“No Battles Won in Bed”

Wake early if you want

another man’s life or land;

No lamb for the lazy wolf,

no battles won in bed

— Hávamál 58

This stanza has become a common saying in the East family over the last few years, particularly the last line. It is a mantra at this point, one that is used as a reminder of any duties, no matter how mundane or grand. We even say it to our infant son, on occasion. We use this line often as a sort of bulwark against the soul sickness that our Folk find themselves plagued with. Laziness, obesity, and other afflictions would be cured nearly in an instant if our Folk reminded themselves of Stanza 58 more often.

The heroic, and thus Aryan, ideal is to reach upward towards the North Star even if our feet may never leave the ground. We do not simply lie down and let the world wash over us when we are knocked down; we stand back up and we push back against the tide. We snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, rather than sitting back and watching the world burn. We keep in mind who we are fighting for, and we continue to fight.

Everyone reading this, I urge you to ask yourselves and perhaps others around you: what do you fight for? Who do you fight for? Who will you let down if you give up and sleep your life away?

Once you answer this, take up that mantra: “no battles won in bed.” Remind yourself that, as we often say, Victory never sleeps. This phrase obviously paints a martial picture, one of physical strength, and that’s certainly part of it, but it encompasses so much more than that. There is ALWAYS work to do, there is ALWAYS progress to be made, there is ALWAYS Victory to be won—for yourself, for your kin, and for the glory of the Æsir.

Witan Trent East

teast@runestone.org

~ From The Runestone, September 2025 ~