FORNǪLD · Track 6

Atgeirinn Syngur

Old Icelandic

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Lyrics

Heyrirðu atgeirinn syngur einhver deyr í nótt Ek hékk á veggnum í höll Gunnars Smíðaður fyrir blóð syngjandi fyrir dauða Þegar söngur minn hljómar veit Gunnar hvað kemur einhver fellur á morgun söngurinn lýgur aldrei Hlustaðu hljóðið í járninu spádómur í málmi Atgeirinn syngur dauðinn nálgast atgeirinn syngur blóð á morgun Otkell féll fyrir mér Þorgeirr féll fyrir mér þrjátíu menn féllu og ek söng fyrir hvern Atgeirinn syngur dauðinn nálgast atgeirinn syngur blóð á morgun Otkell féll fyrir mér Þorgeirr féll fyrir mér þrjátíu menn féllu og ek söng fyrir hvern Síðasta nóttin kom ek söng hærra en nokkru sinni Gunnar vaknaði og þekkti sönginn Í þetta sinn söng ek ekki fyrir óvini hans í þetta sinn söng ek fyrir hann Hlustaðu hljóðið í járninu spádómur í málmi Atgeirinn syngur dauðinn nálgast atgeirinn syngur blóð á morgun Otkell féll fyrir mér Þorgeirr féll fyrir mér þrjátíu menn féllu og ek söng fyrir hvern Atgeirinn syngur dauðinn nálgast atgeirinn syngur blóð á morgun Otkell féll fyrir mér Þorgeirr féll fyrir mér þrjátíu menn féllu og ek söng fyrir hvern Hann féll með mig í hendi tveir féllu með honum Síðan hékk ek á vegg hjá Högna syni hans og eina nótt söng ek aftur Atgeirinn syngur hlustaðu

Do you hear the halberd singing someone dies tonight I hung on the wall in Gunnar's hall Forged for blood singing for death When my song sounds Gunnar knows what comes someone falls tomorrow the song never lies Listen the sound in the iron prophecy in metal The halberd sings death is near the halberd sings blood tomorrow Otkell fell for me Þorgeirr fell for me thirty men fell and I sang for each The halberd sings death is near the halberd sings blood tomorrow Otkell fell for me Þorgeirr fell for me thirty men fell and I sang for each The last night came I sang louder than ever before Gunnar woke and recognized the song This time I did not sing for his enemies this time I sang for him Listen the sound in the iron prophecy in metal The halberd sings death is near the halberd sings blood tomorrow Otkell fell for me Þorgeirr fell for me thirty men fell and I sang for each The halberd sings death is near the halberd sings blood tomorrow Otkell fell for me Þorgeirr fell for me thirty men fell and I sang for each He fell with me in his hand two fell with him Then I hung on a wall by his son Högni and one night I sang again The halberd sings listen

Story Behind The Song

Gunnar Hámundarson is one of the central figures of Njáls saga, often considered the greatest of the Icelandic family sagas. His halberd, the atgeirr, is described as having one property that set it apart from other weapons: it sang when blood was about to be spilled. Not metaphorically. The saga says it rang, and that Gunnar and those around him understood what the sound meant. Gunnar used it to kill many men in the feuds that consumed his life, including Otkell and Þorgeirr at the battle at Rangá. He was not a man who sought trouble, but trouble found him through bad luck, bad neighbors, and the obligations of honor. The end came after his outlawry. He had been declared an outlaw and ordered to leave Iceland. As he rode away, his horse stumbled. He looked back at his farm at Hlíðarendi and said he found it so beautiful he could not go. His enemies came for him when he stayed. His bowstring broke during the fight and he asked his wife Hallgerðr for a strand of her hair to restring it. She refused, citing an old slap he had given her years earlier. He said it mattered little what she chose, and fought until he was overwhelmed. The halberd passed to his son Högni, and the saga records that it sang again before the slaying of Gunnar's killers. The song is told from the halberd's perspective. It knows before Gunnar does. The last night, it sang for him.

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