to leave the house, but there’s a difference between wanting to stay home because you’re tired and actively dreading someone’s company.