The English Varangians - Old English Song - HD Remake | The Skaldic Bard

[@SkaldBard]

As requested by several commenters, here’s a remake of my song The English Varangians, written and performed by me in Old English. The song tells the story of the Anglo-Saxon warriors who were forced to leave England after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and seek a new home abroad. The events are based on the account given in the Icelandic Játvarðar Saga. The Englishmen sailed down through the Straits of Gibraltar and onward to the Mediterranean, retaking lands for Christendom as they went. They came to Constantinople which was under siege by foreign foes, and vowed to aid Emperor Alexios. This was the start of the Anglo-Saxon branch of the Varangian Guard. As time went on, some of the Anglo-Saxon warriors decided to find a place to start a new colony, which they deemed Nova Anglia, or New England, somewhere in modern day Crimea. Emperor Alexios said that if they could reconquer those lands, they could keep them - and that they did. They named their cities London and York, among others, and maintained their English traditions and language for centuries. This is my attempt at sharing their story. I’m releasing some remakes of my songs as most of my creative energy is currently being put towards a big collaboration that I think you guys should like. So, I will be making more new original songs again soonish, but there is some other exciting content to look forward to ;-) I hope you enjoy. If you would like to support my work and see more, please subscribe and leave a comment. If you would like to help me make more songs in a range of languages, please leave your suggestions and consider supporting me at www.buymeacoffee.com/theskaldicbard. Thanks!

[@darthnymruk9766]

Really looking forward to that collab, great job as always!!!

[@Chance_Rice]

They tried to make America a little too early lol

[@amerAsterix]

hello skaldbard..Listen to this Music from the Middle Ages.kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4SpnH2blNChgZo It is very wonderful. This wonderful composer also composes Celtic and Nordic Music.

[@amerAsterix]

This is a Celtic Music from one of his wonderful celtic Music too kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHbJZ6SPacugmdE

[@yigitT220]

Such a cool piece of history, I wonder the details of it. I wish I was there with them, lmao, the adventure sounds exciting.

[@lordanglish]

Singlehandedly, this man is carrying English 'folk' music and lore on his back, may the Lord bless this man! Looking forward to the song collab Skald. Oh, and song slaps - still love being able to understand the Old English.

[@SkaldBard]

@@lordanglish Thanks so much, my friend, for the mightily edifying words

[@AthelstansSuccessor]

I have a song suggestion! King athelstan's rise to uniting England and his journey from an anglo Saxon warrior to the first king of England! Great work as always!! 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@mrksrecko34]

This song helped me when i was far from home last year, missing my family and hometown... I was in really bad shape mentally but these lyrics just spoke to me and helped me go through, thank you sgain for this masterpiece

[@Aureus_]

It's incredible how music moves us isn't it? I hope you're doing better friend.

[@SkaldBard]

@@mrksrecko34 God bless you, my friend

[@haroldgōdwinessunu]

Skaldic, you are a gift from God, may He bless you & your family.

[@SkaldBard]

@@haroldgōdwinessunu Thank you for your very kind words, brother

[@haroldgōdwinessunu]

@@SkaldBard You're welcome.

[@FlaviusBelisarius500]

Even if i don't have Saxon origins, my Saxon blood is boiling inside me and my Saxon ancestors are pushing me to grab an axe and to run to costantinople. Truly a masterpiece, wes hal Skald

[@lahostiaeseldead]

Well, I certainly didn't expect one of my favourite songs in Old English to be remastered. The shift in quality for the better is certainly noticeable, and, I hope I can get around to be able to listen to a remastered version of "March of the Visigoths". Thank you for all the bangers, and greetings from Spain!

[@renanschimuneck9369]

Epic, truly. Greetings from Brazil, it's nice to see that those Anglo-Varangians got their revenge against their Norman foe when they defended Emperor Alexios Roman Empire against Bohemund when he tried to invade Dyrrachium.

[@leonardoferrari4852]

The varangians fled the battlefield and were burnt to death in a church, not much of a revenge

[@justagreekhistorian]

These HD remakes keep pouring in and I am all for it

[@TheBakedCrusader]

Harold Godwinson, Harald Hardrada AND THE ENGLISH VARANGIANS HE'S OUT OF CONTROL

[@marcus4046]

Time to launch up ck3 to play as a Varangian Anglo Saxon again, Keep it up....also pretty please upload these to spotify?

[@ub3rfr3nzy94]

This was my exact thought. I was waiting for roads to power to launch my unlanded varangian quest to colonise Crimea

[@bine35]

Am with you brother

[@SkaldBard]

@@marcus4046 Legend, might have to do the same playthrough! Will get them on Spotify next week :-)

[@ragingsmurfling7205]

​@@SkaldBardNewest DLC allows you to be an Anglo-Saxon exile. Would be ironic to be Harold if he survives and is deposed. Lead his men to a new home. Doing it as Eadgar the Aetheling is also extremely entertaining

[@marcus4046]

@@ragingsmurfling7205 I enjoy being edric the wild or that man Hereward "The Wake" of the Fens. being wild saxon men who harass the noble and prestigious norman knights is a fun image in my mind.

[@corneliu-mihaimagureanu6626]

The song that introduced me to this channel, this is marvelous no words left

[@GameboyMega]

Skald just can't miss!

[@Aureus_]

Bard's on a roll and refining his art like a work of Michelangelo in the musical form!

[@MaefigHistory]

This is like watching your favorite movie character win a climatic battle. We love you Skald, you keep us all entertained with your well made music. Wesaþ hale!

[@grandmarshallsteve]

English Varangians was one of my favorite songs of yours, and you've somehow made it even better! Outstanding work my man. And, y'know, it's funny, I wonder if Willelm had to lost to Harold if there'd have been Norman Varangians instead.

[@SkaldBard]

@@grandmarshallsteve Very interesting to consider! Thanks a lot, my man, good to hear from you and glad you're enjoying it

[@Hu55ar]

YESS!! I have been waiting for this, thank you! I am loving these remakes!

[@lukefriesenhahn8186]

Thank you Skald! This song is a must listen. Your channel is a rare gem in terms of learning Old English.

[@sfire8111]

So glad that a remake was done of this. I love both the old and new one equally!

[@ragingsmurfling7205]

Got the alert. A perfect sequel to the song of Harold Godwinson when listening. Listening now!

[@kristiangg4263]

another masterpiece like always! your songs never dissapoint friend!

[@Gtr4Peace]

We've just been skalded.

[@Beorneofmercia449]

Indeed we have

[@MatthewVanston]

Reik-røld

[@Ананасик-й9д]

Dear Skaldic Bard, could you please remake your song about Magnus the Good? I just like how harmonic Old East Slavic sounds with Old Norse there. Btw this one is awesome!

[@SkaldBard]

@@Ананасик-й9д Yes, I'm planning that one shortly! Thanks a lot man

[@nerevardefrance7392]

And Rolandskvadet will be awesome if it's planned 🤩

[@Ананасик-й9д]

​@@nerevardefrance7392 absolutely agreed

[@Farq1653]

I say this with honesty; this (atop my introduction to the arresting interest of it courtesy of another who put together an Old English cover of Never Gonna Give You Up) has bore the weight of my education of the old tongue of England, without much outside help beyond listening and replicating noises, a research here and there for troubling word combos and pronunciation - regardless of how rudimentary. Thus far I've yet to be able to sleep well at night because I keep on thinking about the damn language and the history. It's simply an indefatigable topic, in every way great imaginable. Thanks to you always for keeping us in touch via music alone with such a curious part of history.

[@agentbimlo4555]

It brings me great sorrow that youtube hasn’t notified me of this once again miraculous work of you Skald! Glad to see this remakes keep it up and hope to hear you again very soon!

[@SkaldBard]

@@agentbimlo4555 hah, I was wondering where you were! Bless you, friend, thanks for commenting and for the kind words

[@Ianiosos]

Great remake!!! Also a great song by it self!!!

[@Bufkey]

The audio quality has definitely been improved, undoubtedly made me like this song more. Very well done! Amazing work as always!

[@AAQULIS]

Old versions will always be in our hearts, yet these new ones are indeed more pleasant to hear!

[@FiMfictionReader25]

I haven't found such great songs in a good while, thank you mate!

[@LAC03098]

Skald! always a good week when i see an upload from you. This is a great song, and i had it on repeat for weeks when it first came out - now i imagine it will be this version. I love your dedication and commitment and actually re-recording your songs instead of just digitally editing them, it allows for a more natural pronunciation as well, something always a treat to hear but even more so in your masterpieces. Good luck with your upcoming collaboration, can't wait for the result over here! Great work as Always God bletsige þe and þin wif.

[@caderiddle5996]

Another remake of some of my favorite songs, nice. Now to listen to this on high volume on the way back home from work.

[@TheSwissObserver27]

Amazing remake of a song I don’t think is appreciated enough. Much obliged Skald! (P.S. you should make a remake of one of the OG songs: Gunnar a Hlídarenða ;))

[@SkaldBard]

@@TheSwissObserver27 Haha, you really are an OG

[@TheSwissObserver27]

@@SkaldBard What can I say, I’ve been here since Hail Mary in Old Norse 😎

[@VohzdinWerewolf]

Anything this man makes is peak I tell you!

[@BrotherInGod777official]

Love it every single time

[@iberius9937]

I find it extremely interesting how the Anglo-Saxons called the Mediterranean literally "The Vandal Sea." Very telling.

[@juniorezequielduranreynoso946]

Þú ok þínar sagnir eru,haha,miklar ok við allvald. Syng meira Skáldr!!!!

[@devinehagia123]

Im from New England, USA. I feel like this song could also represent our ancestors who came over to this land as well❤

[@Casus-Belli]

Great song as always! I'd really like to hear your version of Chevalier, mult estes guariz. It's in old French so I don't know if it falls into what you can do, but I saw one of your song in old Spanish so why not 😊

[@ponticgreekmapper1335]

I have been listening to your songs for a few months now. Amazing as well, and obviously its getting even better each time! It definitely catches the vibe. I would like to make a request, and although I realize its a very hard one and based on something entirely fictional, so I dont really expect it, but I will still drop my idea. In the EU4 game, there is a mod called "Third Odyssey" where the Byzantines escape to America. It would be interesting to have a medieval Greek song about this escape, similar to how this song is about the escape of Anglo-Saxon warriors. Nevertheless, as I said I realize this is a hard one and I dont really expect it done. But well, the song is amazing, keep on doing this man!

[@vibeman296]

Yup, another Skaldic Banger.

[@sometimesicryinthebasement5121]

Amazing 👌

[@somuchsociology]

LETS GO!

[@Nox._]

Excellent!

[@ethanpeeler3147]

Hell yeah. I love the instrumental to this song. I think this or the battle of Catalonian plains was the first song of yours I’ve heard. Have you found your old English has changed or improved over time as you’ve made more music? I’ve noticed the lyrics in the remakes are often very slightly changed from the originals. Would you consider a song about the battle of Vosges? It’s a battle between the Roman’s led by Julius Caesar and the Germanic Suebi led by Ariovistus. It took place in modern Alsace France, at that time a part of the Hercynian forest. It could be in Latin and proto Germanic.

[@uberfeel]

That awkward moment when you realise that your comrade is also your former enemy from another war.

[@mrksrecko34]

LETS GOOOOO

[@Chance_Rice]

I am an American but I am mostly of Anglo-saxon with a little Irish, we will never fall as anglos

[@Katidetinjicxjo]

i hereby request another song in old saxon!! :O

[@iberius9937]

I doubt it would be able to surpass "Otto The Great," one of his greatest originals.

[@Englisc-Seaxe]

Just in time for my lift! Iċ þancie þē

[@SkaldBard]

@@Englisc-Seaxe Based

[@gabriel_brasil33]

Any chance of ever having a song about Saint George in Old English or Middle English? God bless

[@SkaldBard]

@@gabriel_brasil33 Been thinking of doing one for him on Middle English, aye.. will make a note! Bless you, friend, nice to hear from you again!

[@natheriver8910]

Wonderful mate👏👏👏👏👏🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️⛵️

[@Beorneofmercia449]

oh my goodness skald i have an idea if you've ever listened to forefather would you sing when our england died in old english, now that would be something to hear for an anniversary of the battle of hastings

[@LordOvWolves1996]

Could you pleae make a song about the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire? I honestly think you can make a very badass song out of it. Like how the conquistador Hernan Cortez had to form an alliance in order to defeat the Aztecs

[@SkaldBard]

I'll make a note!

[@LeRoyEngloys]

You know just yesterday I heard the original and thought "This is such a new song it is a shame he has not remade it with better production quality"

[@datbo1]

I love this song

[@youraveragetemplar5810]

Could you do a cover of Scarborough Faire in Old English?

[@Beorneofmercia449]

Lets make a new form of rick roll its called skalded by skaldic bard, fantastic remake good bardsman👏👌

[@servantofaeie1569]

These are some of my favorites you have yet to remaster: St Rognvald God Beþ Mid Us Jórsalaljóð (Norse Palästinalied) Rolandskvadet (Norse) Bróðir í móti bróður Wiedeń Jerusalem (Old English)

[@SerbianLifter997]

I'd love to see a song from the perspective of the Normans. Their language was alot like the Jerriais language spoke in Jersey, France.

[@zachbrown2372]

Can’t wait for a St Olaf remake if you had it on your mind

[@SkaldBard]

@@zachbrown2372 Definitely on the cards :D

[@NorwegianSedevacantist]

Based, but I am once again asking for a remake of Jorsalaljod.

[@SkaldBard]

@@NorwegianSedevacantist Eg bed om tolmod, min venn 🙏🏻

[@NorwegianSedevacantist]

@@SkaldBard Det skjer ikke, min venn, jeg kommer til å mase og mase til du lager sangen >:)

[@Dryhten1801]

Big up Edwin and Morcar

[@shepherddog1199]

If you havent already do a song about the Hound of Chulain, first named Setanta. Irish legend, supposed son/incarnation of Lugh, one of the pagan Irish deities.

[@AunninnGamli]

Bard: makes a song with equipment that gives a good sound. Also bard: why not make a remake?

[@bottlerocket2528]

Could you please do an HQ version of Slayer of Huns?

[@paul2778]

🔥🔥🔥

[@arcyllis2367]

Any chance to get one more verse on the settement of Nova Anglia, to put a bow on the story?

[@SkaldBard]

@@arcyllis2367 Part of the mystery is that we know very little about the actual settlement, just that there was one. I decided to leave it to the imagination of the listener!

[@arcyllis2367]

@@SkaldBard Very interesting! And thanks for the unexpectedly punctual reply! :D

[@thefremmmmchpolike]

Easily tied with Farya Faraji for my favorite artist

[@Maples_Syrup_Frog]

Bard where can I buy your songs to have them in mp3 or other format for my music player and also help/support you? I don't have Spotify or other "cloud"services. I'm old school and like havingthe songs available in my iPod.

[@drago_6812]

What genre is this considered? I love your songs and also other songs from the middle ages but i cant find a genre to call them other than "medieval music"

[@Hrvatski_vojnik]

We need a song about Hereward the Wake or Hengest and Horsa

[@emreaydn9331]

Great job, congratulations! The Old English is really influenced by German and Norse, due the Anglo-Saxons are German and the Danelaw times I think. I wonder how it evolved to current English.

[@brian0902]

English changed so much from Old English because of two big events: the Norman invasion in 1066 and, a bit earlier, the adoption of Christianity by the Anglo-Saxons. These two things completely reshaped the language. When the Normans invaded, they brought their version of French with them. Since the Normans became the ruling class, French ended up mixing with English, especially in government, law, and fancy stuff like art and food. That’s why we have words like justice, beef, and fashion from French, but simpler words like king, cow, and clothing are still Anglo-Saxon. Before that, when the Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity (around the 6th century), Latin started influencing Old English too. A lot of religious words like bishop, altar, and psalm came from this period. Then, after the Norman invasion, Latin stuck around even more because it was the language of the church and education for centuries. Even though English has borrowed a ton of foreign words (there are actually more borrowed words than native ones!), most of the common words we use today are derived Old English. Words like the, and, man, woman, and house all come from Anglo-Saxon. You can easily write a sentence using only Old English words, but it’s almost impossible to do that with just borrowed ones. Later on, English also borrowed words from Arabic, Sanskrit, Tamil, and other languages. For example, orange (the fruit) comes from Tamil (nāram), through Sanskrit (nāraṅga). Fun fact: the color orange was named after the fruit! Before that, they just called it yellow-red (ġeolurēad in Old English). Basically, if that bastard William hadn’t invaded, and if the Anglo-Saxons had stuck to their old pagan ways, English would’ve probably stayed way closer to other Germanic languages like Dutch or German. But because of those two events, it turned into the mixed-up language we use today!

[@amluptal.3126]

盎格鲁的诗人，诺斯的诗人，希望您会给我们带来更多惊喜！爱来自中国

[@tyler2212]

okay knut the great hd remake when?

[@enricobetti4987]

Bellissima

[@TiernanOleary]

You should do Ved Stanford Brua in old norse

[@iberius9937]

Awesome remake for an awesome original song. May I ask which dialect of Old English this is and why "brōþor" doesn't look like its plural modern descendant "brothers?" Probably a dumb question, I know.

[@davestevenson9080]

Dear Skaldic Bard, please release a mp3 rip of all your tracks in one package that I can legitimately pay for rather than use converter on them all

[@ThanhNguyen-vf5rl]

What about a song about king arthur in welsh?

[@paul2778]

We wish to hear a song about king Richard the Lionheart 🦁👑

[@DiexAye]

Imagine getting kicked in the ass by Normans in England then go to the Roman Empire and get kick in the ass by Normans in Sicily

[@NamelessMF1658]

Nye Ânglann må vare den béste Ângelske Myden Gôtt ow fô denne í nygjära ow, ér e krann bedde

[@tarasto6772]

Long live little England

[@Haimariks]

GEA!

[@MatthewVanston]

Those were the guys who established in Ukraine, right?

[@tfan2222]

Crimea.

[@JustinMiller-mt2fp]

"Novo Anglia" aka crimea.

[@saadiftikhar3317]

Early

[@drago_6812]

Can you make a song about the arab invasion of the balkans in 712 and how Bulgaria and Byzantine allied to defeat them

[@estevanconrado1564]

Yàkăų kàř vəőłâ'ķ.

[@ZecaPinto1]

Albion belongs more to brythonic and welsh legend and culture than saxon

[@robertoboehler-blumenau-sc8818]

it sounds so german

[@allenw3755]

a papist singing about the orthodox english warriors... this is like the soviets singing anthems about the white army. this contradiction can only hide a shady motive. i hope you will abandon the ecumenist lie and come to The Truth for good.

[@SkaldBard]

@@allenw3755 Those "Orthodox English" that refused to adopt St Paul's Law and the divine liturgy in Nova Anglia and instead sought Western Catholic bishops from Hungary? Or Alfred the Great whose kingship was blessed by the Pope? I have respect for elements of Orthodoxy but their internet warriors have got to go. Roma Invicta!

[@allenw3755]

then why did they go to Constantinople? they could serve william, they could go to spain, venice, or rome itself. but they chose to go and serve The Orthodox Autocrat, who and whose Empire were attacked from all sides (from within also). did the analogy with the soviets hit home?

[@SkaldBard]

@allenw3755 Why did the monasteries follow the Benedictine rule, why did they use Roman canon law, why did they use Latin in their liturgy, why did Alfred go to Rome to receive the Pope's blessing, why did the synods of Whitby and Chelsea reaffirm the Pope's authority, why did Harold Godwinson himself go to Rome, why did they request Western bishops after exile..? Read any saga and read the Anglo Saxon chronicle and save yourself the embarrassment. I mean, you think because they travelled to an extremely wealthy and well-established city, they must therefore have been Orthodox? Were the Crusaders also Orthodox after responding to the Pope's call because they stopped off in Emperor Alexios's keeping on the way? Preposterous argument lmao

[@allenw3755]

@@SkaldBard why do you start from the idea that the western roman christians (clergy and simple people), from the first milenium, shared your corrupted faith? your faith has been a continuous departure from the True Orthodox Christianity for nearly 1000 years. when it started? when the well known charle "magne" wanted to be considered a Roman Emperor. and what he did? he followed the example of Jeroboam (who made his people deify the golden cows) and started changing the symbol of faith. he pressured Pope Leo III to crown him emperor and to accept his new "symbol faith". The same Pope repented later for his mistake, but you want to ignore that. the only things you share with the former western christians is the latin language and the earth you are walking on. what is the difference between the original model of Saint Benedict monastery life and the ones from the Eastern Roman Empire? King Alfred went to recieve the blessings of the bishop of Rome (who was still sharing the same faith with the others patriarchies), who was ressponsible for the western regions, as the patriarch of Constantinople was for the Balkans. did those synods reaffirm the authority of the pope, as the canonical bishop of Rome or as God on Earth (as your current faith states)? when did Harold go to rome? i have no idea about this. bishops from hungary? from were did you get this information? why didn't they called ones direct from rome? why did they avoid rome? was Constantinople more desireable than the mighty fallen rome? you can laugh at me as much as you want, i know very well how weak i am. but after you are done laughing, i hope you will take a deeper look at the history of western europe. after the western christianity fell, the humanistic lie began when italian and french "smarties" have found the "marvelous" fantasies of helenistic/roman "knowledge lovers" and started calling the true christian centuries as "dark age" while they began the movement of "renaissance". rebirth of what exactly? rebirth of God hating paganisms. some people of your societies hated the tirany of your "god on earth" bishop and cut ties with you. those people could come back to the Mother Church, but no, they became the same thing which they hated and fell into more lies. on these foundations rised the "illuminist" smarties with their continuous relativism and nihilism, which are responsible for the problems of our days. and this all started (little by little, not all at once) when the new Jeroboam wanted to be called "Caesar". it would've been a problem if you did this just yourselves, but it became a much bigger problem when you started to oppres the true christians, who remain true to the teachings of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers, who recieved them from The True God.

[@allenw3755]

why do you start from the idea that the western roman christians (clergy and simple people), from the first milenium, shared your corrupted faith? your faith has been a continuous departure from the True Orthodox Christianity for nearly 1000 years. when it started? when the well known charle "magne" wanted to be considered a Roman Emperor. and what he did? he followed the example of Jeroboam (who made his people deify the golden cows) and started changing the symbol of faith. he pressured Pope Leo III to crown him emperor and to accept his new "symbol faith". The same Pope repented later for his mistake, but you want to ignore that. the only things you share with the former western christians is the latin language and the earth you are walking on. what is the difference between the original model of Saint Benedict monastery life and the ones from the Eastern Roman Empire? King Alfred went to recieve the blessings of the bishop of Rome (who was still sharing the same faith with the others patriarchies), who was ressponsible for the western regions, as the patriarch of Constantinople was for the Balkans. did those synods reaffirm the authority of the pope, as the canonical bishop of Rome or as God on Earth (as your current faith states)? when did Harold go to rome? i have no idea about this. bishops from hungary? from were did you get this information? why didn't they called ones direct from rome? why did they avoid rome? was Constantinople more desireable than the mighty fallen rome? you can laugh at me as much as you want, i know very well how weak i am. but after you are done laughing, i hope you will take a deeper look at the history of western europe. after the western christianity fell, the humanistic lie began when italian and french "smarties" have found the "marvelous" fantasies of helenistic/roman "knowledge lovers" and started calling the true christian centuries as "dark age" while they began the movement of "renaissance". rebirth of what exactly? rebirth of God hating paganisms. some people of your societies hated the tirany of your "god on earth" bishop and cut ties with you. those people could come back to the Mother Church, but no, they became the same thing which they hated and fell into more lies. on these foundations rised the "illuminist" smarties with their continuous relativism and nihilism, which are responsible for the problems of our days. and this all started (little by little, not all at once) when the new Jeroboam wanted to be called "Caesar". it would've been a problem if you did this just yourselves, but it became a much bigger problem when you started to oppres the true christians, who remain true to the teachings of the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers, who recieved them from The True God.

[@K0EN]

Awesome 👌