“His sword was a fine weapon, with a hilt of walrus ivory. It had no silver overlay, but the blade was sharp and without a spot of rust. He called the sword Leg-biter and never let it out of his sight.”

“His sword was a fine weapon, with a hilt of walrus ivory. It had no silver overlay, but the blade was sharp and without a spot of rust. He called the sword Leg-biter and never let it out of his sight.”-The Saga of the People of Laxardal, Ch. 29

That line is a description of the sword of Geirmund.  

We can learn much from Geirmund’s fastidiousness, both in the martial aspect and in the application of our own self-professed core principles and values.

Geirmund’s sword is a “fine weapon” but notice that “it had no silver overlay.”

Leg-Biter is a weapon, a tool without ostentation. It shows a designer and a user who have placed their eye not on finely detailed elegance but on utility and effectiveness.

In the martial sense we might ask do our own weapons hold to such standards, whether these weapons be hand-held or our hands themselves?

Do we favor the extravagant filigree of demonstration-ready showiness, or do we prefer the hewn to the bone edge of wiles and tactics that cut to the proverbial bone whether deemed “pretty” or not?

In the conduct of our own characters do we require deep and convoluted philosophies or theologies to induce us to good and just acts or does the mere quality of an act being just and good be all the requirement we make of it?

Kindness, honor, bravery, and humility require no sermon. The sermon is in the doing—never the words. Never the words.

“The blade was sharp and without a spot of rust.”

Are the tools we choose for life, for training as meticulously cared for?

Are our double-leg dives and crossing overhands sharp or are they dull from lack of use?

Are our self-professed qualities of being a kind and attentive human well-honed and practiced or are they spotted with flakes of rust from neglect?

“He called the sword Leg-biter and never let it out of his sight.”

Preparation and diligence.

Are we on a first name basis with our own tools and values and qualities?

Do we let what we profess to value out of our sight?

We should ask ourselves when was the last time we saw our daring? We did we last have a conversation with ourselves about discipline? Have you seen yourself be your best recently, or have you allowed that aspect of yourself to fall from your view?

May we all possess characters, conduct, and a willingness to respond right now, because now is when we need our bests. Now is our only moment, the future is but a fantasy we tell ourselves where we will be better than we are now. If we want to be better, this is the moment, THE only moment that exists. Past moments are dead, and future moments may be nothing more than more promises we break to ourselves.

No one knows when they will need a Leg-biter in their life, so, following Geirmund’s example, let us be ready at all times

"Haltu þér besta vel heiðnuðu, oft-notaður og villtur whelmed."

“Keep your best tools well-honed, oft-used and wildly whelmed.”