Three years ago I learned about the Nine Noble Virtues of the Asatru. I learned about them when I created a Yule journal for my fiance’s sister.
Asatru, believed to be the ancient religion of the Vikings, is considered the roots of modern Heathenry.
Asatru has nine noble truths that include moral and ethical standards drawn from many historical and literary sources. And of course they are translated in slightly different ways. The Nine noble truths are: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity, Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-Reliance, and Perseverance.
Of the nine some believe that hospitality is the strongest of the truths. Every human culture has a concept of hospitality, so this value upholds the social fabric of civilizations.
To me having the gift of welcome is equivalent to the gift of hospitality. Being welcoming is treating people with respect and acting together for the good of the community as a whole. In my ancestry, hospitality is more than just being nice, it’s welcoming people and providing companionship and safety.
In the Havamal, a poem from the Poetic Edda it states:
“Fire is needed by the newcomer
Whose knees are frozen numb;
Meat and clean linen a man needs
Who has fared across the fells,
Water, too, that he may wash before eating,
Hand cloth’s and a hearty welcome,
Courteous words, then courteous silence
That he may tell his tale.”
Providing companionship and safety to those that grace our doors is also something to strive for.
~Candice Currier Carver
