Havamal or Words of the High One

Young and alone on a long road,

Once I lost my way:

Rich I felt when I found another;

Man rejoices in man,

A kind word need not cost much,

The price of praise can be cheap:

With half a loaf and an empty cup

I found myself a friend,

Two wooden stakes stood on the plain,

On them I hung my clothes:

Draped in linen, they looked well born,

But, naked, I was a nobody

Too early to many homes I… Continue

To put a "nid" on someone was a form of verbal curse, a magic ritual that was considered very powerful during the Viking age, and before that. The power of words was not taken lightly by these efficient warriors, so a curse of this kind was something very serious to send, not to speak of having a "nid" spoken over oneself.

In the Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson (an Icelandic/Norwegian story from the 10th century) a dispute is told about Egil and the King Eirik Blodyx ("Bloody axe"), who… Continue