Nordic Folk Group Performs Funeral Song On Side Of Mountain

Wardruna is a Norwegian music group dedicated to creating musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions. During this year’s Trænafestivalen (Træna Music Festival), Wardruna had the closing slot, where they performed “Helvegen”, an old Norwegian funeral song.

Singers Aurora and Oslo Fagottkor can be seen in the front, with the rest of the company perched on a rock in the back. The atmosphere on the small island of Træna, in the sea gorge on the Helgeland coast, Nordland, was perfect for their rendition of the song. The like a natural concert hall, the cave echoes in the voices of Wardruna, giving the song it’s much deserved eeriness and chilly mood.

“Helvegen", meaning "the Road to Hel" is the final track in the Runaljod - Yggdrasil album. The song (and album) closes with the famous stanza from Hávamál: "Cattle die, kinsmen die, You yourself will also die, but the word about you will never die, if you win a good reputation. Cattle die, kinsmen die, You yourself will also die, I know one that never dies: the judgement of those who died".

"Helvegen" was used in the second season of Vikings while Ragnar and his men prepare to sail again to Wessex.