Today I was reading the Havamal and came across the bit where Odin warns against gaining too much wisdom. This made me think about how wise one is to heed this advice and not gain too much wisdom (knowledge). I have been pursuing my degree and working really hard to gain wisdom in a certain area of life. I didn't want any document to tell me that what I was doing was against the wit and wisdom of any group, but then I took some time to look into it deeper and came to a realization about it.
Here are the verses from the Havamal that are talking about wisdom.
54.
Wise in measure let each man be;
but let him not wax too wise;
for never the happiest of men is he
who knows much of many things.
55.
Wise in measure should each man be;
but let him not wax too wise;
seldom a heart will sing with joy
if the owner be all too wise.
56.
Wise in measure should each man be,
but ne'er let him wax too wise:
who looks not forward to learn his fate
unburdened heart will bear.
Looking at this he is not saying that we should not seek wisdom, or even live in a way that makes us dumb. He is saying that each man should be wise, and have a knowledge of things. But in verse 54 he warns that the constant pursuit of wisdom can create a void where it is hard to be happy. If your only goal in life is to be knowledgeable then you are going to miss out on things that will make you happy. After all the fools are most often the happiest among us. 55 tells us the same thing. Knowledge does not bring us joy, in fact the more we know of the world around us the less we find joy in the small things. So though wisdom and knowledge is good and a great thing to pursue if we become too wise we will lack the joy that discovery brings. The last verse (56) talks about how one should not seek to know their own fate. If we know of how and when we are to die we will live our life in fear of that day, rather than finding joy in the life that we do live.
Overall I do not think that the men of the north, the pre-Christian Scandinavians, were arguing about not becoming wise. They were instead trying to teach their people that wisdom is good but should not be the only pursuit that one has in life. I am no longer frustrated with the fact that Odin argued against knowledge but instead excited by the fact that he took the time to make sure that the people's minds and hearts were on things that make them happy.
Works Cited:
Ashliman, D., n.d. Hávamál. [online] Pitt.edu. Available at: <https://pitt.edu/~dash/havamal.html> [Accessed 23 February 2021].
