[This issue, we sit down for an in-depth interview with Max Ingram. An Ásatrú poet, author, and game developer, Ingram recently release Traveler’s Rede, a scholarly work that translates and comments on the sayings of Odin. Here, he discusses his personal spiritual practice, his work, and his upcoming projects.]

Eternal Haunted Summer: How do you define your personal spirituality? Does it have a name or is it more intuitive and eclectic?

Max Ingram: The short answer: I consider myself Ásatrú (faith or belief in the Aesir gods). The long answer: I’ve never been a big fan of labels. I feel like they can limit a person, and I prize keeping an open-mind above all else. I was raised Baptist Christian, but found myself deeply unhappy in that tradition. By my early teens, I considered myself an Atheist and began exploring eastern spirituality instead. I was fascinated by Zen and then, later, Theravadan Buddhism (which is largely non-theistic). Always searching for something that felt “right” to me, but coming up empty-handed. And then, when I was twenty, I discovered the concept of modern-day paganism (something I’d assumed was relegated to the ancient past) and in particular, Norse heathenry. Finally, I had found something that felt “right” to me. Something that felt like “home.” And that was twenty+ years ago.

Books that inspired me during this period were Odin the Homeless (and other stories) by Charles McKelvy, and Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein, both of which depicted modern-day characters honoring the ancients gods.

EHS: Which Deities, spirits, or other powers do you honor in your practice?

MI: The strongest pull I feel is toward the Norse god Odin (who, to me, embodies the search for knowledge and wisdom, and the perpetual quest for self-improvement — among other things), but I also like to remain open to the wisdom any other great powers might choose to impart.

EHS: You recently released Traveler’s Rede: Poetry From Hávamál. First, congratulations! Second, how did this book come about? What inspired you to create a poetic translation/interpretation of Gestathattr?

MI: Thank you! The inspiration for this book was a deep, abiding curiosity to know what Hávamál really says beneath all the conflicting translations. Few translations delve into a word-for-word, line-by-line analysis, largely because of the amount of space it would take if one covered the whole text in this manner (let alone the larger Poetic Edda). So, I decided to narrow my focus to my favorite section of Hávamál, the verses pertaining to advice for travelers, and then do a deep dive on those poems, fully exploring their nuances while sharing the reasons behind my interpretative choices. In essence, I wrote the book I’d long wanted to have on my own shelf.

EHS: Why did you decide to title this version “Traveler’s Rede”?

MI: “Traveler’s Rede” is a play on words. The Old English noun ‘rede’ means ‘advice,’ but it also sounds like the modern English noun ‘read,’ which means ‘a thing to be read.’ So, it can sound like “a thing to be read by a traveler,” while also meaning “advice for a traveler.”

Additionally, one of the recorded names of Odin is ‘Vegtam,’ which means ‘accustomed to the road,’ and might be taken as ‘traveler.’ So, Traveler’s Rede can also mean “Odin’s Advice.” It can mean “advice from a traveler,” or “advice for a traveler.” And given the Old Norse love of word-play, that kind of title seemed appropriate.

EHS: Each stanza is accompanied by a line-by-line breakdown in the original language, with literal translations of each word and notes discussing their historical and cultural context and meaning. Did you plan to organize the book this way from the beginning, or did you go through several organizational drafts?

MI: Yes, I had a fairly clear vision for this book’s format from the beginning. I knew I wanted to see both the poetic and the literal laid out top-to-bottom, with the original language shown. And because I’ve always found it frustrating to thumb to the back of a book each time I wanted to see an author’s notes, I also knew I wanted the notes for each stanza straight on the backside of them & quickly accessible.

EHS: What sort of research went into Traveler’s Rede? Towering stacks of books? Long hours pouring over other translations? Deep discussions with other scholars and practitioners?

MI: The short answer: a lot. The long answer: I used about nine different English translations of Hávamál to compare and contrast my findings with those of others. And when it came to viewing the text in the original Old Norse, I used a couple of different edited manuscripts (which basically fill in the missing gaps for abbreviated words & normalize archaic or non-standard spellings), and I also went the extra step to compare the findings of those edited manuscripts with scans of the original vellum pages which are available from Iceland Online. And, while it might not be a popular thing to admit in academic circles, I also prayed. Because I’m Ásatrú and this text is deeply meaningful to me on a spiritual level, it was that much more important to me that the original intent and tone be preserved. So, whenever I was in doubt and scholarship wasn’t providing the needed answers, I prayed about it.

EHS: Do you have a favorite stanza? If so, which one and why?

MI: It’s a bit like picking a favorite child. But if I had to choose, I’d say stanza 71: “The lame can ride horse, and the handless, guide herd, while help a great deal, the deaf. For blind is better than lifeless on a pyre; nothing good is gained from death.” To me, it perfectly captures the surprising contrast between the popular view of Old Norse culture (which some equate exclusively with the Viking raids) and the reality that their people could often be incredibly compassionate and welcoming.

EHS: What place do you think Gestathattr, and the longer Hávamál as a whole, has in the modern world? Can or should it be of use to us today?

MI: I think many of the stanzas can serve us just as well today as they did the original audience hundreds of years ago. They speak to universal concepts, such as kindness and consideration, the mutual exchange of gifts, caution in the face of the unknown, and striving to better ourselves. In fact, I’ve often been surprised at just how “non-alien” their ancient culture was compared to our own. For example: the Old Norse word used for an enemy was ‘fjandi,’ which quite literally means ‘a hater.’ And that’s a term anyone in our modern culture is likely familiar with. The truth is, people are people. No matter what time or place they come from. And wisdom that served these people 700 years ago, can still serve us today, because when it comes right down to it, we’re not really all that different.

EHS: Where can readers find Traveler’s Rede?

MI: Traveler’s Rede is available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book editions.

EHS: In addition to your own work, what resources do you recommend for those curious to know more about Hávamál?

MI: I think one of the most accurate English translations out there is The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson by Benjamin Thorpe, and I think the most informative edited manuscript I’ve read (with verses entirely in Old Norse) is Viking Society for Northern Research, Text Series: Volume VII: Hávamál, edited by David A. H. Evans. Evans’ work is incredibly well-researched and I make reference to his findings more than once in my own book.

EHS: What other projects are you working on?

MI: I believe we’re all symphonies of many notes. And I like to explore the full range of my sound. So, in addition to my work in poetry and books, I’m also an independent game developer. I have a text-based game called Sanctuary in Time, which has been on the Itch storefront for a little over a year now, but just recently launched on Steam as well. So, I’m very excited to see what kind of response it gets there. It’s a text-based game (a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure novel) with sci-fi and RPG elements. And because all action is conveyed using the written word alone, it’s fully accessible to the visually-impaired (an audience which has warmly welcomed the project and provided invaluable feedback). But, I must warn your readers, it’s a game with steamy romantic scenes and visceral depictions of combat,  so it’s intended for mature audiences only.