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These viking quotes have been taken from sagas, poems, and ancient texts that survived the viking era.
“Cattle die, kinsmen die, you yourself will die. I know one thing that never dies: the judgment of a dead man’s life.”
—Hávamál
“Fear not death, for the hour of your doom is set and none may escape it.”
—Volsunga Saga
“A man should not leave his weapons lying about behind his back in a field; you never know when you may need your spear.”
—Hávamál
“Better to fight and fall than to live without hope.”
—Volsunga Saga
“No one is a total fool if he knows when to hold his tongue.”
—Grettir’s Saga
“The unwise man thinks he will live forever if he avoids battle, but old age leaves him no peace, even if the spears spare him.”
—Hávamál
“Too much ale and a man’s heart is laid open for all to see.”
—The Saga of Olaf Haraldsson
“Where wolf’s ears are, wolf’s teeth are near.”
—Volsunga Saga
“Fight your foes in the field, nor be burnt in your house.”
—Volsunga Saga
“Wisdom is welcome wherever it comes from.”
—Bandamanna Saga
“Better to die with honor than live with shame.”
—The Saga of the Jomsvikings
“Trust not him whose father, brother or other kin you have slain, no matter how young he be, for often grows the wolf in the child.”
—Volsunga Saga
“The brave man well shall fight and win, though dull his blade may be.”
—Fafnismal
“Praise day at evening, a wife after cremation, a sword after trial, ice after crossing, ale after drinking.”
—Hávamál
“Gold is little comfort for the kinsman dead.”—Örvar Odd’s Saga
“A ship’s planks may break, but honor is eternal.”
—Old Norse proverb
“The one you trust most can disappoint you most.”
—Fljotsdale Saga
“That which has a bad beginning is likely to have a bad ending.”
—Hen-Thorir’s Saga
“The sluggard believes he’ll live forever if he avoids a fight—but fate spares him not.”
—Hávamál
“Be warned by another’s woe.”
—Njal’s Saga
“Eagles should show their claws, though dying.”
—The Saga of Olaf Haraldsson
“A rotten branch will be found in every tree.”
—The Saga of Olaf Haraldsson
“A gift demands a gift.”
—Old Norse proverb
“He who hoards food for guests is a fool; the mouse will eat it before the morning.”
—Norse proverb
“Old friends are the last to break away.”
—The Saga of Grettir
