The original version of this song, I Riden Så, is written in Old Swedish, possibly from 8th Century (Viking age). It recounts the tale of a dead man called Sillibrand who sees his living daughter come to a sacred grove, where the spirits rest. She lays down to give birth to twin boys and then dies there herself. The boys are taken, one each, by the respective Norse gods of the fallen. Freja and Othin.
lyrics
(English)
Oh, Silibrand went up to the high loft,
Under the linden so green,
He saw his daughter go to the grove,
He rode so gently through the sacred grove with her.
"O' woe is me, woe is me. What do I see,
Under this linden so green?
I see my daughter, coming to me."
He rode so gently through the sacred grove with her.
So, Silibrand lay down his cloak so blue,
Under the linden so green,
And there she bore two bold baby boys,
He rode so gently through the sacred grove with her.
One child the gods took to Freyja's field,
Under the linden so green,
The other to Valhalla's halls,
He rode so gently through the sacred grove with her.
credits
from Bard and Skald,
released August 1, 2021
Original Composition - An Tuagh (2021)
Backing Vocals and Cello - Snoadwiis
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