Moderation in Drink
Ale and mead bring joy but also steal wit; the wise know when to stop drinking.
The Havamal contains extensive teachings on drinking wisely. While hospitality demanded sharing drink, excess leads to foolish speech and actions. The heron of forgetfulness steals the minds of those who drink too much, causing shame and regret.
Less good than they say for the sons of men is mead-drinking oft; for the more one drinks, the less does one think, and forgets one's prudence.
Norse culture valued drinking in community but warned against excess that led to loss of honor.
Poetic Edda
Written about in
- What Norse wisdom says about what to say and what to leave unsaid
Havamal 12 names the commonest way good speech goes wrong: the more one drinks, the less one thinks, and forgets one's prudence. The Norse held their most consequential conversations over ale and then wrote the warning down, which is more honest than pretending the two never met.