No “Thou Shalt Nots”

This article appeared in nearly full-form in my dreams of the morning of Saturday 18 April 2020. I glanced up at the clock and it displayed 3:15. When works such as this appear to me, I am always confronted with the dilemma of whether to get out of bed and begin typing furiously at my computer or wait until the morning properly arrives. Having chosen the latter and having my effort limited to recollection and editing, I can only wonder if the final result is superior or inferior to the dream itself.

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When someone comes home to Ásatrú from Christianity, as I did, it quickly becomes evident that the two represent entirely different ways of envisaging the world. Beyond that, there are stark differences in how one behaves and speaks about the religion that they practice. It certainly could be said, “In Ásatrú, there are no ‘Thou shalt nots.’”

An important concept that is taught to each child in Sunday School is that of the Ten Commandments. Personally I don’t recollect learning much about them until I was a confirmation student in my teen years. Even then, while I suspect I had to memorize them, I don’t recall much about the process or the impression they had on me. I tended, at the time, to only remember two rather significant ones, “Thou shalt not kill,” and “Thou shalt not steal.” I do remember watching the Cecil B. DeMille movie that starred Charlton Heston in the role of Moses on television with my family. As the movie revealed, Moses was given the Ten Commandments directly from the god Yahweh on Mount Sinai. Moses returned from the mountain to reveal this guide for how the Israelites should live and to refrain from sin.

Years later I studied the Ten Commandments in more detail when I began to attend a nearby Lutheran Church. In a short time I found myself teaching middle school children who were preparing for their confirmation – and the Ten Commandments were a key lesson. I was surprised to learn that Jews, Protestants, and Catholics all had slightly different lists of these divine directives. Indeed, all three groups enumerated the list differently. Apparently there were no large Roman numerals indicating where each Commandment begins and ends as we might see in a comic strip. Despite the variations, the basic concepts were the same –or were they? The sixth Commandment (fifth if you’re Catholic) seems rather straightforward, “Thou shalt not kill.” But the Hebrew language text uses a verb that means “murder” rather than “kill.” Therefore the ancient Israelites were admonished not to “murder” each other –but were still allowed to fight and “kill” their enemies as subsequent Bible tales reveal. 

For Christians, this list of Commandments is much more than a helpful guide to proper human behavior. Christians both universalized and broadened the meaning of the words. It was no longer a guide for the behavior of a particular tribe –but rather was intended for all of mankind. Beyond that, the concepts were broadened to censure other less obtrusive behaviors. Martin Luther taught in his sixteenth-century Catechisms that the order not to kill should be extended to include not hurting or harming or even expressing anger at neighbors. Beyond that, all are ordered to help and support everyone in times of need. The massive broadening of each Commandment results in the inevitable inability to follow Yahweh’s orders. When presidential candidate Jimmy Carter admitted in a Playboy interview in 1976 that he “committed adultery in [his] heart many times,” it nearly cost him the election in a wave of self-righteous indignation. But Carter's statement was an honest confession of sin as he understood the Commandment to not commit adultery.

The lesson then is that everyone falls short of following this set of rules. Therefore everyone is a sinner for having failed. The punishment for such failure, deemed “sin” is eternal damnation. For Christians, the only one way out is to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah or Christ. If one places their faith in Jesus, Christian doctrine explains, you will be “saved” from eternal punishment and reside in heaven at some point following your death. Christianity is not ultimately about what you do– but rather what you believe. All fall short of god’s law, but only those who place their faith in Jesus will be “saved” from eternal punishment (so much for the world’s pagans, Jews, Hindus, and Muslims).

As Ásatrúars we flip all of this on its head. Indeed the way of thinking of our religion is 180 degrees in the opposite direction from the Abrahamic religions. Ásatrúars focus on how we live our lives rather than what precisely we believe. Our eternal fate results from our actions on earth –those who die courageously in battle, for example, will reside in Valhalla until the days of Ragnarök.

Many Ásatrúars live their lives according to a list of virtues known as the Nine Noble Virtues. Far from a list of behaviors designed to be unattainable, the Nine Noble Virtues are a guide for how one should live a righteous life. Admittedly, those who ascribe to “reconstructionist” Heathenry may point out that this list of virtues has quite modern origins. Indeed, the Committee for the Restoration of the Odinic Rite formulated the initial enumeration of the Noble Virtues around 1974. In his essay, “This is Odinism,” John “Stubba” Yeowell documents the Nine Noble Virtues along with a similar but varied inventory called the Nine Charges.[1] The Virtues identified in the essay are: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-reliance, and Perseverance. Over the years, the Nine Noble Virtues appeared in slightly different versions. Stephen McNallen developed his own catalog in the 1980s known as the Noble Values.[2]  In 1988, Eric Wodening in an essay called, “We are Our Deeds” provided a list known as the Twelve Thews. It is Stubba’s original list –regardless of the precise order of the virtues—that has gained the most prominence in the Heathen community.

While the Nine Noble Virtues certainly have a modern origin, there can be little doubt that the Eddas and Sagas contain tales in which both heroes and gods display these virtuous characteristics. I shall consider each of the virtues according to one book from the Poetic Edda, the “Hávamál” (“The Sayings of Har.”)[3] The stanzas that I associate with each virtue should not be considered definitive or exhaustive. Rather, the passages are offered to provide evidence that the Nine Noble Virtues are ultimately derived from the wisdom of antiquity.

Courage

The lives of the brave and noble are best,
Sorrows they seldom feed;
But the coward fear of all things feels,
And not gladly the niggard gives. (48)[4]

Here the lives of the courageous, “the brave and noble” are juxtaposed with those of the coward who fears all things. Those with courage don’t languish in the sorrows of this world. They move through their lives “bravely and gladly” and are “bold in battle” until the day of their death.[5]

Truth

A man shall trust not the oath of a maid,
Nor the word a woman speaks;
For their hearts on a whirling wheel were fashioned,
And fickle their breasts were formed. (84)

In a breaking bow or a burning flame,
A ravening wolf or a croaking raven,
In a grunting bear, a tree with roots broken,
In billowy seas or a bubbling kettle, (85)

In a flying arrow or falling waters,
In ice new formed or the serpent’s folds,
In a bride’s bed-speech or a broken sword,
In the sport of bears or in sons of kings, (86)

In a calf that is sick or a stubborn thrall,
A flattering witch or a foe new slain. (87)

In a brother’s slayer, if thou meet him abroad,
In a half-burned house, in a horse full swift—
One leg is hurt and horse is useless—
None had ever such faith as to trust in them all. (88)[6]

These five stanzas list many things in which a man should not place their trust. Trust provides a firm belief in the truth and reliability of someone or something. Just as we should beware of flatterers and not place too much faith in uncertain outcomes, we should exemplify the strength and certainty of outcome in which others may place their trust. Rather than being a “flying arrow,” we should be one that has already struck its target.

Honor

Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one’s self;
But a noble name will never die,
If good renown one gets. (77)[7]

The “Hávamál” contains many verses that address the quality of honor. Verse 77 is one of the most well known. The achievement of “good renown” – a good reputation – is based on the demonstration of one’s honor. We should not be ashamed of our material possessions or lack thereof.[8] Their relevance is purely superficial. We earn our fame and respect through living an honorable life. 

Fidelity

To his friend a man a friend shall prove,
To him and the friend of his friend;
But never a man shall friendship make 
With one of his foeman’s friends. (43)

If a friend thou hast whom thou fully wilt trust,
And good from him wouldst get,
Thy thoughts with his mingle, and gifts shalt thou make,
And fare to find him oft. (44)[9]

While “Hávamál” primarily tells of fidelity to friends, it is fair to extend these verses to family, kindred, and gods. We demonstrate our faithfulness by being a friend to our friends. Verse 41 reminds us that friends “gladden each other with arms and garments.” We should be generous in our gift giving. These verses highlight the Germanic concept of “a gift for a gift.” They also warn that while we are right to reciprocate the act of giving with our friends, that we should “repay treachery with treachery.”[10]

Discipline

A stupid man and an undisciplined one
laughs at everything.[11]
For never he knows, what he ought to know,
That he is not free from faults. (22)[12]

We are reminded to control our behavior. We should neither speak too much nor drink too much.[13]  There are several additional verses that warn of giving into excess. We should be self-aware and recognize our own faults and limitations. Discipline not only prevents foolish behavior, but also is a necessary step along the path to wisdom.

Hospitality

Hail to the giver! A guest has come;
Where shall the stranger sit?
Swift shall he be who with swords shall try
The proof of his might to make. (2)

Fire he needs who with frozen knees
Has come from the cold without;
Food and clothes must the farer have,
The man from the mountains come. (3)

Water and trowels and welcoming speech
Should he find who comes to the feast;
If renown he would get, and again be greeted,
 Wisely and well must he act. (4)[14]

All should hail the hospitable host. We should welcome guests and give them a proper place at the table. Likewise if a wanderer comes in from the cold, we should warm him by the fire. We should offer the food, clothes, and comforts that he may need. We should also provide the opportunity for such guests to listen and to be listened to.

Industriousness

He must early go forth whose workers are few,
Himself his work to seek;
Much remains undone for the morning-sleeper.
For the swift is wealth half won. (59)[15]

We should be both diligent and hard working. Rather than wasting time or sleeping the day away, we should rise early and get to work. Let us be committed to our work and remember that victory is never granted to sleeping warriors.[16] 

Self-Reliance

Happy the one who wins for himself
Favor and praises fair;
Less safe by far is the wisdom found
That is hid in another’s heart. (8)[17]

We earn our own way in the world. Favors and praises are won for ourselves. We should not be dependent on others. We are warned of the poor advice that may come from placing too much trust in others. We should look to our own power and resources in the goals that we seek to accomplish.

Perseverance

I ween that I hung on the windy tree,
Hung there for nights full nine;
With the spear I was wounded, and offered I was
To Othin, myself to myself,
On the tree that none may ever know
What root beneath it runs. (139)[18]

Verse 139 is perhaps the most well-known verse of the Hávamál. Here the sayings of Odin recount Odin’s own act of perseverance –hanging on the world tree Yggdrasil for nine long nights—as a sacrifice to himself. Despite not being offered a drinking horn or bread from anyone during his torturous ordeal, Odin takes up the runes and learns of their cosmic significance. Therefore, not only does he survive his ordeal, he achieves an astounding success by learning the mighty spells of the runes.

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One might argue that, at times, the protagonists of the Eddas and Sagas demonstrate behaviors that are at odds with the Nine Noble Virtues. While true, it does not detract from, nor invalidate, the virtues themselves. Deep down in our collective unconscious we know these behaviors to be right and true. Failure to uphold or demonstrate these principles does not result in the need for divine redemption as does the Judeo-Christian series of “thou shalt nots.”

As Ásatrúars, we don’t seek or require redemption from any god. Rather we strive to live virtuous lives; with our gods and heroes providing larger-than-life examples of the renown and reputation that such a way of living brings. Stubba’s inspired list does a wonderful job of providing us with a digestible and memorable set of guidelines—a practical and concise restatement of ancient wisdom designed for Heathens to live honorable lives.


Notes:

1. John “Stubba” Yeowell, This is Odinism and other essays (Victoria: Renewal Publications, 2016), 18.
2. Stephen A. McNallen, Asatru: A Native European Spirituality (USA: Runestone Press, 2015), 89.

3. Har literally means “the High One.” It is one of the many names of Odin. In the Bellows translation Hávamál is rendered “Hovamol.”
4. Henry Adams Bellows trans., The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems (New York: Dover Publications, 2004), 38.
5. Ibid, 32.
6. Ibid, 46-47.
7. Ibid, 44.
8. See especially Hávamál 61.
9. Bellows, 37.
10. Jackson Crawford trans., The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2015), 24.
11. Ibid, 21.
12. Bellows, 33.
13. See especially Hávamál 17.
14. Bellows, 29-30.
15. Ibid, 27.
16. See especially Hávamál 58.
17. Bellows, 31.
18. Ibid, 60.