H vam l, (Old Norse: "Sayings of the High One Odin]") a heterogeneous collection of 164 stanzas of aphorisms, homely wisdom, counsels, and magic charms that are ascribed to the Norse god Odin.
The H vam l ends with a list of magic charms..
The latter part contains the strange myth of how Odin acquired the magical power of the runes (alphabetical characters) by hanging himself from a tree and suffering hunger and thirst for nine nights.
The poem, in the form of question and answer, tells of the cosmos, gods, giants, the beginning of the world, and its end.
In another poem, the Vaf r nism l ("Lay of Vaf r nir"), Odin engages in a contest of wits with Vaf r nir, an immensely wise giant.
Of perhaps greater general interest are the myths about Odin\'s erotic affairs, especially his amorous adventure leading to the theft of the precious mead.
Most of the poems are believed to have been composed in Norway in the 9th and 10th centuries.
The collection begins with poetry concerning rules of social conduct.
The work contains at least five separate fragments not originally discovered together and constitutes a portion of the Poetic Edda.
H vam l, (Old Norse: "Sayings of the High One Odin]") a heterogeneous collection of 164 stanzas of aphorisms, homely wisdom, counsels, and magic charms that are ascribed to the Norse god Odin
