Norse Viking Music - Álfadróttinn

Painting by Knud Baade, « Scene from the Era of Norwegian Sagas », 1850.
A song about Freyr, the Álfadróttinn / 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, Ruler of Álfheimr, one of the primordial Gods of the Norse pantheon.
This track consists of two acts: Dýrð / 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺, and Dauði / 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩, singing stanzas from different sagas of Freyr until his final confrontation and fall against his archenemy, the Fire-Giant Surtr.
A few words about Freyr: being a foremost mythological figure that has travelled for millennia through folk traditions, tales and rituals, He possesses many analogies with other Indo-European equivalents and beyond. He is the iconic incarnation of Fertility, Virility (his female counterpart being his twin sister Freyja), Prosperity and Harmony (with the Land and the Clan), but also the Harvest and the Cycle of the Seasons, the Rain and Sunshine.
Entirely self-composed, vocally and instrumentally. This project will be part of a future « Norse / Viking » album that I plan to release hopefully this year, along with Úlfhéðnar and many more to come.
I'd like to thank everyone that has given me kind and encouraging feedback, comments/messages, support on TH-cam, irl, and purchased my songs on Bandcamp. Also, I apologise for the absence of content this past couple of years, there should now be more regular uploads.
I hope you like the song.
Link to Bandcamp (remastered and better quality): dervhengrym.ba...
___________________________________
The lyrics, first in Old Norse, then the English translation:
- Dýrð -
Freyr er beztr
Allra ballriða
Ása görðom í
Mey hann né grætir né manns konu
Ok leysir ór höftum hvern
Meðan inn Gull Svínn Mikli ferr um Andlang
Árguð andar fjör í högum
𝘍𝘦́𝘨𝘫𝘢𝘧𝘢
Freyr Son Njarðar er beztr allra ballriða
Bróður Freyju ok enn Vanaguð
Hann er eigandi Skíðblaðnis
Ok galtar þess er Gullinbursti heitir
Svá sem hér er sagt
Ívalda synir gengu í árdaga
Skíðblaðni at skapa
Skipa bazt skírum Frey nýtum Njarðar bur
Mær er mér tíðari en manna hveim ungum í árdaga
Armar lýstu en af þaðan allt loft ok lögr
____________________
- Dauði -
Sól tér sortna
Geisar eimi ok aldrnari
Leikr hár hiti við himin sjalfan
Kjóll ferr austan koma munu Múspells
Of lög lýðir en Loki stýrir
Fara fíflmegir með freka allir
þeim er bróðir Býleists í för
Surtr ferr sunnan með sviga lævi
Skínn af sverði sól valtíva
Grjótbjörg gnata
Þ𝘢́ 𝘬𝘦𝘮𝘳 𝘏𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳 harmr annarr fram
Er Óðinn ferr við Ulf vega
En bani Belja bjartr at Surti
þá mun Friggjar falla angan
þ𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘷𝘦𝘳ð 𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘫𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘬
𝘦𝘧 𝘴𝘢 𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘬𝘳 𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘧𝘳
____________________________________________
- Glory -
Of the Heroes brave
is Freyr the best
here in the Home of the Gods
He harms not maids nor the wives of men
and the bound from their fetters He frees
Whilst the Majestic Golden Boar travels across the Sky
the Harvest God breathes Life into the fields
𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩-𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳
Freyr Son of Njörð is the best of the Heroes brave here in the Æsir's courts
Brother of Freyja and God of the Vanir
He is the possessor of Skídbladnir
and of the Boar called Gullinbursti
as it was told
Ívaldi's offspring in ancient days went to shape Skídbladnir
Foremost of ships fairly for Freyr
choicely for Njörðr's child
To me more dear than in days of old was ever maiden to man
Her arms glittered and from their gleam shone all the sea and sky
____________________
- Death -
The sun turns black
Fierce grows the steam and the life-feeding flame
till fire leaps high about heaven itself
From the east comes a ship, the sons of Múspell come
At the helm stands Loki
After the Wolf do wild men follow
and with them the brother of Byleist goes
From the south comes Surtr, and his destroyer of trees
The Sun of the war-gods shines from it, his flaming blade
The crags sunder
𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘭𝘪𝘯, yet another hurt
When Odin fares to fight against the Wolf
And Beli's fair slayer seeks out Surtr
Thus shall Frigg’s beloved God fall
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧
𝘪𝘧 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵
____________________________________________
See you soon for more Music!
Music Copyright © Dervhengrym