Text written by WikiBrother Gabriel Brandino , from @moshinhell
Before battles, the Vikings prepared for their long journeys, and this is portrayed in the song "The Pursuit of Vikings."
And if there's a band that has authority and knows how to talk about Viking history, it's the Swedish band Amon Amarth .
The song tells about the preparation for a Viking expedition in Europe .
"The warm sun returns again
And melts the snow
The sea is freed from the icy currents
Winter is going […]
We can hear the waves
Calling us out with the tide
To sail to our destiny"
Winter was harsh for the Nordic people, and often made their journeys impossible, so they used this time to strengthen their techniques and equipment.
With the arrival of summer, or spring, they began preparing for their expeditions in search of riches and new lands.
“Odin! Guide our ships,
our axes, spears, and swords.
Guide us through whipping storms
and brutal war.
Our ships await us in port.
The time has come to leave
our land, family, and home
for the riches in the east.”
Here they ask Odin , especially in the wars to come.
The expansions lasted for months and were extremely risky, even for the Vikings, who were warriors extremely accustomed to long journeys and wars.
The riches of the east most likely refer to countries like Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia, which were often preferred targets for Norse invasions and plunder.
“Some of us will not return,
but that will not discourage us […]
A ram is sacrificed […]
And as we adjust our sails,
a strong breeze begins to blow.”
Many will not return from their expeditions, and the sacrificed ram refers to the god Thor , who protected them from all storms at sea, and to whom goats and rams were commonly sacrificed.
"And glorious will be all
those who die with a sword in hand."
For all those who died in battle, their destiny was the long-dreamed-of paradise of Valhalla .
READ ALSO: One of the most remarkable stories of World War II, in one of Sabaton's best lyrics.