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Hovamol

135. I rede thee, Loddfafnir!  and hear thou my rede,— Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest:Curse not thy guest,  nor show him thy gate, Deal well with a man in want.
136.[1] Strong is the beam  that raised must be To give an entrance to all;Give it a ring,  or grim will be The wish it would work on thee.
137.[2] I rede thee, Loddfafnir!  and hear thou my rede,— Profit thou hast if thou hearest, Great thy gain if thou learnest:When ale thou drinkest,  seek might of earth,(For earth cures drink,  and fire cures ills,The oak cures tightness,  the ear cures magic,Rye cures rupture,  the moon cures rage,Grass cures the scab,  and runes the sword-cut;) The field absorbs the flood.

    compared with the dried skins and bellies of animals kept for various purposes hanging in an Icelandic house.

  1. ↑ This stanza suggests the dangers of too much hospitality. The beam (bolt) which is ever being raised to admit guests becomes weak thereby. It needs a ring to help it in keeping the door closed, and without the ability at times to ward off guests a man becomes the victim of his own generosity.
  2. ↑ The list of "household remedies" in this stanza is doubtless interpolated. Their nature needs no comment here.

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