Back to the top

Myths and Legends

Myths and Legends

Story behind the song: The Feast at Glasir

The song The Feast at Glasir tells us a story of someone dying and going to Valhalla.

The Fallen

In the first verse of the song, it is described how there is a great war and how our protagonist falls in battle. Then he is taken to Sigtyr’s Halls by “great wings”. Sigtyr is one of the many names of Odin, and the great wings is a reference to Valkyries, who deliver half of the slain to Odin. The other half of fallen warriors goes with Freyja to her afterlife field, Fólkvangr.
While some say Valkyries may or may not have had angel-like wings, other sources say they had special cloaks that they could use to transform themselves into birds, like swans or eagles. The words “great wings” capture all of that and leaves it shrouded in a bit of a mystery.


Photo: Walkyrien (1905) by Emil Doepler

The Feast

The chorus then goes on to tell you to leave your worries behind for another day, and to enjoy your time feasting at Glasir. Glasir is only mentioned a handful of times in the Edda’s, but it is said to be the most beautiful tree among gods and men, or a grove, and it stands just outside the doors of Valhalla. It is usually said that feasting happens inside Valhalla, some other sources say they also happened right outside, at the golden tree.


Photo: Heiðrún in an illustration from an 18th-century Icelandic manusript.

Heidrun, or Heiðrún, is a magical goat who eats the leaves of the tree Lærâdr that stands at the top of Valhalla. This goat eternally produces mead in her udders, with which she fills an entire cauldron that is big enough to serve all the feasting warriors every day.

The second verse then goes on to tell us how all the protagonist’s friends who have also fallen in battle make their way into Valhalla as Einherjar, to be served mead by the Valkyries until the day Ragnarök comes.


Photos: Valhalla (1905) by Emil Doepler

Story behind the song: Tribute (to a King)

The song Tribute (to a King) tells the story of Wayland the Smith.
Wayland was a legendary blacksmith who, according to legend, forged multiple legendary items. Among those items are the sword “Gramr” which is used by Sigurd to defeat the dragon Fafnir, and the sword and chainmail worn by Beowulf.

As with many legends, there are multiple versions of this story. In one version, Völundr (Wayland) and his brothers Egil and Slagfiðr came across the three valkyries Ölrún, Hervör alvitr and Hlaðguðr svanhvít in the forest. After seven long years, the valkyries leave the brothers. Egil and Slagfiðr chased after them, never to return.

In another version, Wayland comes across his future bride Hervör while she’s spinning flax at the waterside. They fall in love and she follows Wayland home. There, he manages to steal the lady’s coat and hide it, forcing her to stay in human form. Now she had no choice but to marry the smith. She stays with Wayland for seven years before she manages to get her coat back and leave him.

In both versions of the story, Hervör leaves the smith a golden ring as a parting gift. This ring is precious to Wayland, and so he holds on to it, hoping for her return one day. In the first version of the story he creates seven hundred duplicates of it.

Nevertheless, she never returns before something terrible befalls Wayland….

Wayland the Smith

Niðhad, a cruel king, had heard of the smith Wayland and his legendary skills. He sent his men to capture the blacksmith so he could work for him and only him, and they caught him while he slept. Wayland was taken to the island Sævarstöð, far away from contact with anyone else, and put to work in a smithy built just for him.

To make sure the smith would not escape, the king ordered him to be hamstrung.
The king gave Wayland’s precious ring to his daughter (the princess Böðvildr), and the king took the smith’s sword for himself.

The blacksmith plotted for revenge, and one day when the king’s sons came over to the smithy to have some weapons forged, he gave them promises of gold the following day, but they had to tell no one about their little secret.
The princes returned the next day, and Wayland killed both of them. And that is when the smith started his work.

From their skulls, he fashioned two goblets, and he gifted them to the king.
From their eyes, he fashioned gems, and he gifted them to the queen.
From their teeth, he fashioned a brooch, and he gifted that to the princess.

When the princess asked Wayland if he could mend a ring for her, the smith’s own very special ring, he makes her drink a drugged beer from her brother’s skull and she passes out. While she is unconscious he rapes her and gets her pregnant. The ultimate form of humiliation to both the princess and the king.

The smith knew his plans must never be discovered before he could escape, and so he had forged a pair of wings in secret. As he took off, he flew to the king’s palace and told him about the death of his sons, and the abuse of his daughter. The king ordered his archers to shoot him down, but the smith had already flown away, never to be seen again.

And so ends the tale of Wayland the smith…

ilmarinen logo wit-transparant

Follow us