Draumkvedet - Religious Syncretism in Medieval Scandinavian Ballads

Patreon.com/nordicsoundchannel
It's a very Pagan Christmas Story!
To offer at least something festive to the channel, the holiday season gives me the perfect excuse to talk about the legendary Norwegian vision poem Draumkvedet, which has inspired so much music for such an old poem. This is also a little experiment for testing out content that ties folklore and music together because the relationship between the two in Nordic music is just so intertwined that it can’t be ignored.
Lastly, as a little easter egg, for those of you who have been around since the days of this being a classical music podcast, some very familiar names of Norwegian music history are going to come back around to emphasize the part they played in Nordic folklore and music history, featuring a wonderful piano sonata. So, let’s dive into Draumkvedet, or the Dream Poem, for a very pagan Christmas story
To look closer at the history of the poem: www.visittelem...
#nordicmusic #nordicsound #folklore #folktales #ballads

[@nordicsoundchannel]

Something I want to correct: I hyperfixated so much on music inspired by the story that I overlooked showcasing the ballad itself. Please check out the original ballad in all of its timeless artistry from the legendary Harald Foss: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpyan5hujrJ8f9U

[@baldrbraa]

Instant sub. Thank you for highlighting this poem. When I was a music student, we had a week long seminar on Norwegian folk music at the Ole Bull Academy in Voss, where actual tradition bearers would get right to the root of the matter and teach us to sing the tunes. Draumkvedet is tied to the melodies of gamlestev, one of the two main ancient four-line forms of versification. Agnes was there, and her recording of Draumkvedet has been with me since that time.

[@nordicsoundchannel]

Thank you so much for sharing this story, and for your kind words. Cheers from Colorado!

[@cindyfoster602]

That was a gem! Thank you, Jameson!

[@TheLeftwheel]

I've read translations of this poem before, and I always thought the specific admonishment of those who move border stones to be interesting. In pagan times, a farm's border stones didn't just mark the borders, but also the sites of graves. Those would be the ancestors of the farmer who worked that land. The physical evidence of those stones and graves were evidence to one's right to farm that land. So the souls punished in the poem were not just being punished for sneakily moving a fence-line to claim more land than was rightfully theirs, but also for the sin of grave desecration.

[@nordicsoundchannel]

Love it! Thanks for that extra bit of lore :)

[@vidarrodinsson2237]

Great content mate

[@nordicsoundchannel]

Thanks friend! The semester finally ended so I'm finding the time and energy to do the more creative content again. Had a lot of fun with this one so really happy you enjoyed it \m/