Heyr Himna Smiður, Iceland's favourite song. I'd love to to sing this. The words are from a poem written by Kolbeinn Tumason, a 12th century Icelandic chieftain, set to music written by Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson in 1973.
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.That's a lovely, heart-felt poem from an Icelandic warrior who was Christian. I was particularly interested because I'm in the middle of reading Beowulf which is also a mix of Nordic hero and Christian sentiment. I found the lyrics and I'll paste them here. I'm not convinced that 'smith of the heavens' means God as the craftsman of creation.
Listen, smith of the heavens,
[to] what the poet asks.
May softly come unto me,
your mercy.
So I call on thee,
for you have created me.
I am thy slave,
you are my Lord.
God, I call on thee to heal me.
Remember me, mild one,
Most we need thee.
Drive out, O king of suns,
generous and great,
every human sorrow
from the city of the heart.
Watch over me, mild one,
Most we need thee,
truly every moment
in the world of men.
send us, son of the virgin,
good causes,
all aid is from thee,
in my heart.
brentan
Level 8
Feb 12, 2019
1
Thanks Brentan. I find it very sad that Icelanders were indoctrinated / contaminated by xtianity.
Is it known if the chieftain was in his cups when he wrote it or mourning a death from a rape and pillage exercise gone wrong? It does not sound very joyous!
@FrayedBear He was dying, having been mortally wounded in battle. It was only set to music in 1973. Icelandic music does tend to be wonderfully dark and brooding, which is why I like it!
Like most places in Northern Europe I think Christianity merged with the existing religion rather than attempting to sweep it aside. Missionaries who tried to do the latter would tend to get nailed to things. I'm sure they were writing very similar poetry before Christianity came, but to different gods.
I think it's an over-literal translation. 'Smith' was a generic term for a skilled craftsman, so I think a more fitting translation would be 'heavenly maker'.
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