To Holmgard and Beyond

Far beyond the sea and distant lands Came men with thirty ships Had wanted to reach the Neva by night But the weather was not on their side And as the wind grew stronger and stronger The rain ran down our cheeks The bow was turned towards Gardar The sail flew up again Holmgard and beyond That's where the winds will us guide For fame and for gold Set sail for those lands unknown Osmo and Dalk, Kyy, Kokko and Ulf Were glad to be off the oars Turo had eaten too much again Now hanging himself overboard The Tostensson twins were excited as always Adventure was their game Myself, Hakon the Bastard was out to find my name Holmgard and beyond That's where the winds will us guide For fame and for gold Set sail for those lands unknown Who is "I" without a past? A river without a source? An event without a cause? Threads of different lengths Some longer, some shorter So many of them spun together The crones keep on weaving The algorithm of our lives Cause and effect, the fates of men We know the way to Aldeigju Upstream the river Alode You take us to the portage And further [South] Long is the way to the unknown Long are the rivers in the East Far lies the land that Ingvar And his men desire to reach Many dangers lie ahead Some of us may never return Rather sold as a slave to the Saracens Than chained to your bed, chained by your life! Holmgard and beyond That's where the winds will us guide For fame and for gold Set sail for those lands unknown

Submitted by The Void — Apr 26, 2025

We've sailed across the sea Rowed for miles and miles upstream Passed by Aldeigjuborg Seen Lake Ilmen gleam Ingvar took the lead After Holmgard as agreed What the end of Lovat meant Was soon to be seen Dripping with sweat a new day dawn on The ropes cut flesh, as they've done in times foregone I see my breath, my hands are going numb Far from home we have come An endless trail in front my eyes A swift take off, had no time for goodbyes What will we find and what was left behind There's no return, get it off your mind The water's changed to sand Lakes and rivers turned to land Plough up the rocky seas Ride felled down trees Foot by foot we edge Once a ship, now a sled Six regular edges and six vertices Six equilateral triangles Six square faces in another direction Plato's earth transparent Give me all you have! Pull as hard as you can Plough up the rocky seas Ride felled down trees The water's changed to sand Lakes and rivers turned to land The rug has been pulled from under my feet All my life made of lies and deceit All I have left is a symbol on my chest My only lead on my desperate quest Branded at birth with the sign of Perun East of the sun and West of the moon The road now continues, Northwind be my guide Wherever I'm going, the Gods are on my side

Submitted by Finntroll — Apr 26, 2025

Cold autumn rain, fields new-plowed A sludgy bane, far from home The time has come, our troops march on A silent hum, a cheerful song Meill' äärillä Pohjolan on kotilies Sen tuiskujen tuttu on Pohjolan mies Käsivartemme karkaisi kalpojen työ Sydän uskoa, uljuutta hehkuen lyö Suur' ollut Neva uida raisun ratsumme ei Kuin juhlaan se meit' yli Veikselin vei taa Reinin se tuomionmiekkamme tio se Tonavasta keisarim maljoja joi Me riennämme, jää veritantereet taa Tult' iskevi ratsujen raudoista maa Ja säilämme leimuten lyö, salamoi Käy Pohjolasta vapaiden korkea koi In morning mist, dark lines stand still With clenched fists, against her will At the break of dawn, our forces assemble A distant horn, soon cannons will rumble A shroud of smoke, an iron breeze A man of hope, hell unleashed A glove of steel (sweeps the) front line down A white lone steed, a fallen crown Meill' äärillä Pohjolan on kotilies Sen tuiskujen tuttu on Pohjolan mies Käsivartemme karkaisi kalpojen työ Sydän uskoa, uljuutta hehkuen lyö Pääs nosta, yön vanki, vaikk' ylläs on ies! Me saavumme, särjemme teljet sun ties Vilu Puhja on urhoin, ei orjien maa Sana Herran ne sankariretkelle saa Sen Breitenfeldiss' ylväs Pappenheim koki kai Ja Kronenberg halkeimen haarniskan sai Tuli Tillyltä parran Lech-viralla söi Veri kuninkaamme Lützenin työn sinetöi Ja Pohjan jos ääriltä rientomme tuo Ja rypäle ja hurme sen hohdotohon luo Soi voittoa torvemme, Taistelohon! Eespäin! Iske, lyö! Jumal' rinnallamme on Out of the dust, past our ranks Came a mount without a master Blood-stained it strode all alone Each one knew The Oak had fallen Hakkaa päälle Pohjan Poika! Ride for revenge, we march again for the King and the mighty Feel no fatigue, your wounds will heal when we've slain the foe so greedy

Submitted by Pestilence — Apr 26, 2025