Viking Battle Prayer
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Svein Gjermundarson, the bard at the king’s court in Oslo, Norway, wrote a poem that would become known as “The Song of the Sword,” or simply The Song. It was composed to celebrate victory over enemies and inspire the men to do battle:
”O gods of Valhalla, hear me now,
As I sing before your altar of stone
That is carved from your holy mountain.
Let us be warriors of the shield-wall
Who fight for Odin’s hall, the hall of honor;
Who are we that are so valiant?
We who will go where others have failed
And win against impossible odds.
The gods know it all, they are on our side
And give us their might to protect and defend.”
It’s likely this song is older than that time, but the version in circulation today was compiled by scholars at the University of Oslo in the 1960s. They believed the author to have been one of King Olav Tryggvason’s bards during his war campaigns of the mid-10th century.
The work was first printed in 1973 and has since become popular throughout Europe. The poem’s popularity grew when it was used to soundtrack the 1981 movie Clash of the Titans. In the film, the words are changed slightly: “To Valhalla, we’ll go… Valhalla! To Valhalla, we will go!”
The Vikings did not know their own strength or prowess until it was tested again and again in battle. As they advanced across Europe, they were able to overwhelm their opponents by sheer force of arms. But their greatest strength was the spirit that filled the hall. Men and women fought in this spirit as if there was nothing more important to them than winning that day.
There are several places mentioned in the poem where a reference can be made to a weapon or some aspect of warfare. This section of the work describes the sword as it is wielded by warriors: “When our sword strikes the foe we shall strike hard, and cut him with ease.”
The poet also uses this same metaphor in relation to the shield, stating: “Shields will stand guard for us as our sword defends the shield wall.” He goes on to praise the axe in this fashion: “It has an edge, sharp enough to sever
“The neck of a giant.”
Finally, there is mention of helmets in the following line: “Forged of steel and hardened in flames
“The helm protects us from harm.”
I have chosen a passage from The Song to highlight the spirit of the Vikings. As I said above, it was not unusual for such a work to be sung after a successful battle. This particular poem, though, speaks more specifically about how the men in the battle will act as one when the time comes. It gives an idea of what they will do in a fight, but more importantly, it shows why it will happen.
”Let us be warriors of the shield wall,
Who fight for Odin’s hall, the hall of honor;
Who are we that are so valiant?
We who will go where others have failed
And win against impossible odds.
The gods know it all, they are on our side
And give us their might to protect and defend.”
—Viking Battle Prayer
***
Fjord-Dwelling People
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.”
–Proverb
“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate!”
“Don’t speak, just listen.”
–Cool Hand Luke, 1967
I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. My stomach hurts. But most of all, my heart hurts. The pain inside of me can no longer be denied, and there’s nothing anyone else can say or do to ease my grief.
The thought that fills my head at night, when I should be asleep, is that I have killed a man. In cold blood and in battle. Not like killing some animal with antlers for a meal but someone who was an equal before me in life. And he was a good and honorable man.
I knew him as a friend. He was part of a community. He had friends, and he would never think to betray those who were loyal to him. That’s why the loss is so much harder than it has ever been in any of my other fights.
When I lost people during battle, it was expected. It was what I trained to do, what I did every day. The men and women of Valhalla would die because it was their nature as warriors.
I cannot explain why this loss hurts so deeply or why it is more intense now that I know that this is not some enemy I am about to kill, but a friend, an ally, one of our own. The only way I know to deal with the pain is to focus on my duty. To fulfill my oath, and win the war.
It wasn’t easy to convince the men of Valhalla to fight in the first place. But it was worse trying to get them to understand that the war with Rome must be won, that it could not be stopped. Many times I’ve seen these Viking warriors, who have lived and fought all their lives under the rule of the gods, look into my eyes as they struggled to make sense of what I was saying.
“But why does a warrior fight in a war if he’s not supposed to win?” was one such question I’ve heard from many men of the North. I had no answer, not yet; I could only say that there were rules and laws set by Odin and other gods that made the war inevitable. It was up to us to decide which side we would fight for and how we would win.
As we sailed away from Ireland, our spirits were at a low ebb. As our ship passed the straits, the waves of the Atlantic crashed against the rock wall below, sending spray high into the air like fire from a dragon’s mouth.
It was said that the water around the cliffs of Dun Laoghaire smelled of blood; it was also said that when you stood atop them on a windless day, the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks seemed to echo forever and drown out any other noise. The people of Dublin called it the Dark Mother’s Tears.
“It’s strange,” Odin had said during those first days after leaving Ireland, “but this sea has never failed me. It’s never betrayed me in battle.” He smiled as he looked around at the crew gathered on deck as the gray clouds moved overhead and the waves rolled into the hull.
“This sea will carry us all the way back home and we’ll never forget it or our friends on shore, but most of all, we shall remember the Dark Mother. She has blessed us with her love and given us victory over death so long as we return.”
A chill ran through the hearts of many of the Vikings, but I was sure Odin would not be deterred. He’d been sailing since the age of ten. And now his father’s legacy would give him what he desired. Valhalla. A place where we could live and die in battle and be celebrated for it.
It would be different than the life these Norsemen lived at sea and on land, but then it hadn’t been so very long ago that I’d spent my time in the company of barbarians too. I’d learned to speak their language and even understand the strange thoughts they often shared.
It was a good thing we weren’t all of one mind because we might have ended up in a bad place if we all had the same goals. As it was, the Northmen were loyal to Odin, to each other, and to us, and I hoped that this war would change nothing in Valhalla when we arrived.
I know I’m thinking of Valhalla. Not just about where it is or what it will be like, but whether I’m worthy of going there or not. It seems like only yesterday when I was in Dublin, training and living with a group of barbarians as my father sent me out on raids to find more allies for my army.
Now I am a leader of men and responsible for the safety and welfare of our homeland. My heart beats faster as I imagine the day we will arrive back at Asgard. What sort of welcome do we expect? Will I finally see my mother?
Will she remember who I am or will she be pleased to see me after so many years without a word from her or the North? And what of Father? Has he forgotten how much his son has sacrificed for him? For the kingdom. And for the gods.
I’ve seen the men of Valhalla fight. They’re brave, strong, and as fierce as wolves; and yet some of them seem like children. I have no idea why, but I have a feeling that I may never understand the minds of these men, nor even why my father chose to give me this duty.
In my heart, I feel as if this is where I should have been born, not with such noble parents but rather in a barbarian tribe or with one of the Norsemen in the Northlands. The world of the Norse is harsh, dark, and filled with magic.
I feel as if I am a shadow of someone else, though perhaps that is why Odin has placed me in charge of this war because he doesn’t want me to change; he wants me to be me. He’s given me command over an army to defend Asgard, the kingdom of the gods, and I’m sure that when I step onto that hallowed ground I will finally see the faces of those who rule the world.
I have fought with them and defeated them. Perhaps they’ll take me into their midst.
“You’re thinking too much,” Bjorn says to me, his voice low so it does not carry out over the water as we make our way northward.
“What?” I reply, confused. “Is there something on my face that is distracting you?” I try to keep my voice light.
He looks at me for a long time before speaking, and the look in his eyes makes me wish I hadn’t said anything. As always, he is wearing the white robes that are common to all the warriors in Asgard. The same color as the hair that drapes his head in thick curls and glistens like polished gold when the sun hits it just right.
But his beard is black and cut straight across, not unlike mine and as I stare at it, I realize he has grown it longer than most other men do. “It’s only strange that I’ve known you so well for years yet never saw what I am now seeing.”
He reaches out and runs a hand through his thick mane of hair, pulling it back from his face. When he pulls away he smiles. “But it’s been too many years since we were in Valhalla and we have a lot to tell each other if we ever get a chance. If it is not too late. For some of us, anyway.”
I swallow hard and shake off my fear that I’m losing him again. “It will be good to see the faces of those who live there, I think. I know it won’t change my heart, but it could perhaps give me hope.”
Bjorn nods, smiling, but he keeps his voice low until we make land. I can see it in his eyes that he’s lost the war against himself. “I don’t have to worry about what I am going to do when I go home,” he says, “because I no longer know what my heart wants.”
“That is something you have done your entire life, Bjorn, and you still have no idea?”
His lips spread into a wide grin, showing teeth that are just as white as his hair and beard. “You would be surprised what I’ve learned in the last few years.” He looks at me, and then at the men of our army as they set sail on their ships that will lead them across the great ocean. “What do you plan to do with yourself now?”
I feel awkward standing alone at the prow of one ship while men from all over the North are busy at the oars or walking alongside the hull. I know how strange it must seem to these warriors to see me without my sword, armor, and shield, yet I am just a man; and like any other man, I have needs, desires, and dreams.
I look down at my feet and smile as I see my boots, made of smooth leather with a high collar.
“I’m going to get a new pair of boots,” I say, knowing that the words sound lame but I want to laugh and cry at the same time. I don’t know which I will choose. The truth is, I am not sure I’ll ever find what I need in Valhalla if I go there at all. But as much as I feel like my world is crumbling around me, I have to admit that there was never a better time in my life than this moment.
The End