Skáldskapr: The balance of power.

For all the men out there who feel the need to verbally, or physically assault your female companion, I’m here to tell you, you are stupid. Yea, I said it. Like those you have chosen to bully, I’m not one of. I’m not afraid of any immortal, or mortal being on earth. No, I’m not bragging, I’m just right with the spirits, and my ancestors, therefore I have no fear. But alas I digress, that is only a part of our story today. Our words of wisdom, and poetry, will hopefully help those men understand the value of their woman or partner.

I will say that one of the greatest tragedies I see in modern relationships is when a man feels that his partner is unequal. Either she is placed high on a pedestal to be admired and worshiped, or beneath him and keep close to the heel. However, real marriages are teams. Like any team there will be times when one carries the other, some days the man carries the woman, other days the woman carries the man, most of their lives should be spent walking together. They say that a woman protecting her children is the most fearsome force on the planet, however, I would argue that a woman defends her “loves” this way, all of them. 

The balance of the blade

In the times of our ancestors, we judged a sword by its point of balance,

Too close to the pommel, the sword was imbalanced and unwieldily,

Too far from the pommel, the sword became heavy in combat.

If the sword was pitted and forged inaccurately, it was sure to fail in battle,

If it was too sharp, it might become stuck in an adversary or object,

The sword was our guarantee to come home or go to Valhalla.

So too, is the balance of our choice of our wives,

They are sacred creatures, who are our equal,

They are not above, nor below us, simply back to back to fight in both directions.

Our woman’s mind is razor-sharp to protect her children, and sound the alarm,

Her world rests in the sweet breath of her newborn child,

She is willing to risk everything for her family, and that includes me.

My wife is my equal, she is my partner for life,

My wife is willing to die with me at her side, as I am with her at mine,

A gift to me to cherish forever, to love, and to support in every way, she is each day.

Unlike the sword, she can be razor-sharp, to help me clear the path for us,

Unlike the sword, she can be near my heart, and yet, we will be balanced,

With her, I am balanced. Without her, I am unwieldy.

Those who seek to reduce these precious creatures are doomed to fail for eternity,

Those who feel compelled to force love clearly do not understand the power of love,

To those, I bow my head and hope you get to experience real love.

That feeling that demands that you are close to her,

The delicate skin of flower pedal smoothness, the slight fragrance of purity,

Those beautiful eyes of emerald beneath crystal waters gazing at you,

The undeniable force that draws you away from other tasks to her,

The longing to hear her melodious voice say your name,

The overwhelming need to provide anything she needs, without her asking,

This my friends is love.

They say that love is kind, love is patient,

They lie. Love is powerful, love is the brutal truth,

It can be mean and cut deep, love leaves scars

Love is pulling the entire cart by yourself because you would rather die by 1000 swords than to see her struggle with the cart.

Love may mean crying yourself to sleep because you can’t understand each other.

This my friends is love.

The greatest part to this is, this is exactly the same way she feels about you.

My bride of over thirty years now is the stronger of us two. She has raised five children, three to adulthood, and yet her hands of steel turn to lambswool for each child that enters our home. She is strong and independent. She doesn’t need me. She wants to be with me. She is my shield-maiden, able to sound an alarm or hold the line until I can get my sword. She is as awesome as the promise of a new day.