I Riden Så...
Gjallarhorn Lyrics


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O Silibrand kцrde uppе hцga loftesvala
-Allt under den linden sе grцna-
Dдr fick han se sin dotter I lunden fara
-I riden sе varliga genom lunden med henne-

O vдlest mig, vдlest mig vad jag nu ser
Jag ser min dotter, hon kommer till mig
O Silibrand fдmnar ut kappan sе blе
Den fцder hon tvе karska svennbarnen pе

Min fader skall jag giva min gеngare grе
Som han skall rida till kyrkan uppе

Min syster skall jag giva mina guldringar sju
Som jag ej haft sen jag stod brud

Min broder skall jag giva mina handskar smе
Som han skall ha likvart han gеr





Den ene sе fцr dom till Frejas dop
Den andra sе fцr dom till Valhalla sal

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gjallarhorn's song "I Riden Så..." tell a story of a father, Silibrand, who sees his daughter riding through the green linden forest with two brave young men. The first verse sets up the scene, with Silibrand observing his daughter riding through the forest with the two men. The second verse expresses Silibrand's shock and realization that the woman he is seeing is his own daughter. In the third verse, Silibrand abandons his cloak, which the daughter uses to give birth to her two sons. The daughter, in turn, promises to give her grey steed to her father, her seven gold rings to her sister, her small gloves to her brother, and sends one of the young men to Freyja's baptism and the other to Valhalla's hall.


The song invokes the imagery of Nordic mythology, evoking the goddess Freyja, who presides over fertility, and Valhalla, which was considered to be the afterlife for those who died bravely in battle. The green forest and the symbolism of the linden tree add to the mythological and mystical atmosphere of the song. The father's shock and the daughter's loyalty to her family and community underscore the importance of family bonds and the long-standing Nordic value of community.


Line by Line Meaning

O Silibrand kцrde uppе hцga loftesvala
Silibrand rode on a high-winged horse, everything looked so green under the linden tree


Dдr fick han se sin dotter I lunden fara
There he saw his daughter riding carefully through the woods


I riden sе varliga genom lunden med henne-
They rode carefully through the woods together


O vдlest mig, vдlest mig vad jag nu ser
Oh woe is me, what I now see


Jag ser min dotter, hon kommer till mig
I see my daughter, she is coming to me


O Silibrand fдmnar ut kappan sе blе
Oh, Silibrand removes his blue cape


Den fцder hon tvе karska svennbarnen pе
She gave birth to two strong sons


Min fader skall jag giva min gеngare grе
I shall give my father my grey horse to ride to the church


Som han skall rida till kyrkan uppе
So he can ride it up to the church


Min syster skall jag giva mina guldringar sju
I shall give my sister my seven gold rings


Som jag ej haft sen jag stod brud
That I have not worn since my wedding day


Min broder skall jag giva mina handskar smе
I shall give my brother my small gloves


Som han skall ha likvart han gеr
So he can wear them wherever he goes


Den ene sе fцr dom till Frejas dop
One of the sons will be taken to Freyja’s baptism


Den andra sе fцr dom till Valhalla sal
The other will be taken to Valhalla




Contributed by Zachary J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@hallhiireke

A Silibrand körde uppå höga loftessvala O Silibrand hurried to the top of the mound
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Där fick han se sin dotter i lunden fara then he saw his daughter wander in the grove
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

A välest mej, välest mej, vad jag nu ser O woe is me, woe is me, what do I behold
Allt under den linden så gröna all beneath the linden so green
Jag ser min dotter hon kommer til mej I see my daughter, she is coming to me
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

A Silibrand fämnar ut kappan så blå O Silibrand spread out his cape so blue
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Där föder hon två karska svenbarnen på Upon it she gives birth to twin sons
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

Min fader skall jag giva min gångare grå ” I shall give to my father my grey horse
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som han skall rida till kyrkan uppa Upon it he shall ride to the church
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the sacred grove with her

Min syster skall jag giva mina guld-ringar sju I shall give to my sister my seven gold rings
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som jag ej haft sen jag stod brud That I have not worn since I was a bride
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

Min broder skall jag giva mina handskar små I shall give to my brother my tiny gloves
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som han skall ha likvart han gar that he shall carry everywhere he goes”
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne ride gently through the grove with her

Den ene sa för dom till Freyjas dop The one son they took to Freyia s baptism
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Den andre så för dom till Vallhalla sal the other son they took to Valhalls court
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne ride gently through the grove with her.
Performed by Gjallarhorn on this link:



@sassy7298

English translation

"O Silibrand hurried to the top of the mound 
all under the linden so green 
then he saw his daughter wander in the grove
Ride gently through the grove with her 
O woe is me, woe is me, what do I behold      
all beneath the linden so green
I see my daughter, she is coming to me
Ride gently through the grove with her 
O Silibrand spread out his cape so blue
all under the linden so green
Upon it she gives birth to twin sons
 Ride gently through the grove with her
I shall give to my father my grey horse
 all under the linden so green
Upon it he shall ride to the church
Ride gently through the sacred grove with her  
I shall give to my sister my seven gold rings
all under the linden so green
That I have not worn since I was a bride
Ride gently through the grove with her 
I shall give to my brother my tiny gloves
all under the linden so green
that he shall carry everywhere he goes
ride gently through the grove with her
The one son they took to Freyia's baptism    
all under the linden so green
the other son they took to Valhalls court
ride gently through the grove with her."



@Bark777

This old folk song was performed by Gjallarhorn (see video link below). Here translated from Swedish. The song is full of old Pagan symbols: the grove was a natural temple to the Pagans. The grey horse is a metaphor for death. There is talk about riding (from the grove) to the Church, and to baptise Freyia. The transition between the old and the new religion was slow and often confusing, and left its mark in folklore and folk tunes for centuries after.

A Silibrand körde uppå höga loftessvala O Silibrand hurried to the top of the mound
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Där fick han se sin dotter i lunden fara then he saw his daughter wander in the grove
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

A välest mej, välest mej, vad jag nu ser O woe is me, woe is me, what do I behold
Allt under den linden så gröna all beneath the linden so green
Jag ser min dotter hon kommer til mej I see my daughter, she is coming to me
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

A Silibrand fämnar ut kappan så blå O Silibrand spread out his cape so blue
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Där föder hon två karska svenbarnen på Upon it she gives birth to twin sons
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

Min fader skall jag giva min gångare grå ” I shall give to my father my grey horse
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som han skall rida till kyrkan uppa Upon it he shall ride to the church
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the sacred grove with her

Min syster skall jag giva mina guld-ringar sju I shall give to my sister my seven gold rings
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som jag ej haft sen jag stod brud That I have not worn since I was a bride
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

Min broder skall jag giva mina handskar små I shall give to my brother my tiny gloves
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som han skall ha likvart han gar that he shall carry everywhere he goes”
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne ride gently through the grove with her

Den ene sa för dom till Freyjas dop The one son they took to Freyia s baptism
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Den andre så för dom till Vallhalla sal the other son they took to Valhalls court
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne ride gently through the grove with her.
Performed by Gjallarhorn on this link:

http://freya.theladyofthelabyrinth.com/?page_id=295



All comments from YouTube:

@fatfuckhatesyou

For the people wondering what language this is, it's Swedish but from a couple hundred years ago. Unless you live as high up as I do ( a couple km outside Kurravaara ) then alot of people still talk like this. I'm one of them.

@fatfuckhatesyou

Richard Irminsul Yes you can tell really fast that they are from the Swede parts of Finland.
Hard to explain but it sounds like a mix of finnish and northern Swedish accent combined.
The way she sings is old/northern Swedish but the accent is clearly Swe/Finn.

@anthrorambles6185

+Viking88 Amazing. Kurravaara is quite far north! What are the differences from more southern Swedish, would you say? Do they seem grammatical, like in the Elfdalian/Övdalsk of Dalarna, or is it more just a matter of style and vocabulary?

@fatfuckhatesyou

+AnthroRambles Both. We have our own way of speaking. While we can use normal Swedish like any other ( with heavy dialect) , we also have our own "language" with completely different sentence build up and grammar we normally use. Our way is more traditional with longer rolling R's and we use old words long forgotten in the south. For example lets have a sentence in both - Normal/South Swedish = Jag ska gå ut en liten stund. Our way = Jag skaller utåt gånga en kort tid. We use different words with the same meaning but different sound. Much older words. If you come across a person who speaks without regards of outsiders you probably won't understand more than a few words. ( if you speak Swedish) My mother for example almost sings out the words in one solid sentence that I understand perfectly but a person from Stockholm? No way they are gonna understand.

@fatfuckhatesyou

gurgblurg burglor Har jag inte på något sätt antytt heller. Och jag pratar inte Norrländska utan Norrbottniska.  Stor skillnad.
Men dom södra dialekterna skiljer sig mycket mot dom norra.

@tejavehov

+Viking88 teach me oh great sensei

150 More Replies...

@hallhiireke

A Silibrand körde uppå höga loftessvala O Silibrand hurried to the top of the mound
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Där fick han se sin dotter i lunden fara then he saw his daughter wander in the grove
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

A välest mej, välest mej, vad jag nu ser O woe is me, woe is me, what do I behold
Allt under den linden så gröna all beneath the linden so green
Jag ser min dotter hon kommer til mej I see my daughter, she is coming to me
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

A Silibrand fämnar ut kappan så blå O Silibrand spread out his cape so blue
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Där föder hon två karska svenbarnen på Upon it she gives birth to twin sons
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

Min fader skall jag giva min gångare grå ” I shall give to my father my grey horse
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som han skall rida till kyrkan uppa Upon it he shall ride to the church
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the sacred grove with her

Min syster skall jag giva mina guld-ringar sju I shall give to my sister my seven gold rings
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som jag ej haft sen jag stod brud That I have not worn since I was a bride
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne Ride gently through the grove with her

Min broder skall jag giva mina handskar små I shall give to my brother my tiny gloves
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Som han skall ha likvart han gar that he shall carry everywhere he goes”
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne ride gently through the grove with her

Den ene sa för dom till Freyjas dop The one son they took to Freyia s baptism
Allt under den linden så gröna all under the linden so green
Den andre så för dom till Vallhalla sal the other son they took to Valhalls court
I riden så varliga genom lunden med henne ride gently through the grove with her.
Performed by Gjallarhorn on this link:

@itsfatum

Thank you !

@kitchendiary7593

hallhiireke, thank you so much, I tried to find a video with lyrics for this song but couldn't. Thanks again!

@basukitriarso9924

hallhiireke The song is peacefully beautiful. Now that you have given its translation, it has become meaningful. Thank you, thank you.

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