60 viking quotes about death

Tales from the Northern Realms

60 Viking quotes centered around the theme of death, emphasizing their views on fate, valor, and the afterlife:

"Cattle die, kindred die, every man is mortal: But the good name never dies of one who has done well."
"When the battle is over, they sing his praises who did slay and strow."
"Each has his hour. Let mine be when the arrow flies and the battle is high."
"Death often rescues from greater evils."
"The dead return not."
"Valhalla does not welcome the weak."
"Where you recognize evil, speak out against it, and give no truces to your enemies."
"Better to fight and fall than to live without hope."
"Those who have had a good life do not fear death, but meet it calmly when it comes."
"He who lives without discipline dies without honor."
"From the fury of the Northmen, deliver us, O Lord."
"The high one is Odin, and the low one is called Worm. In between them, a human dies."
"Fear the reckoning of those you have wronged."
"Dying can be easy or hard. Men’s deaths are seen alike from the gods."
"Do not lament death; everyone will meet it in time."
"Better gear than good sense a traveler cannot carry. Better than riches for a wretched man, far from his own home."
"Feed the hawk with your hands, for it may feed on your eyes after death."
"Die in your armor; go into the ground as a warrior."
"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example."
"Not every cloud which darkens the day brings rain."
"A life without a death is a life without honor."
"The brave find a home in every land."
"A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does."
"The end of life is better than a life without end."
"No one is a total fool if he knows when to hold his tongue."
"Old age does not protect you from death. But respect protects you from old age."
"Even in the sheath the sword must be sharp - likewise, the mind in sleep."
"Death makes no distinction between the rich and the poor."
"There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same."
"Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back."
"The gods too are fond of a joke."
"Never walk away from home ahead of your axe and sword. You can't feel a battle in your bones or foresee a fight."
"A sword’s age is not told by the scabbard."
"He who never risks will never win."
"If you hear the fool’s word of a drunken man, strive not with him being drunk with wine."
"Only when the tree has fallen can you take the measure of it."
"It is better to be a guest than a ghost."
"The eagle will come to the body without a soul."
"Pain of mind is worse than pain of body."
"A man can hide all things, except twain—death and a tall stature."
"Prepare your mind for the coming of death."
"There is no better burden than a penitent heart, no heavier load than death."
"If you must be bold, be bold over my dead body."
"He that fights and runs away may live to fight another day; but victory is a good death that never comes twice to any man."
"Death sometimes skips the old to take the young."
"Who can rule men if he cannot rule himself?"
"No tree grows to the sky."
"In the end, every king returns to the common dust."
"Every man must come to terms with his own mortality."
"A man should die as he has lived—boldly and without regret."
"One should not ask more than would be thought reasonable."
"The untried sword and the untried king are alike dangerous."
"Men’s lives are like the paths of the moon, or the fates of the gods; they are difficult to predict."
"A warrior is judged by his deeds, not by his words."
"To die is landing on some distant shore."
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
"A dying man’s words often tell the truth."
"Let not the hero play a beggar’s part."
"You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame: how could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?"
"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic."