Truth - Speaking Without Deception
Speak honestly and keep your word; oaths are sacred bonds that define character.
Truth-telling was a sacred obligation in Norse culture. One's word was one's bond, and oath-breakers were considered the lowest of beings. Speaking truth requires courage, but it builds the reputation that outlives death.
Oath-breakers and murderers, the wolf shall devour on the way to Hel.
The sanctity of oaths was reinforced by cosmic consequences for oath-breakers.
Poetic Edda
Written about in
- What Norse wisdom says about what to say and what to leave unsaid
Silence is not a licence to mislead. The Voluspa puts oath-breakers alongside murderers, devoured by the wolf on the road to Hel, which sets the limit on discretion: you may withhold, but whatever you do give must hold.