Herr Mannelig in Old English | The Skaldic Bard

[@SkaldBard]

Here’s another version of Herr Mannelig, this time in Old English, translated from the original Swedish and arranged by me, and performed by me and my wife. This is her first time singing in Old English, and I think she did a wonderful job! Herr Mannelig is a very popular Swedish folk song dating back centuries. A young Christian man is tempted by a pagan woman who offers him a plethora of worldly goods in order to win his heart. Resolutely standing by his Christian principles, the young man rejects her advances on account of his mortal soul. There are several possible interpretations of the name “Herr Mannelig” quite, which literally means “Sir Manly”. It refers not only to his manliness as a young, virile male, but possibly also to his human nature; the lady in the song is called a “mountain troll” in the original Swedish, which may refer to not only her pagan nature, but possibly her supernatural form. As the word “troll” is not native to English, I opted for “mountain witch” in Old English - the word “witch” similarly pointing to her supernatural, pagan nature. I hope you enjoy the song. Do leave a comment if you did and subscribe to the channel if you’d like to see more! You could also support the channel by donating if you’d like to: buymeacoffee.com/theskaldicbard Many thanks for your kindness and support, as always. Lyrics: On ǣrmorgen ǣr upgange sunnan, ǣr þām dæghwāmlīċan fugolsange, ān firgenwiċċe wolde hagosteald ċeorlian ac twisprǣċe wæs hire tunge. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian. Þē wille iċ ġiefan þā twelf stēdan, þe sind gongende on rōsebearwe funden. Nǣfre ne stōd sadol ānum þāra ne on bitole næs nān ċēace ġebunden. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian. Þē wille iċ ġiefan þā twelf cweornan þe betweox twām īeġum standaþ samen. Þā stānas sind of rēodostum golde and þā hwēol sind seolforhammen. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian. Þē wille iċ ġiefan eallgylden sweord þæt þe hringmǣled is fīftīnefeald. Sam þū wīġst wel, sam þū wīġst lȳðre sċealt þū þīnra fēonda habban onweald. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian. Þē wille iċ ġiefan nīwe sierċan, mid hire wilt þū sōðlīċe þec sċrȳdan, Hēo nis ġesiwod mid nǣdle ne þrǣde, ac mid mērehwītum seolce handġewriden. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian. Swelċa ġifa wǣren mē ġecwēma ġif þū crīsten wīfmann wǣre. Hwæðre þēah þū eart sēo wierreste firgenwiċċe, sōðlīċe sibb deofla and nicora. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian. Sēo firgenwiċċe on dūru arn. Sāre hēo hrisede and hrȳmde. Hæfde iċ þone hagosteald beġiet, iċ hæfde mē ālȳsed of mīnre wyrde. Lā lēof mannlīċ! Lā lēof mannlīċ! Bewedda þū þēc mē! Wiþ þām iċ ġiefe ġeorne ġifa! Þū sċealt āþer oððe ġēse oððe nā cweðan, ac þū wilt mēc wīfian.

[@theosopher.01]

Another excellent song. A wonderful rendition of this traditional song. Indeed this might be my favourite version thus far outside the Swedish. Alas, there is one detail I must admit would be interesting to hear. In one version the tale does not say she spoke falsely. Rather it says she spoke with a sweet voice. (My paraphrase of the two versions.) Now, you are correct in saying some interpreters believe her a pagan. However some believe this tale a warning against mingling nobility with commoners via wedlock. Admittedly these are solely two common interpretations of this story.

[@michaeus]

Wundorlíc mín freónd

[@johnnotrealname8168]

I guess it is the accent but the difference between your pronunciation and hers is striking. Not a criticism.

[@themilkman369]

T’is but anotha bangr milord

[@InuMidori]

In breton a tongue speak in Brittany north west of France Strophe 1] Ur wrac’h gozh eus ar c’hoad don, Ha me azigasoñ va dorn-skarzh. Ma te a vefe va gwaz, Herr Mannelig, Va den-karañ, va den-kalon, gant karantez bras. [Refrain] Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, soñj mat az pefe, Ma te a vefe va gwaz, Herr Mannelig, Gant karantez bras. [Strophe 2] Va daouarc’h ha va yaouankiz, A ginnigan dit gant kalon. Ma te a vefe va gwaz, Herr Mannelig, Va den-karañ, va den-kalon, gant karantez bras. [Refrain] Herr Mannelig, Herr Mannelig, soñj mat az pefe, Ma te a vefe va gwaz, Herr Mannelig, Gant karantez bras.

[@noltarferior]

Old english sounds so melodic and beautiful

[@andrewhopkins886]

It's weird. Like it's a confused mix of Welsh and German with a weird grammar... wait a minute

[@noltarferior]

@@andrewhopkins886 I'm waiting :D

[@RPD49]

@@andrewhopkins886 It`s more than a minute my friend

[@wor53lg50]

​@@andrewhopkins886Boom, and there it is!!, you didn't realise modern welsh is a slight Bastardized language With Eliments of Gaelic, Brythonic and Auld Anglisc did you, the why and how for Obvious reasons, Cornish is the real purest version of Brythonic Celt spoken in Britain, that English and lowland Pict Scots, and Welsh before Irish influences from Dal Riada would have Spoken too..Breton is very close to original aswell ..

[@Anti-demonXXI]

This song is an eternal reminder of the importance of rejectng witch-trolls

[@michaeus]

Lol! Love that!

[@TheSpookiestgoose]

😂

[@yopoxikeweapescai9066]

And burning their forests

[@lukefriesenhahn8186]

The problem is identifying the witch-trolls in modern society. In other words, don't go after a wîf for her appearance, but her heart.

[@joshuamiller2645]

Ya, this man hast spoken goodly of the Lord's own blessed truth! Ye others harken, lest ye be ensnared in a most vexatious state. If she is found truly to be a vvitch take hold of her and deliver her to the magistrate of the court assembled in the shire in vvhich ye dwell. -VVitch Finder General of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay.

[@grechdania]

The Skadlic Bardess makes her appearance in one of your majestic songs once again. I couldn't be more overjoyed. Wish you two prosperity.

[@SkaldBard]

She's quite happy with that name! Many thanks, my friend

[@ragingsmurfling7205]

If "Begone, thot!" was a song. Lovely as always, dear Bard.

[@naughtyhieroglyph669]

Seems to be an ancient problem, which has tormented men for generations...

[@UltimaThulean]

Bård! I finally got married bro. Hel wis Thu, brother. God bless you and yours and everyone here. Thank you, these compositions got me through the most lonely and faithless time of my life. God is good and has provided the wife that could only be a blessing from his magnanimity.

[@SkaldBard]

Amazing! God bless you and your wīf :-)

[@janmunchs4293]

Hope she is nog trolling you.

[@drago_6812]

may God bless your family and grant you health and faith

[@Beorthere]

Congratulations!

[@YeetyboisEmpire]

Dico Bonos vobis!

[@iberius9937]

Your wife's voice is lovelier than ever!! Awesome arrangement and translation!!!

[@SkaldBard]

Thanks, my friend! Hope you're well!

[@iberius9937]

@@SkaldBard Tá mé go measartha, go raibh maith agat!

[@lukefriesenhahn8186]

Sounds absolutely beautiful! Great job to you two! This song teaches us Christians to not accept worldly values, but accept the Lord's blessings. Shows how even old songs / sagas still teach us in our advanced age. Many a song, mythology, and saga were made and bespoken around a campfire with friends and family on a cold night.

[@SkaldBard]

Very true!

[@arnaupuig5097]

"The Lord's blessings" are worldly as well... you always remain in the world 😂

[@Sierpham]

T think this song is pre Christian actually

[@inthewoods-yg5fw]

@@Sierphamit’s about a Christian man and a pagan woman

[@Sierpham]

@@inthewoods-yg5fw oh my bad thanks

[@snaketat82]

The only problem I have with this song is I can't tell weather I like this version or your old Norse version better ☺ this one's beautiful and bright, the other beautiful but mournful. Your wife is has done such a great job with her lovely voice on both of these. Also if your to modest to say it I'll say it for you. YOU CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY PURCHASING THE SONGS ON AMAZON PRIME AS WELL! I look forward to each new release.

[@vojtechotava1417]

Beautiful, Bard. Your contribution to the world of music is unparalleled in my eyes.

[@SkaldBard]

That's a wonderful compliment -- thank you very much

[@calmgentleman]

I find these facinating. I can see German, English and some other languages in here. Its really interesting to see how close out languages are and were.

[@TorTyr-z9h]

Some Norse aswell

[@Aksai_Karyap]

Old English and Old Gothic are the most beautiful languages!

[@saadiftikhar3317]

Truly old English is beautiful

[@LoganLS0]

Before the Normans ruined everything.

[@frederickiiprussia7699]

This is by far an interesting take; I'm split since Her Mannelings originall composition is beautiful in Swedish but Old English takes the win for me. I appreciate how you kept the same rhythm and sound length for the lyrics, the biggest contributor to my preference is your wife's performance after your own. Not only did she do a beautifully but her singing alongside you in this song truly adds an element of immersion as if the "troll" herself was heard swaying the man. Excellent work sir l, Godbless you and your family!

[@AbadonaNariūnaitė]

Your wife's voice is gorgeous in old english ❤❤❤ this is an amazing cover. Thank you and well wishes from the baltic coast to you and your family

[@SkaldBard]

Many thanks, God bless you from Britain :-)

[@agentbimlo4555]

I’m once again amazed by the beautiful version you created of our favorite song. Plus, your wife's voice is heavenly! I hope to see you very soon with more treasures for our ears! 😁😁😁

[@user-cw7yi1ew1z]

It's so interesting that this song doesn't lose his rhythmic and rhythmic fluency when you turn it old English or old Nordic

[@-Blackberry]

Makes sense as these languages hadn’t diverged nearly as much as they have since and follow the same basic structure and mostly share the same vocabulary. During the Viking era Old English and Old Norse was to some degree mutually intelligible.

[@TheSpookiestgoose]

@@-Blackberryive noticed most of the core vocabulary is stil very much here just heavily modified, maked this language so much easier to learn

[@AsifSaifuddinAuvipy]

Bcz they all born from old norse

[@TheSpookiestgoose]

@@AsifSaifuddinAuvipy born from old norse? First ive heard about that. Last i heard, they where born from proto germanic.

[@Redforestt]

All are from old germanic bcz😊

[@ArtemisDalmasca]

I love this song. The original was always so melodic and relaxing to me, despite the story. This one is just as beautiful!

[@goulven05]

Ooh I've been waiting for this one, thank you Skald, God bless you and your wife 🫡

[@Englisc-Seaxe]

I simply cannot get enough of this stuff- The Old English stuff is clearly the best (No bias at all) but I love it all! Keep it up!

[@Theanomalyof88]

Utterly beautiful. Many thanks for this piece!

[@davidvarga5298]

My biggest curiosity is, where did you learn to compose in all these really old languages? Are you taking some Uni degree in this domain, or is it just a hobby? (I don't know if this topic was already covered) Anyways, amazing work as always, this song goes straight to the playlist and I'll listen to it until all my neighbors are fluent in Old English. God bless you and your family.

[@SkaldBard]

Thanks so much for the support! Much appreciated. My degree was in the Scandinavian languages, focusing on Norwegian and Icelandic, with some modules in Old Norse. Living in Iceland for a while, I became quite fluent in the language and was able to read the sagas pretty easily, so I focused more on Old Norse specifically. After a while, I decided to write some songs in Old Norse to some tunes I'd come up with over the years, and the channel was born. I have also always been fascinated by Old English, and Old Norse acted as a wonderful springboard to learn more about OE. Reading the Anglo-Saxon chronicle and some of Alfred the Great's writings inspired me with confidence to start writing in Old English, too, so my first OE song was about Alfred the Great. With the knowledge of those two Germanic languages, I was able to grasp concepts in Gothic, Old Saxon and so on -- the rest is history! As an Irishman (mostly) by blood, I've also always been interested in the Irish language, and the language has changed remarkably little over time, so it was fairly easy to transition to older forms of the language. Also, my mother is Welsh, so I have had exposure to concepts in Celtic languages through her, though sadly I never learnt it natively -- but I will do some Welsh songs in future! My beloved wife is Polish, so I learnt Polish to speak to her family. From there, I was able to fill in the gaps of my knowledge of Russian as much of the grammar is similar, so I was able to read older forms of Slavic. Latin/Old Spanish are thanks to my school studies, as Spanish was the first language I ever learnt and it acted as a great springboard to earlier forms of the language, and ultimately Latin. That's a whistle stop tour of my linguistic journey, with some omissions! Keep on learning, my friend :-)

[@skoogson5416]

​@@SkaldBard wow that's quite the language journey, I would not be surprised if you knew Tolkien's Elvish and are in the making of a elvish song right now.

[@grechdania]

@@SkaldBard Now that we know your wife is polish, we need "Hej, sokoły" from you two : )

[@darthnymruk9766]

@@SkaldBard Very interesting, I know a fair bit of Old Norse and really want to get into gothic but finding good resources is kinda tricky, any recomendations?

[@bjoardar]

@@SkaldBard Does that mean you know Elfdalian (Älvdalska) as well? Considering it's related to Old Norse (from what I heard).

[@kristiangg4263]

thats probably one of my mostt favourite songs and it sounds even better in old english amazing performance from you and your wife as always god vless you two

[@liamh2001]

Ahh this is so cool! Herr Mannelig was one of the first folk songs I ever started listening to. Love seeing it in our ancestors' language, cracking stuff man.

[@Hu55ar]

I love the duality bertween you 2, you and Lady Skald are amazing together!

[@henrique9632]

God bless you my brother, you are a superb bard.

[@SkaldBard]

That's really nice to hear, thank you

[@grandmarshallsteve]

Yet another masterpiece! Your songs have been a major help to me in learning Old English and Old Norse for my projects, so it's awesome to see yet another! God bless you and your wife!

[@SkaldBard]

Wonderful stuff! Thanks, my friend, and good luck on your learning journey

[@Studd1990]

Огромное спасибо за Ваше творчество! Оно очень вдохновляет!

[@King_Ulf]

Great song Great performance!!!

[@bespectacledpanda]

The harmonies in your songs are always so breathtakingly powerful, and the language is so wonderful to listen to in your voices. Thank you for another wonderful composition, Mr. & Mrs. Bard!

[@SkaldBard]

Many thanks indeed :)

[@retrolizer3156]

Thank you - The work on your channel is tremendously great. Onward ☦️

[@SkaldBard]

@@retrolizer3156 Thank you for the support and kind words! Much appreciated ✝️

[@johnny8025]

I never really comment, but truly you're one in a generation. You've made me discover and dive into the beautiful Swedish/Scandinavian history that otherwise was buried and Semi-forgotten, even for a history nerd like myself. Absolutely love and appreciate your work, and if there's ever a Skaldic Patreon, I'd be amongst the first to join that. All the best to both of you!

[@SkaldBard]

Thanks so much for the comment and support! Means a lot to me to hear stuff like that

[@alastor1510]

Really cool rendition of a timeless song! Thank you for your dedication and for sharing your talent!

[@Bjorn_Algiz]

Hail! ❤🙏 you have been blessed with such a beautiful wife! You both sound Devine!

[@Agesilaus.88]

The language of my ancestors is a thing of beauty.

[@AugustusRex-nk8ze]

I love how much Old English reminds of Old Norse. They both sound so enigmatic and beautiful.

[@homesteadlegion4419]

What a Beautiful version of this song. i always loved herr manelig because despite being swedish the name sounds just old high german enough that people would believe you without question if you just told them the title. the word " Herr" is used unchanged to this day and "Männlich" is still close enough to mannelig that you can see the relation if you know a bit about the german sound shifts. Its one of those examples that shows how despite having evolved away from each other for a long time they still shared a lot of words at that point.

[@persian639]

Another great performance! God bless you and your wife!👏👏

[@Beorneofmercia449]

oh my goodness, now this i did not expect😧what a fantastic old english cover😁👏 well done to your mrs she has a angelic voice bless her, wæs hæl/wassail to our bardsman and his wifeman/woman

[@ΒασίληςΒλάχος-τ3κ]

Well well well, what a fortune it was to click on KZbin at this exact time

[@user-cw7yi1ew1z]

I love this serie!!

[@TheSpookiestgoose]

😱🤯🥹 no words can describe how happy i am with this! I cant get enough old english🎉🎉🎉

[@thephotoshopper5908]

What a great way to start my day

[@robert9495]

Out of this world performance.🫠🫠🫠

[@Dightivia]

Amazingly beautiful. I will try harder to learn the purest and loveliest form of my native tongue.

[@LeeuwenlandVlaanderen]

Babe wake up, The Skaldic Bard dropped a new banger!

[@016329]

Old English is so like Dutch it’s amazing. It’s different though in that it’s softer sounding somehow. It’s really quite beautiful.

[@Ozzianman]

To my Norwegian ears, Dutch sounds like a drunk Dane speaking a mix of English and German. It sounds like a language I should be able to understand, bur I can not.

[@widgren87]

Unexpected but non the less welcome for it ;-) I find it interesting that there was a word here and there I recognized and some that reminds me of Icelandic. And indeed your wife did a magnificent job in this one. I also like how in some interpretations the woman in the song is a literal troll, and wood nymph or just a pagan woman that may or may not be attempting to "save" themselves from a worse match or hoping to find "salvation in Christianity". Well, from a Swede I say, stort tack och lycka till 🙂

[@SkaldBard]

Många tack, min vän!

[@simj-pi3fw]

Originally "troll" only meant "magical being" or "touched by magic", so tolkien-trolls are probably trolls in that sense, but not all would be like that. a fairy or nymph would fall under that umbrella just as well, pagans, too, were counted among the trolls once the majority was christian. And "Mann" was the word for "human" (gender unspecific). i'm also quite intrigued by the trolls cry at the end... leaves a lot of options indeed.

[@sunnysidesofblue]

This is so fascinating to listen to! I'm Swedish and absolutely love the original, but it's so cool to see and hear your translated versions. I don't know old English (or old Norse, for that matter) but it's really fascinating to see the similarities and realise jsut how much I can actually understand. Beautiful work!

[@SkaldBard]

@@sunnysidesofblue many thanks for your kind comment! Glad you're enjoying them :-)

[@ADT1995]

I really appreciate that you translated troll to witch. I feel like that is the most accurate translation in the context of the ballad.

[@abhayraj6390]

It keeps getting better

[@nxThang2003]

great job, sir

[@jan_Soje]

I love your Old Norse cover of this, and now I looked for Old English music and find you just uploaded this! What are the odds?

[@mariannemostert2112]

This is wonderful again. Old English is very related to Old Frisian. To translate this song in Old Frisian would be interesting. I wonder how much English and Frisian speaking people would understand it.

[@theeternal3997]

Mate keep up the good work

[@notwuwly]

Thank you! 🙏

[@JimOFJIM]

Yussir! Treated by Old English today!

[@RealConstantinusMagnus]

Will you ever do Rolandskvadet in Old Frankish?

[@sicsempertyrannis6541]

A remake of the Song of Roland in Frankish would be great

[@SkaldBard]

I'll see if I can scrape together enough reconstructed material to get it done! Would be pretty glorious though

[@emanuels.pezente1899]

What a great version of Herr Mannelig is this! Your voices just match perfectly with one another. I really enjoyed the tone and timbre of your voice on the last part of the song, Bard. It would be very nice to have a complete diferent song with this "mode" on your voice lol

[@SkaldBard]

@@emanuels.pezente1899 Thank you very much, friend

[@emmanuelgoldstein319]

drop everything, skaldic bard just posted

[@grechdania]

A banger every time, I swear.

[@enemyofbathing7418]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@Ianiosos]

another nice song, thank you for everything🙏. I hate this week because this week is an exam week😢.

[@SkaldBard]

Best of luck with your exams, friend. It will pass, and a future of prosperity awaits!

[@iulianc]

Superb!

[@natheriver8910]

I love this song so much 💘💘💘💘💐💐💐💐💐🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@philandrews2860]

What a pleasant surprise to see this! Lovely rendition as usual. You and your wife's awesome music is making me want to learn Gothic and Old English. Thank you 😊 BTW, I see a possible Gothic version of this song in the future (hint)

[@SkaldBard]

Haha, I'll make a note! That could be cool ;-)

[@Dust_kormoi]

I can't help but notice the influence Old English had on Tolkien when he created the elven languages, especially when Legolas speaks Sindarin.

[@ОвочеваБаза]

I am a big fan of Germanic languages in general, particularly from a certain aesthetic point of view, if that makes sense. And I've yet to find one among them which would challenge Old English/Anglo-Saxon as the most beautiful of them. Purely subjective, I know, but it's just something about how its phonology works (or at least how we think it worked) - it sounds... complete. Like among all the Germanic languages the Old English was the one which got its sounds just... right. All the sounds I find pleasing to hear, and what's more important, working in harmony with each other. Thank you for this truly magical gift, Bard!

[@DevotionToChrist]

Wonderful, as always!

[@jvanvuren5399]

This actually slaps and I enjoy it

[@evarilci]

It surprises me that how similar is old English and German. Fascinating!

[@grechdania]

Why so few views on this one? : ( Such a banger.

[@rtb42]

This version is a strong contender for my favourite!

[@ManiacMediaDirector]

Helt fantastiskt.❤

[@SkaldBard]

Tack så mycket!

[@crimscrimz5977]

As a swedish person the word fugolsange makes me smile 😊

[@OrysB-po1fy]

I’m proud of the Corded Ware 🐻

[@cesarsoriasanchez714]

Silence everyone! Its beggining

[@TheSpookiestgoose]

🤐

[@ryanpoldark6765]

This is amazing 👏 😊

[@SkaldBard]

Thank you!

[@INSC558]

This was a great one! Although, I still need that Bohemond song to soothe my 1st crusade obsessed soul

[@pattyguy]

nice

[@DenStoreLaffen]

This is a bit like singing "Tie me kangaroo down" in Old High German. Great stuff!

[@heskan]

I love how many interpretations this can have, either taking the side of the virtuous, christian Herr Mannelig who rejects the evil, temptuous troll, that of the troll who would save her beauty if she finds a man in time or somewhere in between. Especially interesting considering the historical context.

[@Saulus_Procuse]

Absolute banger! I love remixed versions! Great work, if I may have permission, can I make a remix version?

[@SkaldBard]

Haha, sure thing!

[@Saulus_Procuse]

@@SkaldBard Thank you kind sir! I appreciate your kindness!

[@SkaldBard]

Please show me when you've done it ;-)

[@Saulus_Procuse]

@@SkaldBard already made it sir, I don't think it's much good but it is ok-ish

[@derskalde4973]

It feels so weird, that I can kinda understand what is said from knowing modern german and english, and piecing together the rest out of that context.

[@newg4515]

Great song! Anything in Welsh/cornish/britonnic?

[@SkaldBard]

Definitely some stuff coming!

[@cain9926]

i am PUMPED!!!!!

[@SwedishSinologyNerd]

Gothic hereafter, I beseech 🙏

[@destrierofdark_]

just this contrast for old english is rich, and if you know icelandic and english and have an eye that's able to look deep, you can actually piece together the modern form of this song, and the descending words. also of note are certain quirks that have evolved out of english; "bewed" is not something anyone says today, but given linguistic context, this is still valid english to this very day. the word "bewitch" comes to mind for something that still sees modern use and retains this prefix.

[@LAC03098]

Skald! Sorry for lacking in support lately. I’ve been struggling a bit Loving the song. One I tried to translate before I confused myself with meanings and underlying meanings. One thing I pick out is you interpret the orginal Swedish “Mannelig” as a man. In all other versions I have seen this translated as a name. So I ask if this so because of your experience with the Swedish language and you being a translator or if this is a personal choice so that it fits the Anglo-Saxon language better? As always, lovely work Alex and amazing to see your stuff. Props to your Wife too! Her pronunciation is impeccable and sounds almost natural. Lots of love and respect God bless

[@brian0902]

Well, I think he is using the origin of it, since Mannelig means manly or of a manly nature, as it comes from man, meaning man or male, and -lig is related to the English suffix -ly, as in manly, etc. It’s a characteristic suffix. It may just be a name, but it would have originally meant manly or a sir of manly stock.

[@LAC03098]

@@brian0902 so, in Swedish he would be “Mr Manly” as you might refer to a particularly strong man today?

[@brian0902]

@@LAC03098Basically, if it became a name, my guess is that it then lost its original meaning. However, the original meaning of Mannelig was likely to denote some sense of manliness. The witch or troll views the person she is trying to marry as an ideal man. If you think about it, why would she know his name? When he responds to her marriage proposal, he rebukes her regardless, so I’d think they wouldn’t be friends. She’s likely using a characteristic-based name for him, kind of like when someone, though cheesy, says ‘he’s a hunk’ or ‘hi mommy,’ or other words you might use to describe someone without saying their actual name.

[@SkaldBard]

Hey mate, sorry to hear you've been struggling a bit -- nice to hear from you as always. Thanks a lot for the kind words! It seems clear to me that the song is allegorical and essentially conveying a moral teaching. I don't think "Mannelig" is formally a name at all, rather is meant to contrast with both her feminine (Mannelig meaning manly) and possibly supernatural nature (Mannelig meaning human, "as a man"), both of which provide temptations for young, ambitious men: the allure of a woman offering herself freely, and the allure of the finest worldly riches. The moral teaching comes from his ability to reject both of these elements by abiding by his Christian faith, which calls for the rejection of the world if it should lead one to sin, which lust and coveting riches do. Thanks to its shared etymology, mannlic in OE covers the same meanings and provides a very similar phonetic experience to the original, so it seemed like the obvious choice!

[@LAC03098]

@@SkaldBard thank you. I see what you mean. I’ve not really heard of it spoken that way but as a young girl who doesn’t understand love and a man (clearly, Christian). I’ve only ever heard one version where she was described in footnotes as a “heathen girl”. It’s a very interesting story there. I like the thoughts on contrast and undermining the girl, promoting the Christian faith. It sounds good in Old English, I think better than it would have done in modern English (blasted french influence😂). But well done again, I do love your music

[@AnneBeggs]

Lovely =----->

[@angelmeier4382]

Beautiful song. It's really a treat, especially with the feminine vocal of your wife and being sung in Old English. I really enjoy hearing Old English. Btw do you plan on making any German songs, I don't know which language it was but I mean the one from 1200s, the same as in the original Palastinalied?

[@SkaldBard]

That's Middle High German, and yeah, certainly am planning to make some!

[@octaviusthecrafter]

I REALLY loved the first one you made. I love all your Norse/Old English music. It brings a calling to me, since I am descended from the Norse. So, its nice I get two amazing versions of the same song. Would you also be open to doing some of Tolkien's songs? The Rohorrim practically spoke OE anyways. I think you would do it perfectly.

[@SkaldBard]

I would love to, I'm just not too sure about copyright with Tolkien's stuff. And thanks so much for the kind words!

[@octaviusthecrafter]

I think if you put it as an "interpretation" or something I think it's good. Clamvavi De Profundis do a lot of Tolkien songs and Geoff Castalucci (not sure I spelled that right) does a few too. You could see how they do it. I think everybody would love it! Keep up the good work!​@@SkaldBard

[@marcus4046]

Me: About to take a nice nap get some sleep and just have a good sunday morning. KZbin Recommended: Wake up! Bardman Mcbeardy just released a new video!

[@SkaldBard]

Bardman McBeardy, that is new! ;)

[@marcus4046]

@@SkaldBard Idk thats probably not the best nickname hmmm....Skaldy? Bardman? That other guy that makes historical type songs with Farya Faraji?

[@it1957]

Great song as always!Can you do a song about the fight of Adrianople in 378?

[@Malvikins]

Gēseeeee! 😀 Þē wille iċ ġiefan līcian and subscriban

[@michaeus]

Eac þís gealdor sang lícaþ me

[@bine35]

why does this sound so familiar

[@canislupusminecraft2670]

Probably because he has posted this song before on his channel, but it was in Old Norse.

[@toyfoxy-rq4ee]

The norse became real quiet since this droped.

[@uuueeeuuu1117]

it's amazing how Old English differs from Old Norse, sometimes I try to imagine what a conversation would have been like between the Nordic colonizers in England and ordinary English speakers, I wonder if they could have communicated somehow

[@michaelbell3952]

I've never clicked so fast

[@proxwarrior33]

skald would you do a song in middle high german or livonian about the teutonic or livonian order

[@ShawnPruitt-j9h]

i need one in old irish