2-35“Sayings of the High One” Stanza 111–138

Lessons Heard Beside the Well

How should we treat guests and friends?

In *The Sayings of the High One*, we hear of a speaker's seat beside Urd's well. The speaker says he watched in silence, thought about what he saw, and listened to people's words.

He then offers advice to Loddfafnir, beginning with a promise that learning it will do him good. Do not get up at night, he says, unless you are keeping watch or need to relieve yourself.

He advises visiting trusted friends often, for brush and tall grass grow over a path that no one walks. He also teaches: do not be the first to break a friendship. Sorrow eats away at your heart when you have no one to confide in. He also advises against exchanging words with a fool.

Do not laugh at guests or travelers. No one is without faults, he says, and even the worst person has some use. He then commands: do not insult a guest and drive them away. Be kind to people in need.

Illustration of Lessons Heard Beside the Well