17. The sluggard believes             he shall live forever,
If the fight he faces not;
But age shall not grant him             the gift of peace,
Though spears may spare his life. (Havamal 17)

In Sigdrifumal it says:

Sigurth spake:
22. “I shall not flee,

 though my fate be near,
I was born not a coward to be;
Thy loving word

 for mine will I win,
As long as I shall live.” (Sigdrifumal 22)

31. Then seventh I rede thee,

 if battle thou seekest
With a foe that is full of might;
It is better to fight

 than to burn alive
In the hall of the hero rich. (Sigdrifumal 31)

And in Frafnismal it is said:

29. “Brave men better

 than cowards be,
When the clash of battle comes;
And better the glad

 than the gloomy men
Shall face what before him lies. (Fafnismal 29)

The opportunity to prove ones courage comes in situations great and small. One need not pick up a weapon to show courage. The praise sung for those with courage is easy to find in the sagas and again I will here offer only a small fraction of what will be easily found if one simply reads a number of the sagas.

“I am firm to do
an earl's brave deed, or end the days
of this life of mine in the mead-hall here." (Beowulf 9)

“Thorgisl the Hewer spared nought; he deemed great scathe wrought him by the death of his son. He was the mightiest man of his hands, and defter of weapons than other men. He heweth on either hand and deemeth life no better than death.” (HS, c.31)

“They were all promising men, though Hromund was greater than the rest. He knew no fear, and was handsome, fair-haired and mighty, great and strong, much like Hrok, his uncle.” (HG, c.1)

“He asked Ingeborg to become his wife, but she flatly refused, saying she would rather kill herself than marry the bane of her father, and such a villain, too, as Ogautan; for you , she said, are more like the devil himself than like a man.” (TVS, c.17)

“Then spake Volsung the king, "All people and nations shall tell of the word I spake, yet being unborn, wherein I vowed a vow that I would flee in fear from neither fire nor the sword; even so have I done hitherto, and shall I depart therefrom now I am old? Yea withal never shall the maidens mock these my sons at the games, and cry out at them that they fear death; once alone must all men need die, and from that season shall none escape; so my rede is that we flee nowhither, but do the work of our hands in as manly wise as we may; a hundred fights have I fought and whiles I had more, and whiles I had less, and yet even had I the victory, nor shall it ever be heard tell of me that I fled away or prayed for peace.'" (VS, c.5)

“The most glaring disgrace that can befall them, is to have quitted their shield; nor to one branded with such ignominy is it lawful to join in their sacrifices, or to enter into their assemblies; and many who have escaped in the day of battle, have hanged themselves to put an end to this their infamy.” (G, c.6)

"I hear, my girl, that Egil said,
When to the gallows he was led,
That the king's thralls far more than he
Deserved to hang on gallows-tree.
It might be so; but, death in view,
A man should to himself be true, --
End a stout life by death as stout,
Showing no fear; or care, or doubt." (MB, c.6)

The laws of the Jomsvikings aptly exhibit just what kind of courage they expected their members to exhibit and what they thought would bring them praise. For it was said that the laws were formulated by wise men expressly to bring them praise and honor from all who heard their name.

“Then Palnatóki established laws for Jómsborg, with the assistance of wise men, to the end that the renown of the men of Jómsborg should spread most widely and their power should wax greatly......No member was to flee from any man who was his equal in bravery and as well armed as himself. Each member must avenge any other member as though he were his brother. No one was to utter words of fear or be afraid of anything, however hopeless matters looked...... No one within the fort was to start a quarrel.” (JS, c.12)

It is through courage that Northfolk are able to shun evil and seek good over evil. There are times when shunning evil is comfortable but there are times when it is not only uncomfortable but requires the greatest courage. Those who always called out ill where they saw it gained a good name. Northfolk make no truces with foes.

7. I rede thee, Loddfafnir!         and hear thou my rede,-
Profit thou hast if thou hearest,
Great thy gain if thou learnest:
An evil man        thou must not let
Bring aught of ill to thee;
For an evil man        will never make
Reward for a worthy thought.
8. I saw a man        who was wounded sore
By an evil woman's word;
A lying tongue        his death-blow launched,
And no word of truth there was. (Loddfafnismal 7-8)

17. I rede thee, Loddfafnir!         and hear thou my rede,-
Profit thou hast if thou hearest,
Great thy gain if thou learnest:
If evil thou knowest,                as evil proclaim it,
And make no friendship with foes. (Loddfafnismal 18)

18. I rede thee, Loddfafnir!         and hear thou my rede,-
Profit thou hast if thou hearest,
Great thy gain if thou learnest:
In evil never        joy shalt thou know,
But glad the good shall make thee. (Loddfafnismal 19)

 In blóta we gift to our Elder kin, to strengthen the bonds of kinship. We gift to our younger kin and friends for the same reasons. At Northvegr we consider this to be the foundation of our tradition. Surviving testimonies to the high esteem such actions were granted can be found in the Eddas and sagas, for example:

40. None so free with gifts             or food have I found
That gladly he took not a gift;
Nor one who so widely             scattered his wealth
That of recompense hatred he had. (Havamal 40)

41. Friends shall gladden each other with arms and garments,
As each for himself can see;
Gift-givers' friendships             are longest found,
If fair their fates may be. (Havamal 41)

42. To his friend a man             a friend shall prove,
And gifts with gifts requite;
But men shall mocking             with mockery answer,
And fraud with falsehood meet. (Havamal 42)

44. If a friend thou hast             whom thou fully wilt trust,
And good from him wouldst get,
Thy thoughts with his mingle, and gifts shalt thou make,
And fare to find him oft. (Havamal 44)