The Impermanence of Wealth
Cattle die, kinsmen die, one day you too will die; only the fame of the dead never dies.
This famous stanza teaches that all material things pass away - livestock, family, even one's own life. What endures is reputation and the deeds by which one is remembered. This teaching motivates honorable action in the face of mortality.
Cattle die, kinsmen die, the self must also die; but glory never dies, for the one who is able to achieve it.
This is perhaps the most quoted Norse wisdom, emphasizing eternal fame over mortal concerns.
Poetic Edda