Learning Never Ends
The wise continue learning throughout life; even Odin sacrificed for knowledge.
Odin himself demonstrates the endless pursuit of wisdom - sacrificing his eye for a drink from Mimir's well, hanging on Yggdrasil for nine nights to gain the runes. True seekers never stop learning and are willing to pay wisdom's price.
I know that I hung on the wind-swept tree for nine whole nights, wounded by the spear, given to Odin, myself to myself.
Odin's sacrifice for the runes exemplifies the Norse belief that wisdom requires sacrifice.
Poetic Edda
Written about in
- What the Havamal says about knowing yourself
Odin pays for knowledge twice, with an eye and then with nine nights on the tree. Wisdom in this tradition always has a price attached, and the price is part of what makes it wisdom.