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FORNǪLD · Track 3

Járnsíða

Old Icelandic

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Lyrics

Hann sigldi þangað sem enginn Norðmaðr hafði farið Faðir minn var konungr hans nafn fyllti heiminn Ek stóð í skugga hans og leitaði míns eigin Ragnarr sigldi til Enska ek snéri mér í aðra átt Þeir munu þekkja Björn þegar ek kem aftur Ek er ekki skuggi hans ek er eldurinn sem hann kveikti Járnsíða nafn mitt Sverð bítur mig ekki eldr brennir mig ekki Björn Járnsíða siglir þangað sem enginn þorði Spánn féll Frakkland féll Ítalía féll Járnsíða sigraði Sverð bítur mig ekki eldr brennir mig ekki Björn Járnsíða siglir þangað sem enginn þorði Spánn féll Frakkland féll Ítalía féll Járnsíða sigraði Þeir sáu mig falla í bardaga þeir sáu mig rísa aftur Blóð rann um brynjuna en ek hlóð og gekk fram Áslaugar galdur hlífði mér eða hjarta mitt var sterkara Norðmenn kölluðu mig Járnsíða Saxar kölluðu mig dauða Ek er ekki skuggi hans ek er eldurinn sem hann kveikti Járnsíða nafn mitt Sverð bítur mig ekki eldr brennir mig ekki Björn Járnsíða siglir þangað sem enginn þorði Spánn féll Frakkland féll Ítalía féll Járnsíða sigraði Sverð bítur mig ekki eldr brennir mig ekki Björn Járnsíða siglir þangað sem enginn þorði Spánn féll Frakkland féll Ítalía féll Járnsíða sigraði Miðjarðarhaf Við sáum lönd sem engin kort sýna Spánn Frakkland Ítalía Luna Við héldum að hún væri Róm við tókum hana engu að síður Hann sigldi þangað sem enginn Norðmaðr hafði farið Björn Járnsíða

He sailed there where no Norseman had gone My father was a king his name filled the world I stood in his shadow and sought my own Ragnar sailed to England I turned another way They will know Björn when I return I am not his shadow I am the fire he lit Ironside my name Sword does not bite me fire does not burn me Björn Ironside sails where none dared go Spain fell France fell Italy fell Ironside prevailed Sword does not bite me fire does not burn me Björn Ironside sails where none dared go Spain fell France fell Italy fell Ironside prevailed They saw me fall in battle they saw me rise again Blood ran across my byrnie but I laughed and went forward Áslaug's spell shielded me or my heart was stronger The Norsemen called me Ironside the Saxons called me death I am not his shadow I am the fire he lit Ironside my name Sword does not bite me fire does not burn me Björn Ironside sails where none dared go Spain fell France fell Italy fell Ironside prevailed Sword does not bite me fire does not burn me Björn Ironside sails where none dared go Spain fell France fell Italy fell Ironside prevailed The Mediterranean We saw lands no maps show Spain France Italy Luna We thought it was Rome we took it all the same He sailed there where no Norseman had gone Björn Ironside

Story Behind The Song

Björn Ironside was the son of Ragnar Loðbrók and Áslaug. While his father became infamous for his raids on England and his final campaign in Northumbria, Björn pushed in a different direction. In 859, Björn and the chieftain Hastein led a fleet south into the Mediterranean. They raided along the Iberian coast, wintered in Morocco, then pushed east. They sacked Roussillon, raided parts of coastal France and Italy, and reached Luna on the Tuscan coast. The sagas record that they believed Luna was Rome and attacked it regardless. They returned north in 862 with plunder and prisoners. His nickname Járnsíða appears in the sagas and is connected to his apparent resilience in battle. Whether it referred to his mail coat, his ability to survive wounds that killed other men, or simply a legend that formed around him, the sources disagree. The song raises the same question without resolving it: Áslaug's protective magic, or something in him that was harder to explain. The song is told in his voice and turns on a single problem: being the son of Ragnar Loðbrók. He does not deny his father's greatness. He sails the other way.