Folk Metal Playlist
VIEW PLAYLIST HERE (VIDEO WON’T EMBED)
This is a playlist of folk metal songs similar to Falkenbach’s Gjallar. Enjoy! I liked almost all of the songs on this list, and even heard a few new songs that I had never encountered before.
The Gjallarhorn, Plus a Cool Falkenbach Video
The Gjallorhorn is the horn sounded at the onset of Ragnarok
As far as Falkenbach songs go, this one is repetitive even by their standards. But it does have a cool atmosphere and ambiance to it. It’s the kind of song that would be neat to play while you do viking poses in the mirror with your favorite sword, go on a road trip through Norway…or summon an apocalypse?
This song is called Gjallar, which refers to the “Gjallarhorn.” Even during the song you hear the blare of a mighty horn in the background.
Gjallar itself is old norse for “yelling.” The Gjallarhorn itself is a “loud yelling horn.” Its mythological significance is that it is the loud horn that will be blown at the onset of Ragnarok. The horn has an association with the God Heimdallr and the wise being Mimir.
Prose Edda Reference, Prophesy of a Volva (A woman with the ability to see the future):
- “Fast move the sons of Mim and fateIs heard in the note of the Gjallarhorn;Loud blows Heimdall, the horn is aloft, In fear quake all who on Hel-roads are.”
Now I’m just wondering how I get my hands on such a horn.
Falkenbach – Hávamál
Lyrics on original YouTube link
Country: Germany
Genre: Viking/Black Metal/Folk Metal
Lyrical Themes: Epic tales, heathenism, Lore, Norse Tales
So What is Hávamál? It is “the sayings of the high one.” It is a single poem in the Poetic Edda. For those of you who don’t know what the Poetic Edda is, it is a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking Age. Hávamál basically gives advice for proper living, good conduct and day to day wisdom. The verses themselves are attributed to the wisdom of Odin.
CLICK HERE TO READ HAMAVAL IN ENTIRETY FOR FREE
Some Key Hávamál Quotes:
FROM WISDOM FOR WANDERERS AND COUNSEL TO GUESTS
On courage and cowardice:
“A coward believes he will ever live
if he keep him safe from strife:
but old age leaves him not long in peace
though spears may spare his life.”
On mockery and judgement:
“The miserable man and evil minded
makes of all things mockery,
and knows not that which he best should know,
that he is not free from faults.”
Runes Shall You Know
For nine days and nine nights, Odin hung from the world tree pierced by his own spear. He sacrificed himself onto himself – the highest of the Gods. He did this to learn the wisdom that would give him power in the nine worlds. Nine is a magical number in Norse Mythology, after all there are nine realms of existence in the Norse Cosmos. Odin learned 18 magical runes. (Source: Rúnatal, a section of the Hávamál)
Odin’s Description of the 18 charms he discovered.
So what are the Runes? They are a gift to mankind. These sacred letters originally were carved into stone. Each letter has a metaphorical meaning as well as divination abilities. I suggest doing much research to completely know the runes. Reading this page alone won’t help you learn everything. After all, Odin had to hang from a tree for nine days pierced by a spear. He never said learning everything there is to know about the runes would be easy.
The graphic below may be helpful:
Metal Gaia 