To Haraldson and Meris

[IamLEAM1983]

I've been listening to bands like SKALD, Garmarna and Heilung for the past year, and I'll admit I'm sort of tickled by how fragmentary these guys' cited sources are. Seeing as you've got a more complete picture of things like the Scandinavian Iron Age or even its Celtic counterpart - along with their respective myths - what's your take on non-scholarly folks more or less stitching scraps of lore together with varying levels of authenticity?

[IamLEAM1983]

"I like to think that in a few thousand years' time, most countries' respective hymns will have been forgotten in their current form. Mundane texts could be misinterpreted owing to the distance imposed by centuries of decay, with old wives' tales or urban legends being elevated to the rank of foundational myths by ambitious scholars stabbing in the dark. I've spoken with many a sociologist and archeologist in my time, especially since the Accords were ratified, and most mundane professors rightly try and reach for those of us who have lived through these centuries that haven't quite been entirely consigned to the History books.

One of the examples you've offered is Heilung. They've attempted to construct their best perception of Iron Age Scandinavian culture and couched it to paper with a narrative of peace-seeking villagers being confronted by an invading force's disregard for their lives. The entire arc of the LIFA concert involves characters such as the shaman opening with a blessing ritual and then invoking the gods and demigods of Norse folklore - along with their exploits - to bolster the usually-placid farmhands into a working fighting force. They obviously seek a return to peace, but will shed blood if required. My brethren and I might have boasted in our lodges and occasionally compared our horses to Sleipnir, when fed the blood of our enemies - but we most certainly did not howl like wolves at our eldest skald's call for a Moot...

Where quirks emerge, however, is in hearing a verse from a ritual chant purportedly associated with the Swedish Harja people being paired with the Merseburg Charms - themselves of German descent by way of much deeper roots along Indo-European population migrations - with the lot of them paired with Native American instruments and the occasional hurdy-gurdy. I can't say it offends us, but it certainly surprises us. We immortals have had decades to publish revised accounts of these old stories, and the strangest reality of it all is that so few have answered this obvious call for academic clarity!

Personally, I've chosen to accept things as they are. Generations from now, when Humanity will stretch across the stars and perhaps go so far as to abandon some of its mortal shackles, it will look upon our Age in wonder and confusion. Television jingles will become usable arcane wards charged with new meaning, viral marketing stunts will give rise to monsters and heroes that will persist well beyond their intended expiry date, and that will eventually be conflated with Theseus and the Minotaur. Some might even wonder why Clark Kent didn't simply swoop down from Metropolis as Superman, reach Denmark in time to stop Hamlet from committing the irreparable, and later convince Shakespeare's Tybalt to join the Green Lantern Corps before it's too late."

[TennyoCeres84]

"Music as a whole doesn't exist in a vacuum, so I don't think it hurts that these types of bands use historic materials to create their own music. Many cantors and bards in more recent eras often take inspiration from the works of previous musicians. As long as they're respectful of how they approach the subject matter and entities from the mythologies, I think it's fine and it allows for the materials to not be forgotten about. Languages have to be used to remain in use to be vital and not stagnate to the point of extinction. Some may not approve of their usage of these old texts, but at least listeners are able to hear them."