Heathen Poetry #11 ‘Song for Freya’ by Karl Donaldsson

Listen to Karl sing it here

To the tune of “Todd’lin Hame”.
A tale of the War of the Aesir and Vanir.

‘Chorus:
Battle-worn Freyja, the warmth in the cold
Calls half of the Einherjar into her fold.
Sweet, loving Freyja, who sheds tears of gold
For she cannot find her husband, Oð.

Long, long ago, in a far-away land
Lived the bane of the Ases, who called themselves “Van.”
They knew how to work with the earth, sun and sky,
And they made it rain when their fields had run dry.

Chorus

One day came the Æsir unto the Van’s glade,
Each bore in his hand a spear or a blade.
As they crept through the forest, no sound had they heard
‘Til the sound of The Lady in the form a bird

Chorus

As the Æsir and Vanir moistened the ground
A peaceful solution needed be found
An exchange for the folk of the other side’s kin
Let the two become one and let both the sides win

Chorus

Together in Asgard did both the clans live
Each one to the other their strength did they give
With no single king or a queen on a throne
With the strength of sweet Freyja and the luck of her Stone’

Freya has always been an interest of mine, as well as her brother Frey. They both came to live with the Aesir after the Great War as hostages, and that just fascinates me. Just as she is the goddess of the plow, she is also the goddess of love. I would love to have a love, if Freya will let me!