Gjallarhorn - Eldgjald (lyrics)

[@Taker02]

This song ends beautifully...

[@MrGrenardo]

Så utrolig vakkert!

[@heathenannihilator3485]

Helt otroligt!

[@camptilonforxaus490]

Totally!

[@nostrobothnia]

English lyrics: Many lands burned in the past On a bad summer of fire Powerless on a year of fires, Not a lot was left unburnt We tilled, we dug And we found the worm of death Its embers we sowed In wrapped linen, its ancestorless face An unbound cloth rose On one summer night We tilled, we dug And we found the worm of death (The worm of death refers to the European adder, the only venomous snake found in Finland. They were seen as major pests by farmers, and were surrounded by a plethora of folk magic practices and beliefs. The fires refer to a farming method called slash-and-burn, or kaskenpoltto on Finnish. A part of a forest is cut down and burned to create new, nutrient-rich field. A bad year of fires would mean that the fires were uncontrollable, and thus too much of the forest or the surrounding area was burnt. Someone more knowledgeable about Finnish kaski practices, please feel free to correct me! This is just my speculation, but considering the existing folk practices, I think the song implies that the adder was to blame for the unsuccessful kaski. By burying a snake, people would ask for its protection against pests and disease. So wrapping it in linen and burying it was probably done in an attempt to salvage the field, at least in the context of the song.)

[@EneriGiilaan]

Moi! Ymmärtääkseni liina ei tarkoita tässä kangasta vaan synonyymiä pellavalle (liina on kai pellavan vanhempi nimitys). Itse tulkitsisin säkeet: Sen kypenet kylvettihin, pellavas peritön kasvo, liina liitoton yleni, yhtenä kesässä yönä. tällä tapaa: kyyn kypenet (ehkä tosiaan kekäleet = embers) kylvetiin jonka jälkeen yhden kesäyön aikana pellosta nousi/kasvoi iso pellavasato. Olen tosin ihan harrastelija, eli voi mennä täysin pieleen tämä :)

[@CharlesYuditsky]

My great thanks to you. Been listening to this tune for years now and whished i knew the lyrics.

[@EneriGiilaan]

Good interpretation. I have one issue though: Pellevas peritön kasvo, Liina liitoton yleni Yhtenä kesässä yönä In the first two lines the same thing is said twice in different ways (the standard in the ancient poetry - 'Kalevala'-style). Liina is a synonym for Pellava - both meaning linen here (while nowadays liina is mostly used to mean cloth - like table cloth etc). The meaning here is that high amount of crops (linen) grew (kasvo[i] / yleni) during one summer night.

[@helvetewinter68666]

Helt greit

[@americangold8591]

Song of the pandemic...

[@vil4038]

What is it about? I don't understand Finnish

[@americangold8591]

@@vil4038 it's about finding worms in the crop and about having to burn the crop, I THINk I know fire is involved... Eldgjald means firesong "We hoed and we dug and found the worm of death"

[@EneriGiilaan]

@@americangold8591 This a bit late but anyways ... The song is built around an ancient Fire Charm - and is related to the 'slash and burn' agriculture. So it is not the crops that is burned - but an area in a forest. The harvest ( of linen in this case) would grow over night and would be be exceptionally good (according to the song). The term 'Worm of Death' refers to viper (poisonous snake).

[@elguardiandelnum]

Opus pulchra est!