About three years ago, I linked to the Cowboy Hávamál, a translation of an ancient Norse book of wisdom into the idiom of the American West. Prof. Jackson Crawford included it as an appendix to his translation of The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes.
Prof. Crawford took the written translation down from his web site, but provided this oral translation instead. Click on Jackson Crawford’s Old Norse Channel for his complete YouTube videos.
He saw a link between the ethic of the Viking warriors of the pagan Norse sagas and the pioneers of the American West in the time of his grandfather. Both cultures honored courage, loyalty and the sense of honor.
I think young men today need such teachings, along with affirmation of the more civilized virtues of sportsmanship and chivalry toward the weak, more than they need lectures about the toxicity of masculinity. I think the longing for such teaching is one reason for the popularity of Dr. Jordan Peterson.
.
Tags: Drengr, Jackson Crawford, Norse Gods and Heroes, Poetic Edda, The Cowboy Havamal, Thorstein Staff Struck, Viking Sagas
Phil Ebersole's Blog 
October 13, 2018 at 4:55 pm |
A lot of wisdom there!
LikeLike