1. BALDR DROMMER

Ages ago, nine worlds were ruled by the mighty gods of old
Every one of them being stronger and wiser than any man would ever become
Sadly, the fairest and brightest of them all suffered from prophetic dreams
In which both the end of times and his own death were predicted
Restless his father traveled the worlds, trying to secure his son’s life, but he tried in vain…


2. EDEN AV GUNDER, MENNESKER OG TRAER

A god gave birth to a son, fair of feature
Cloaked in light, called forth as holy
His name was Baldr the Bright
None shall gainsay his judgment
Integral in his majesty
As a god’s son should be

Swear on the blackened heart
Of gods, men, and trees
Trust in the promises
Of gods, men, and trees
Take now the oath
Of gods, men, and trees
Hearken the pledge
Of gods, men, and trees

With the night came the dreams
The twilight brings the abandoning
His departure from Asgard
Saluting the shadows of Hel
The superior son of a god
Looked upon with envy

Strong as a bear, son of Odin
Brave and young in the face
Became by a dream suddenly
Vulnerable like a child

Baldr the Bright

His own death he did foresee
Gathered the roots of Yggdrasil
All nine the worlds are combined
The prophecy undermined

Strong as a bear, son of Odin
Brave and young in the face
Became by a dream suddenly
Vulnerable like a child

Ignorant fools, you cannot deny
What fate has decreed for you?
Abide the consuming of the soul
For by the view of future he will die

Die!


3. MED SPLEINER RIR ER

With Sleipner he rides through the night
With the gods on his side he rides!
Through the darkness he goes overwhelming his foes
With the gods on his side he rides!

Through the darkest of night
Through the deepest ravine
Odin doesn’t bother
With his end in sight
Risking his life
For he who'd be killed by his brother

On his steed day and night, dark winters and light
Countless different horizons
Choirs in the dark, musicians and bards
All sang of his journey
Led by a flute, horns and a lute
Smaller became the horizon
Behind those gates, what everyone hates
He loves; it’s the end of his journey

"Wise-woman, cease not! I seek from thee
All to know that I fain would ask
Who shall the bane of Baldr become,
And steal the life from Odin's son?”

Many enemies fell, knelt for his yell
Now he rides towards hell
Battles he’d fought and wisdom was taught
Now he rides towards hell
The runes did tell, he had to descend
And past Yggdrasil he had to find hell
Mounted to Niflhell
Now he rides in hell

No horn and no lute, a silent salute
His first careful paces in the dark
Forward he stepped, passed brave men who wept
No single sign of Baldr
The infinite chill could not break his will
Vegtam found her in the dark
She was very wise, though in disguise
Did she know about Baldr?

Sleipner, noble steed!
Sleipner, mount of Asgard!


4. VEKTAMSKVIDA

(Instrumental)


5. HOD OG MISTELTEINER

Neither sword nor axe could touch him
Unharmed by forged steel
Gods trying their weapons
Found him hard to kill

The pledge was sworn, the god was safe
Nothing they care about
But lovely little mistletoe
Was too weak to swear

Kept a mysterious secret
One burden more to bear

As fast as light came mistletoe
Flesh and heart he pierced
Soaked the ground with guts and blood
By word and oath preserved
But what he did and what he’d done
The righteous god of wisdom
Was never hailed in battle hymns
Though true came Baldr’s dreams

Ancient giant Loki
Intended to take the light
From he who was immortal
Against power, sword, and might

In everlasting darkness
Hod took up a spear
And killed with it his brother
Slaughtered like a deer

Earthly life came to an end
But Baldr’s soul lived on

Baldr’s dreams!


6. KREMASJONS ILD

Slowly beats the water against the ship; a death poem’s rhythm
Morose howls the wind, splits the night with her voice
Softly cry the women on the wave-breaking shore
While the men carry Baldr his body to the sea

When darkness falls and clouds float by
Bolts of lightning are colouring the sky
Don’t worry about the stars who hide
This ship doesn’t need a final guide

Lonely in the twilight, but mighty on his own
A floating piece of battered wood
Commences its beautiful path ahead
And on it is Baldr, neither laughing nor sad

Funeral fire!
Burn the ship!
Spirits flow from the casket of souls
Meeting warmth of eternal fire
We trust you to the depths of the sea
Consume the body, maintain the soul

Fiery tongues reach the dragon’s mouth
As the ship blows towards the horizon
Sinking deeper in the sea
Biting flames consume the dead
Spreading the scent of burning flesh
Sinking deeper in the sea
Light fades and darkness comes
Water and fire, drown and burn

The ship sunk in the sea

Slowly fades the light under the cloak of darkness
Morose there sounds a horn, a saddening farewell
Softly beat the waves, drums for the dead
While all the women weep and all the men raise their horns


7. HELS KRAV

Baldr did not fight with a sword on the battlefield
And he never swung his war axe around
He did not spill the dark blood of his enemies
Nor did he ever held weapon or shield
When he died by his brother’s spear of treachery
He was not sent to his father’s great halls
Every brave man wanted to reach Valhalla
Baldr’s godlike spirit was doomed to Hel

“No!” Frigg cried
Staring at her son who died

Baldr, my son
Your spirit is now gone!

I will reach you
In happiness receive you
Talk to Hel
About a son who fell

Beg for grace
From the world that you embrace
And if they whine
You again will be mine

The deepest darkness fell in the world of the gods
Brightness went to hell, leaving Frigg behind with thoughts
About the dying soul, of her son far from here
Living in the twilight of the undermost sphere

A query for the goddess, who reigns over the dead
A question for the empress and this is what she said:
“If everyone weeps around the world tree
The imprisonment is over and Baldr will be free.”


8. OG DERE SKAL SORGE

You shall mourn! Mourn, Asgard!
Your brother and son is no more
You shall mourn! Mourn, Midgard!

Cry for the god of wisdom’s death
You shall mourn! Mourn, Helheim!

To send your brightest back to home
Every man shall mourn

A thousand anguished tears will be shed

Thy son shall only leave my darkened throne
And travel through the twilight to come back home
If every creature of every world sheds its tears
In the mists of despair

The Earth will drown by the tears of gods
A cascade of divine sorrow
Our grief shall darken the sun
And the most splendid stars are shining pale
Everyone shall mourn for the god
Who was sent to the cold black realm
We can get him back from below
By showing our immense sorrow

Sorrow
And you shall mourn

Lead my son out of here
And bring him to me

Never shall he leave me or the spirits who dwell
In the darkness of the caverns, in the kingdom of Hel
If only one man or beast refuses my request
And without grief or sorrow lies himself to rest

So, mighty men of Midgard, lay down shield and sword
And mourn in your homes and halls, request with every word
The freedom of the brightest and the wisest of them all
Now mourn for the fate of Baldr, and let him hear your call


9. SLANGEN FORGIFTER DEN UTKLEDDE

Loki was chained and bound by Odin to a rock
Tied on the coast, leaving his body there to rot
With a monstrous serpent above his head
Spitting his deadly venom for the dead

And thus died Loki who betrayed the world of gods
Bound by fate, left alone with his thoughts
On the cold stones, by the salt sea
Taken vengeance for thee

Almighty Baldr
God of wisdom
Son of Odin
Let thy spirit be free

Strong white fangs deep inside your flesh
Blood running cold from faintheartedness
Sly giant Loki could not be kept
Alive by his wife who tried and wept

Let the serpent beast tear your head apart
May his venom burn deep inside of you
The strong poison is running through your veins
It is mingling with your treacherous blood
You deserve to die, Loki, false herald
Your torment shall be the tale of every living Skald

The corpse of the giant was preserved by the sea
And every time the water dropped, everyone could see
The mutilated body, decaying on the stone
Recalling his devious deeds, when his bleached bones shone


10. TIL SINE DAGERS ENDE

Old chains are broken, frozen are the halls
The serpent roars and slaughters, the final winter falls
The Fenris wolf is howling at a blackened moon
Baldrs soul is dying, Ragnarök will come soon

Thor fights Jormungandr in a raging storm,
With Mjölnir as his weapon he kills the agile worm
The final destiny is the doom of the Gods

A sword age
An axe age
The shield and the spear age
A wind age
A wolf age
The glorious dark age

A blood age
A death age
The darkest of our days
An old age
A lost age
The dawn of a new age

Freyr fights the black one, fires around his head
Surtr swings his fiery sword and the fertile god is dead
The final destiny is the doom of the Gods

The fate of the ruling powers falters
No destiny is sure
Fires are burning in a blood-stained sky
The Norns have failed us

Battles fought on Bifröst, the tricolour bow
Tyr fighting the hellhound, deals his final blow
The final destiny is the doom of the Gods

The worlds are all in chaos, no stone is in its place
The Vanir fight the Aesir, race fights its own race
Death and destruction are ruling this age
Yggdrasil is trembling angrily, in a rage
The purification of the burdened begins
All nine the worlds are fighting but no one wins
The creation of a new world, on a blood-stained foundation
The manifestation of the heathen gods’ creation

The blood is shed, the battle fought
The gods are coming home
The book is closed, but Baldr lives
And remains in our songs...
...alive!


11. VED VALHALLAS BAL

We’re sitting at Valhalla’s fires
Valhalla’s fires and its flames
Amongst us are the ancient heroes
Ancient heroes of all times

Drink and sing and raise your horns
Horns richly filled with honey wine
All enjoy the warmth and wealth there
Brave men with beer and gifted bards

Tales about a deep, green forest
Choirs and creatures in the night
Sitting ‘round a warm red fire
Singing songs in the dim light

We all died in the heaviest of battle
We all died on the battlefield
The day we died we were victorious
We all died carrying sword and shield

The bodhran leads an ancient war tune
A harpist plays his magic strings
We are dancing on the tables
And every ancient hero sings

Silver plates are filled with salt pork
And other sorts of blood-soaked meat
Together we are always feasting
Amidst Valhalla’s fire’s heat