Here is another song I wrote and performed (with my wife), this time in Old English, Old Norse and Mediaeval/Byzantine Greek. The use of Old English in conjunction with Old Norse is to illustrate the fact that at this point in history, the Varangian Guard was primarily made up of Anglo-Saxon warriors who fled England after the Norman Conquest, as well as Scandinavians. The Greek is adapted from Anna Komneni’s Alexiad in which she discusses the Varangians who were in her father Alexios’s service. The song details the events of the Battle of Beroia fought by Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos against the Pechenegs in 1122. The Emperor was forced to cut an expedition east short when the Pechenegs attacked the north of the empire from beyond the Danube. The Pechenegs camped in a deep depression near Beroia (modern Stara Zagora) and their defence proved very hard to break down. Their horseback archers proved too effective against the Emperor’s men - until he called upon the elite and heavily armed Varangian Guard, who, in a mighty push, broke down the defences and forced the Pechenegs to flee. I hope you enjoy! Please like, subscribe and share as it really helps the channel. If you would like, you can also support me by donating at www.buymeacoffee.com/theskaldicbard. Many thanks and God bless! Lyrics in description. My intention is exclusively to teach history and languages through song. I do not condone, endorse or seek to glorify violence.
Trust me lad we English have Anglo Saxon blood run through us like a warm spring the Normandy bloodline died out in England that's a common fact not trying to argue with you or anything it's just that we English are still here are ancestors didn't fled because if they did we white native Anglo Saxon English people wouldn't be here today the French would be but there not and yes we had that french Muppet as a king at one point in time but trust me we don't see him as one of are king because he french plus we English invaded France countless time France only invaded England once and trust me they got lucky with that one but they failed miserably countless time when it come to us English invaded them the point I'm trying to make is that we English are DNA English Anglo Saxon and that will never change we no who we are who are ancestors are and where we came from and brilliant video love hearing old English and old Norse you have a talent and 🏴❤️⚔️👍🏻
All fun and games until the men of foreign lands from the Northern parts start biting their broad shields and roaring in their guttural language in a berserk frenzy…
@@giuseppegaribaldi5198 seljuks go gangsters until Franks showed up from nowhere and runs 1vs100 barking and gesticulating into tin cans then Mongols show them all who is Daddy
@@vladimpaler4689 ancestors of the celts and the italic peoples migrated into the areas around southern Germany and the alps (then splitting into the distinct Celtic and Latin cultures) and moved west to Gaul around the same time as the proto Germanic culture/language group was forming in Jutland, Scandinavia and northern Germany, those that became the Germanic peoples I heard were more influenced by the pre-indo European language in the area which is why Germanic languages are more of a outlier in the family group, but obviously due to contact with the Celtic,italic,and balto Slavic groups they again gained or in a sense regained some indo European words, but in general all European languages share a similar story (especially Greek with the hypothetically pellagasian or pre Greek Greek language ) im a bit autistic when it comes to history, especially Germanic history because like you said it’s the majority of my ancestry (also realised I went on a weird tangent lol)
@@vladimpaler4689 yea the Belgae were seen as the “transition” between celtic and Germanic people, due to it being on the border(Rhein), Indo Europeans as a people were all white or Caucasian (obv because they came from the caucuses) and when the indo aryans went south they formed the ruling class in those areas and or supplanted the native populations but in India’s case due to it having a large native population the newcomers really assimilated dna wise into the society bar from the ruling and priest class (Brahmans I think they call it) which was quite rigid in Indian society
@@vladimpaler4689 just want to make clear I don’t believe there is any inherent superior traits in any particular people, they were all built to be suited to their environment (Africans being dark skinned to protect against the sun and northern peoples like north East Asians and Europeans for the opposite effect) But more so the culture that affects a peoples rise or fall TLDR, some cultures can be seen as “superior” but race wise I personally don’t believe so
@@vladimpaler4689 OK, after objectively examining all the available info: 1) "Aryan" was originally used by Indo-Iranians themselves. So "Iran" means "Kingdom of Indo-Iranians". Nothing more, nothing less. It's an ethnic name, not some bigger racial category. Yes, they were almost certainly white, but that does not prove the word was ever used for other whites outside the Indo-Iranian ethnicity. 2) Persian and Indian literature and myths are *massive*, you can cherry pick any and all symbolism you want out of it. 3) Going form "Ur" and "Ar" to "Aryan" is the biggest stretch in the world. It's a single freaking syllable. "Muscogee" has more similarity to "Muscovy", I guess that means that Native American tribe are secretly white Slavs! 4) "Archaeological evidence"? Where? All you used was attempt at names and myths. And I don't care if the Jews have any archeology about their history or not, this is about *your* claims. 5) "All civilizations"? Then I'm curious about the "white origin" of Egyptian and especially East Asian (Chinese/Korean/Japanese) civilizations?
This is getting out of hand, hes bumped the number of languages up to 3 in one song! In seriousness, damn fine work skald, i can scarcely imagine how much hard work has to go into doing this stuff, and we appreciate it, man. Keep on rocking!
I’m obsessed with Norse and Icelandic and the other Norse / Germanic / Nordic, so these songs with pretty melody are a great way to learn new words and structures - nice to finally see the hvárki / né (neither / nor) in action!
Absolutely beautiful song, that honors the brave people of the North, that fought and died for the Byzantium Empire the last Roman Empire. Elit Bodyguards comprised of Christians and Pagans (not publicly however), united as one by Oath and Faith to the Emporer, an Oath that passed down from father to son. United as children of the North, like the Brotherhood at Jomsborg, Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Goth, Swede, Dane and Rus & Slav. Even if faiths divided them, they are children of the North Sea. Together with the Brave soldiers of Byzantium, they defended the last of the mighty Rome. Plus you deserve over a million subscribers for this song alone, hope you have it good.
@@robinrehlinghaus1944 There's a genuine difference. The State that was Rome expanded out to the East, and then split itself after moving its political centre to constantinople. The part in the east, the ERE, was literally the Roman Empire, in the same way that your family is still your family even after you move house. The western half collapsed, and suffered significant changes in culture and leadership by foreign powers. The law changed. There were still vestiges, sure, after the new rulers realised it might be beneficial to pander to Roman history, but it was no longer the Roman Empire. What DID remain in the west was the Papacy, and yes they have a direct link back to Rome, but they weren't "The Roman Empire", they were a primarily religious body. They needed allies, protection, and wanted to spread their ideas. So they started acting *as if* they had the right to say "yep, these Germans, they're very pious, they're the new Roman Empire". The HRE wasn't Roman, it was just Roman Catholic. It emulated Rome, but it wasn't the Roman Empire. The same goes for Napoleon, the jumped up evil fool. Just because an empire makes callbacks to one of the most powerful empires in history doesn't mean they actually are that thing. But the Byzantines, they genuinely were the Roman Empire.
That's what I thought! that it was a Greek woman, given how flawless her pronunciation is! But the Skaldic Bard says in his description that it's his wife... So, either his wife is Greek, or else for some reason she is very well acquainted with the Greek language...
Also a nice touch when she calls them from Thule since the ancient Greeks thought there was an island called Thule in the far north full of giants and most of the Varangians would have been a decent bit taller than the Byzantines on average
Amazing music, imagery and vocals by yourself and your wife!! How no one has made a high quality film about the Varangian guard is beyond me. Hearing you perform in three historical languages is always a joy!
Imagine being a Turkic Invader, you’ve gotten used to fighting the Byzantines over the centuries, and all of a sudden a new unit forms with tall blonde guys in foreign helmets, huge round shields and comically huge axes, and they won’t run like the rest of the army and they always take down a huge part of your army before they die
imagine that you are a mercenary varangian. horse archer kipcak cavalry with a mask of armor on their faces is circling around you and unloading arrows at you.
@@YusufGüvenç-q3cno disrespect to the Turkic soldiers and warriors, they were solid, well-trained and competent fighters... but so were the Varangian Guard. It's not like that would just make them drop their weapons and quit, they were the warrior-elite northmen hand-picked by the Byzantine Emperor and fiercly loyal unlike any other warriors in history. That's also not to mention that some of them were legitimately crazy and a terrifying presence on the field. You can never really say "who would win" because that argument doesn't have much sense or logic, there's tons of different factors when it comes to warriors' strengths and weaknesses. And again, not to downplay the Turkic warriors of the time, but they probably would have been a lot less prepared to deal with the Varangians in foot combat considering how reserved that unit was. They weren't brought out very often, but when they were, they usually won.
@@MisterAcker vikings raiding for trade in the 1030s were frightened when they heard the gloomy story of the pechenegs. because if even a great byzantine empire was plagued by them, the marauding, invading nomadic vikings would also be afraid. but as you said, vikings are good as infantry, but turks (pechenegs) are also good on horses. if you ask a turk to be an infantryman against a viking, they will lose; if you ask a viking to be a cavalryman against a turk, viking will lose.
@@MisterAcker swedish and german historians say that thousands of years ago, the proto-scandinavians and the proto-turks had great communication with each other. they say that Odin was turkish and came from a place called turkland. greetings to the grandchildren of Odin and Mete.
You're a legend, Skaldic. Three languages in one song? Epic. Just epic, and your wife's part is amazing I've listened to so many of these I can actually tell the difference between Old English and Old Norse
Brilliant! I used to think that the song "Slayers of the Huns" was your biggest work because they sang in two languages at once, but this song struck me even more. Thank you to your team for your efforts. Your music brings something new to the vastness of RUclips, which, if it was possible to meet before you, it was extremely rare. With the warmest wishes to you from Russia.
Brilliant song, congratulations for your excellent work, this song honouring the memory every Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon warrior who served in the Varangian Guard under the banner of my ancestors.
An exam day was made better with a little notification from the legendary Skaldic Bard, to which I thank you ;) Awesome song and I love the return of the Old Norse and a lovely Greek addition!
All I can say is... wow. I always enjoy your old English pieces the most (it's the only one I'm even mildly proficient in), but the combination with Old Norse and Byzantine Greek? What an effect. I can't think of a single song you've made where you haven't received praise, but this is easily one of the most deserving. I can't wait to see what you do next!
My brother, Another masterpiece..another testament..to the sacrosanct blood of our kindred. I had been struggling..a few months ago, you galvanized me... Thank you brother. And hail to your loved ones
God bless you and your wife and thank you for making songs such as this. The Old English, Old Norse, and Greek being used together is something beautiful.
No way i mean this is my favorite song so far i just simply love it so much. The fun fact is that this song dropped out while i was in the gym and i listened it right there and i just simply felt like all of my 3 ancestors related to this song helped me out. Keep doing what you do because you’re the best at it!
The call-and-answer rhythm between OE and ON is super catchy. It really sounds like a war cadence. And I love the modern liberties taken in the poetry, OE poetry (and i assume ON) didnt really rhyme, they mostly used rhythm and alliteration, but this format make it much more attractive to the modern ear.
Yep, that's absolutely right! Alliteration is far more authentic (though there is evidence of rhyme in both OE and ON), but my aim isn't necessarily to be authentic (at least not with everything I do), rather to create things that suit my own style/are appealing to other modern listeners
This has to be the most ambitious song you've composed, and you and lady skald are both really good singers, I love the duality of the languages, rather trilogy of languages now, I love the quality and the badassness to go along with your songs, can't wait to see what you do next!
What an incredible song. I thought the English Varangians was good, but this absolutely blows it out of the water. A hammering beat and brilliant vocals, keep it up mate!
I grew up, very near where I live now, in rural southern Ireland. I heard Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd when I was 16 and the music blew my mind! I'm 62 and now these songs are doing the same thing! I've never taken any drugs, never felt I needed any! Music is my stimulant. These songs are unbelievable! Please keep them coming!
Absolutely epic to have three languages in one song. It really does work beautifully and I really enjoyed it. I've also now started to imagine what a multilingual song about the Battle of Brunanburh in 937 would look like.
I love how the Greek lines is such a contrast to the ones of the Varangians, as the Empire was truly an entirely different world to the Norse and Anglo-Saxons who made the journey. The song portrays this in a really interesting way. I imagine coming from one of the small villages here in Norway, and being a good enough fighter to take the opportunity the tales of such a distant strange land promised, "Then they sailed southward to Miklagarðr and found the greatest city in all the world, with walls of stone that reached the heavens, shining towers of gold and silver, and streets filled with riches beyond imagination. The markets were overflowing with treasures from every land, and the halls of the emperor glittered with jewels and gold."
You know what… I really appreciate the rythm switch you used for the Greek sections! It sounds so close to the orthodox hymns I know. I could almost see it being carried on the wind over the rooftops of Constantinople…Yep you absolutely smashed it out the park with this one and I really wish I could show it to an old Varangian guard or Byzantine soldier !!!!
We are long overdue a big budget movie that follows a band of Anglo-Saxon and Viking Varangians on some kind of madcap adventure across the Empire. All the dialogue must be in authentic Old English, Norse & Greek though otherwise there's no point.
It's rare that I comment and like on RUclips... but your works deserve to be recognized. When you close your eyes and listen to the music you literally travel through time. You relive these forgotten episodes through time. I'm impatiently waiting for a work in Old Frankish 😉 Signed by a Belgian soldier and history buff
Much appreciate you taking the time to comment in that case, my friend, and thank you for the edifying words! Still trying to dig up enough resources on Frankish but it's definitely on the cards ;-)
@@SkaldBardthere’s hardly any surviving scripts of anything in that region until old Dutch (still very few) so I think your best route would be reconstructions and a bit of lyrical implications
Might have to change my favourite song after this one, by far the best creation of yours. The tune is perfect for the story. Loved the mono of the different languages, helped show the difference of these men. Also loved that your wife lead the Greek part seeing as you got that from a woman. Amazing as always God Bless
Haven't even listened yet and I know it's going to be fantastic! Go from listening to Old Norse music and the notification for a new Skaldic Bard song comes up.
This is epic, been trying to sing along with it but it is tough you guys did an awesome job on this song as well as "The Last Varangians". Hope to see more in the future.
This is definitely one of your best compositions I think! It doesn't fail to inspire me every time I listen to it! The drums, the various languages, the whole style is great! The story also simply brings the whole thing to another level. Keep it up!
Your work is like a musical version of Tolkien; both works give us "Westerners" a modern interpretation of our cultural story. Music should be a far more common medium, for learning language and history. -From a US citizen with German-Celtic background: Thank you for presenting our history in such an engaging way!
I have been listening to your songs (especially the germanic ones) for the past hour during my workout, the effect is splendid, thank you, Skaldic bard
Just discovered your channel. Really great stuff! I'd love to hear more Medieval Greek. Maybe parts of the Digenis Akritas epic? There's a part where Digenis saves the maiden, would make a great duet!
Very lovely song, I love how it portrays the multicultural nature of the Varangian guard. A song I'd love to hear someday is a song about William the Conqueror since you made one for Harald and Harold. Being a descendant of the Conqueror, I'd love to hear you make a song about him.
An other Idea fo a next song could be one sung in Norman-French about the Normans of Normandy. P.S. This song here by the way was beautiful (As always) i really enjoyed it , the greek language strain was a touch of class 😉
scyttena = archers on back scyttena = Scythians I love languages and the music created by them. This is a true gem people, we need to produce more and more music like this. Please keep them coming!
Lovely! I was wondering, have you thought about making a song in Alanian one day? Alans have fascinated me for a while, being sort of "fish out of water", migrating through the Roman Empire with their Germanic neighbours
It's lit how the historically verisimilitudinal music community now exists and I can jam out to shit sung in languages usually normally only discussed and explored in university philologist settings.
I must say, you are my favorite skáld, flawless job, i have to say that this kind of "tense" rythm and passe really catches me (im brazilian, dont know how to translate my idea well, sorry) this song and haraldr haldradr are my favorite. And the less "tense" are Sigurd the crusader and olafr trygvason. Waiting form some jomsviking too! God bless and stay with you, every single day until the end of the world!
What a powerful and picturesque song, dedicated to those axe-wielding guardians, who cut bloody swathes through the Roman Emperor's enemies! It's remarkable how similar Norse and Anglo-Saxon sound, on the surface of it.
I hail Varangians. I hail them from the old capital, Constantinople. Bravery will never be forgotten. Loyal lions of the old Emperors, their names will live forever. Lots have changed, but not all. Byzantine Emperors were so lucky to have them, host them in my city. I thank you both husband and wife for this masterpiece.
Hail! This is probably my favourite out of all your works. Keep it up! Would be cool to see songs about Migration Period figures like Arminius and Sigurd the Dragon Slayer.
Had no idea this actually happened in European history. Impressive. Such a thing would have blown away the minds of Both Scandinavian and Saxons of King Alfreds kingship.
That's absolute wonderful... I was born in Sicily, once upon a time we were a beautiful kingdom maden up by Byzantine Greeks,Arabs and Normans (Vikings) the Sicilian Kimgdom was a very modern state for those times. The Normans allowed Christians (West Christians and East) to be together with no problems, even Muslims could be Muslims they still were ours, Sicilians wich was the most important thing. I am proud of my Byzantine eritage,proud to be born in that beautiful land. You should write something about the Old Sicilian Kingdom of king Roger.
Весьма захватывающая песня! И вполне звучит даже намного лучше предыдущих работ, эпик, ритм, всё это звучит довольно бесподобно! К слову, по ощущениям это даже больше походит на композицию из игры. :)
I am Greek , Old Norse and Old English sounds so beautiful to my ears unlike modern German which I despise. Your music is lovely , covering figures that apeared in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire that I have a special interest in.
![Coheed and Cambria - Searching for Tomorrow [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDsYGLbmadg/mqdefault.jpg)
Here is another song I wrote and performed (with my wife), this time in Old English, Old Norse and Mediaeval/Byzantine Greek. The use of Old English in conjunction with Old Norse is to illustrate the fact that at this point in history, the Varangian Guard was primarily made up of Anglo-Saxon warriors who fled England after the Norman Conquest, as well as Scandinavians. The Greek is adapted from Anna Komneni’s Alexiad in which she discusses the Varangians who were in her father Alexios’s service.
The song details the events of the Battle of Beroia fought by Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos against the Pechenegs in 1122. The Emperor was forced to cut an expedition east short when the Pechenegs attacked the north of the empire from beyond the Danube. The Pechenegs camped in a deep depression near Beroia (modern Stara Zagora) and their defence proved very hard to break down. Their horseback archers proved too effective against the Emperor’s men - until he called upon the elite and heavily armed Varangian Guard, who, in a mighty push, broke down the defences and forced the Pechenegs to flee.
I hope you enjoy! Please like, subscribe and share as it really helps the channel. If you would like, you can also support me by donating at www.buymeacoffee.com/theskaldicbard. Many thanks and God bless!
Lyrics in description.
My intention is exclusively to teach history and languages through song. I do not condone, endorse or seek to glorify violence.
Trust me lad we English have Anglo Saxon blood run through us like a warm spring the Normandy bloodline died out in England that's a common fact not trying to argue with you or anything it's just that we English are still here are ancestors didn't fled because if they did we white native Anglo Saxon English people wouldn't be here today the French would be but there not and yes we had that french Muppet as a king at one point in time but trust me we don't see him as one of are king because he french plus we English invaded France countless time France only invaded England once and trust me they got lucky with that one but they failed miserably countless time when it come to us English invaded them the point I'm trying to make is that we English are DNA English Anglo Saxon and that will never change we no who we are who are ancestors are and where we came from and brilliant video love hearing old English and old Norse you have a talent and 🏴❤️⚔️👍🏻
Is it OK to download your songs into social networks to form a playlist? It would be good to be able to listen it not only in RUclips.
@@curnonmitto Hey mate, my songs can be bought on Amazon and I'm also on music streaming services like Spotify
@@SkaldBard well Spotify is not really working in Russia, I'll try Amazon maybe it's working.
А можно выложить текст полностью на английском языке?
Буду очень благодарен
Amazing work as always my friend, I love the main melody
Hey man, good to hear from you - and thanks a lot, appreciate the kind words!
Yo its FaryaFaraji, the guy who made a cool version of Psalm 135.
Oh My God The Legend Comments
Ay, you two should probably collab, would be awesome to hear.
Everyone gangster until Iohannes calls the Varangians
All fun and games until the men of foreign lands from the Northern parts start biting their broad shields and roaring in their guttural language in a berserk frenzy…
It's all fun and games until the Byzantine Berserkers show up
Everyone gangster until georgians fuckedup varangians 😂😂
Varangians are gangsters until Seljuks comes :D
@@giuseppegaribaldi5198 seljuks go gangsters until Franks showed up from nowhere and runs 1vs100 barking and gesticulating into tin cans then Mongols show them all who is Daddy
As a English guy with German,Scandinavian and Greek ancestry that served in the Greek Cypriot army this slaps
Man's a real life Wærgenga
@@vladimpaler4689 ancestors of the celts and the italic peoples migrated into the areas around southern Germany and the alps (then splitting into the distinct Celtic and Latin cultures) and moved west to Gaul around the same time as the proto Germanic culture/language group was forming in Jutland, Scandinavia and northern Germany,
those that became the Germanic peoples I heard were more influenced by the pre-indo European language in the area which is why Germanic languages are more of a outlier in the family group,
but obviously due to contact with the Celtic,italic,and balto Slavic groups they again gained or in a sense regained some indo European words,
but in general all European languages share a similar story (especially Greek with the hypothetically pellagasian or pre Greek Greek language )
im a bit autistic when it comes to history, especially Germanic history because like you said it’s the majority of my ancestry
(also realised I went on a weird tangent lol)
@@vladimpaler4689 yea the Belgae were seen as the “transition” between celtic and Germanic people, due to it being on the border(Rhein),
Indo Europeans as a people were all white or Caucasian (obv because they came from the caucuses) and when the indo aryans went south they formed the ruling class in those areas and or supplanted the native populations
but in India’s case due to it having a large native population the newcomers really assimilated dna wise into the society bar from the ruling and priest class (Brahmans I think they call it)
which was quite rigid in Indian society
@@vladimpaler4689 just want to make clear I don’t believe there is any inherent superior traits in any particular people, they were all built to be suited to their environment (Africans being dark skinned to protect against the sun and northern peoples like north East Asians and Europeans for the opposite effect)
But more so the culture that affects a peoples rise or fall
TLDR, some cultures can be seen as “superior” but race wise I personally don’t believe so
@@vladimpaler4689 OK, after objectively examining all the available info:
1) "Aryan" was originally used by Indo-Iranians themselves. So "Iran" means "Kingdom of Indo-Iranians". Nothing more, nothing less. It's an ethnic name, not some bigger racial category. Yes, they were almost certainly white, but that does not prove the word was ever used for other whites outside the Indo-Iranian ethnicity.
2) Persian and Indian literature and myths are *massive*, you can cherry pick any and all symbolism you want out of it.
3) Going form "Ur" and "Ar" to "Aryan" is the biggest stretch in the world. It's a single freaking syllable. "Muscogee" has more similarity to "Muscovy", I guess that means that Native American tribe are secretly white Slavs!
4) "Archaeological evidence"? Where? All you used was attempt at names and myths. And I don't care if the Jews have any archeology about their history or not, this is about *your* claims.
5) "All civilizations"? Then I'm curious about the "white origin" of Egyptian and especially East Asian (Chinese/Korean/Japanese) civilizations?
This guy is a True artist.
ele é mesmo, obrigado por me apresentar o trabalho dele, Lorenzo
This is getting out of hand, hes bumped the number of languages up to 3 in one song!
In seriousness, damn fine work skald, i can scarcely imagine how much hard work has to go into doing this stuff, and we appreciate it, man. Keep on rocking!
Haha yeah, can't lie, it is pretty exhausting - but I much appreciate your kind words, my friend
I’m obsessed with Norse and Icelandic and the other Norse / Germanic / Nordic, so these songs with pretty melody are a great way to learn new words and structures - nice to finally see the hvárki / né (neither / nor) in action!
Absolutely beautiful song, that honors the brave people of the North, that fought and died for the Byzantium Empire the last Roman Empire. Elit Bodyguards comprised of Christians and Pagans (not publicly however), united as one by Oath and Faith to the Emporer, an Oath that passed down from father to son.
United as children of the North, like the Brotherhood at Jomsborg, Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Goth, Swede, Dane and Rus & Slav. Even if faiths divided them, they are children of the North Sea. Together with the Brave soldiers of Byzantium, they defended the last of the mighty Rome.
Plus you deserve over a million subscribers for this song alone, hope you have it good.
The ERE wasn't the last - HRE, Napoleon's Empire...
@@robinrehlinghaus1944they weren’t roman. Roman empire died in Constantinople
@@cmd7930 Give me a definition of 'Romanity' for that.
@@robinrehlinghaus1944 There's a genuine difference. The State that was Rome expanded out to the East, and then split itself after moving its political centre to constantinople. The part in the east, the ERE, was literally the Roman Empire, in the same way that your family is still your family even after you move house.
The western half collapsed, and suffered significant changes in culture and leadership by foreign powers. The law changed. There were still vestiges, sure, after the new rulers realised it might be beneficial to pander to Roman history, but it was no longer the Roman Empire.
What DID remain in the west was the Papacy, and yes they have a direct link back to Rome, but they weren't "The Roman Empire", they were a primarily religious body.
They needed allies, protection, and wanted to spread their ideas. So they started acting *as if* they had the right to say "yep, these Germans, they're very pious, they're the new Roman Empire".
The HRE wasn't Roman, it was just Roman Catholic. It emulated Rome, but it wasn't the Roman Empire.
The same goes for Napoleon, the jumped up evil fool.
Just because an empire makes callbacks to one of the most powerful empires in history doesn't mean they actually are that thing. But the Byzantines, they genuinely were the Roman Empire.
Thanks so much for the nice comment, my friend!
The greek woman singing was great touch, all three worlds meshing great. Her pov being the greek pov of the brothers of the north sea
That's what I thought! that it was a Greek woman, given how flawless her pronunciation is! But the Skaldic Bard says in his description that it's his wife... So, either his wife is Greek, or else for some reason she is very well acquainted with the Greek language...
@@gregoryheers2633His wife is Polish
@@servantofaeie1569 Oh, okay, thank you for clarifying!
@@servantofaeie1569 i ment in the song, the story is a greek woman singing
Also a nice touch when she calls them from Thule since the ancient Greeks thought there was an island called Thule in the far north full of giants and most of the Varangians would have been a decent bit taller than the Byzantines on average
My wife now thinks I have autism because I'll only listen to you, Skald, along w/ Miracle Aligner & Farya Faraji! I'm so out of place in this world!
I also listen to almost nothing but Farya and Skaldic Bard, these days! Miracle Aligner's music I've listened to the least.
It's the same with me but I'm just a kid😁😁😁
you probably do...
I'm autistic and suspect that your wife is correct.
Are you sure this you're wife?
Amazing music, imagery and vocals by yourself and your wife!! How no one has made a high quality film about the Varangian guard is beyond me. Hearing you perform in three historical languages is always a joy!
Our history erased and our people replaced, and you are really shocked at that?
Imagine being a Turkic Invader, you’ve gotten used to fighting the Byzantines over the centuries, and all of a sudden a new unit forms with tall blonde guys in foreign helmets, huge round shields and comically huge axes, and they won’t run like the rest of the army and they always take down a huge part of your army before they die
imagine that you are a mercenary varangian. horse archer kipcak cavalry with a mask of armor on their faces is circling around you and unloading arrows at you.
@@YusufGüvenç-q3cno disrespect to the Turkic soldiers and warriors, they were solid, well-trained and competent fighters... but so were the Varangian Guard. It's not like that would just make them drop their weapons and quit, they were the warrior-elite northmen hand-picked by the Byzantine Emperor and fiercly loyal unlike any other warriors in history. That's also not to mention that some of them were legitimately crazy and a terrifying presence on the field. You can never really say "who would win" because that argument doesn't have much sense or logic, there's tons of different factors when it comes to warriors' strengths and weaknesses.
And again, not to downplay the Turkic warriors of the time, but they probably would have been a lot less prepared to deal with the Varangians in foot combat considering how reserved that unit was. They weren't brought out very often, but when they were, they usually won.
@@MisterAcker vikings raiding for trade in the 1030s were frightened when they heard the gloomy story of the pechenegs. because if even a great byzantine empire was plagued by them, the marauding, invading nomadic vikings would also be afraid. but as you said, vikings are good as infantry, but turks (pechenegs) are also good on horses. if you ask a turk to be an infantryman against a viking, they will lose; if you ask a viking to be a cavalryman against a turk, viking will lose.
@@MisterAcker wherever they went for trade, the varangians sold their homeland and became mercenaries for that country. ragnar's bones ache!
@@MisterAcker swedish and german historians say that thousands of years ago, the proto-scandinavians and the proto-turks had great communication with each other. they say that Odin was turkish and came from a place called turkland. greetings to the grandchildren of Odin and Mete.
You're a legend, Skaldic. Three languages in one song? Epic. Just epic, and your wife's part is amazing
I've listened to so many of these I can actually tell the difference between Old English and Old Norse
Haha, good stuff! Thanks for the ongoing support, buddy, really appreciate it
Brilliant! I used to think that the song "Slayers of the Huns" was your biggest work because they sang in two languages at once, but this song struck me even more.
Thank you to your team for your efforts. Your music brings something new to the vastness of RUclips, which, if it was possible to meet before you, it was extremely rare.
With the warmest wishes to you from Russia.
Большое спасибо, мой друг - and I wish I had a team, I must say ;-) but the wife brings me cups of tea while I'm making them, close enough
Russia isnt my enemy
Globalism is
Brothers of the North Sea forever ❤🔥
One of your best songs so far!👌
🏴
@@Anglisc1682🏴❤️✝️⚔️✊🏻
I started listening to your songs recently, and not gonna lie, your songs give me the boost I need at the gym!
Must admit, part of the reason I make them is to fuel my own workouts lel. Glad you like them!
The gym owner plays deathcore crap and the stick figures all play shitty cRap
Its oppressive
I've also lifted to Skaldic Bard songs, so I can understand.
This is insane, you deserve millions of views
Thanks a lot, friend
The amount of languages you and your wife can speak is impressive
Brilliant song, congratulations for your excellent work, this song honouring the memory every Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon warrior who served in the Varangian Guard under the banner of my ancestors.
An exam day was made better with a little notification from the legendary Skaldic Bard, to which I thank you ;) Awesome song and I love the return of the Old Norse and a lovely Greek addition!
Hope it went well, my man!
@@SkaldBard Appreciate it!
All I can say is... wow. I always enjoy your old English pieces the most (it's the only one I'm even mildly proficient in), but the combination with Old Norse and Byzantine Greek? What an effect. I can't think of a single song you've made where you haven't received praise, but this is easily one of the most deserving. I can't wait to see what you do next!
Ic þancie þe, broþor :-)
My brother,
Another masterpiece..another testament..to the sacrosanct blood of our kindred.
I had been struggling..a few months ago, you galvanized me...
Thank you brother. And hail to your loved ones
Keep the strength, my man, and may God bless you
Such a brilliant piece! I absolutely loved the language combination. Makes me think about how it must’ve been back then.
God bless you and your wife and thank you for making songs such as this. The Old English, Old Norse, and Greek being used together is something beautiful.
No way i mean this is my favorite song so far i just simply love it so much. The fun fact is that this song dropped out while i was in the gym and i listened it right there and i just simply felt like all of my 3 ancestors related to this song helped me out. Keep doing what you do because you’re the best at it!
Legend. Glad to hear it, my friend
Are you of English, Norse, and Greek heritage?
For me, this one and the new Alfred the great song are your absolute best bangers, can't stop listening to them!
Awesome to hear! Thanks
This is a masterpiece. A vigorous song and also the lyrics sung by your wife are enchanting. Awesome work, Skald
Thank you very much, friend
Irish-English-AlsoPolishSpeaking man cooked us another masterpiece. 🎉. Thanks!
Hah, you're welcome! Thanks for the support
I wish someone would make a film about the Varangian Guard. That way we could hear this song at the cinema...
The call-and-answer rhythm between OE and ON is super catchy. It really sounds like a war cadence. And I love the modern liberties taken in the poetry, OE poetry (and i assume ON) didnt really rhyme, they mostly used rhythm and alliteration, but this format make it much more attractive to the modern ear.
Yep, that's absolutely right! Alliteration is far more authentic (though there is evidence of rhyme in both OE and ON), but my aim isn't necessarily to be authentic (at least not with everything I do), rather to create things that suit my own style/are appealing to other modern listeners
@@SkaldBard very cool
Quickly becoming my favorite RUclipsr and I mean that genuinely.
High praise, my friend - thank you
another moving and powerful masterpiece. Excellent vocals by you and your wife. Thank you!
for how many languages being dealt with here, this is scarily good, you should keep on doing these sorts of ideas
Thanks, my friend
This has to be the most ambitious song you've composed, and you and lady skald are both really good singers, I love the duality of the languages, rather trilogy of languages now, I love the quality and the badassness to go along with your songs, can't wait to see what you do next!
Thanks a lot, my friend! I think my wife is rather taken with the name "Lady Skald" now ;-)
It's so good I find it difficult to put in words. The 3 languages used make it so unique. Hope to hear more Greek on this channel in the future!
Thank you, brother! Will try to get more Greek in :-)
What an incredible song. I thought the English Varangians was good, but this absolutely blows it out of the water. A hammering beat and brilliant vocals, keep it up mate!
Appreciate it!
Absolutely beautiful, you and your wife can sing amazingly with wonderful lyrics. Can't wait for more
I grew up, very near where I live now, in rural southern Ireland. I heard Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd when I was 16 and the music blew my mind!
I'm 62 and now these songs are doing the same thing!
I've never taken any drugs, never felt I needed any! Music is my stimulant.
These songs are unbelievable!
Please keep them coming!
This is awesome, thanks a lot - really pleased you're enjoying them.
Absolutely epic to have three languages in one song. It really does work beautifully and I really enjoyed it. I've also now started to imagine what a multilingual song about the Battle of Brunanburh in 937 would look like.
Actually a great idea
Прекрасная работа, отправляю вам благодарность из места, которое раньше называлось Гардарики
Beautiful song. It is great to hear ancient tongue used in song in the modern age.
Wonderful work to you and your wife!
I love how the Greek lines is such a contrast to the ones of the Varangians, as the Empire was truly an entirely different world to the Norse and Anglo-Saxons who made the journey. The song portrays this in a really interesting way. I imagine coming from one of the small villages here in Norway, and being a good enough fighter to take the opportunity the tales of such a distant strange land promised, "Then they sailed southward to Miklagarðr and found the greatest city in all the world, with walls of stone that reached the heavens, shining towers of gold and silver, and streets filled with riches beyond imagination. The markets were overflowing with treasures from every land, and the halls of the emperor glittered with jewels and gold."
Man its very impressive you make songs with this quality in such a short time
You know what… I really appreciate the rythm switch you used for the Greek sections! It sounds so close to the orthodox hymns I know. I could almost see it being carried on the wind over the rooftops of Constantinople…Yep you absolutely smashed it out the park with this one and I really wish I could show it to an old Varangian guard or Byzantine soldier !!!!
We are long overdue a big budget movie that follows a band of Anglo-Saxon and Viking Varangians on some kind of madcap adventure across the Empire. All the dialogue must be in authentic Old English, Norse & Greek though otherwise there's no point.
This is one of my favorite of your original compositions. Well done!
Amazing music, sound, vocals... Very well done.
This is one of the most awesome things I have ever heard.
It's rare that I comment and like on RUclips... but your works deserve to be recognized. When you close your eyes and listen to the music you literally travel through time. You relive these forgotten episodes through time.
I'm impatiently waiting for a work in Old Frankish 😉
Signed by a Belgian soldier and history buff
Much appreciate you taking the time to comment in that case, my friend, and thank you for the edifying words! Still trying to dig up enough resources on Frankish but it's definitely on the cards ;-)
@@SkaldBardthere’s hardly any surviving scripts of anything in that region until old Dutch (still very few) so I think your best route would be reconstructions and a bit of lyrical implications
Beautiful mix of language and voices. Amazing work! Love it!
Many thanks!
Hail! Powerful piece brother 😮 may everyone here listen to your work with open ears. ❤
Might have to change my favourite song after this one, by far the best creation of yours. The tune is perfect for the story. Loved the mono of the different languages, helped show the difference of these men. Also loved that your wife lead the Greek part seeing as you got that from a woman.
Amazing as always
God Bless
Appreciate the thoughtful comment, and spot on with the Greek observation! Cheers, God bless
And I thought that two languages in one song was already nuts. Now we have three, and with beautiful lyrics! Great job, Skald!
Haven't even listened yet and I know it's going to be fantastic! Go from listening to Old Norse music and the notification for a new Skaldic Bard song comes up.
Ultra Based, your wife and yourself make the most excellent of duos
This is epic, been trying to sing along with it but it is tough you guys did an awesome job on this song as well as "The Last Varangians". Hope to see more in the future.
Briljant mate 😊
Tel your partner that your songs are beautiful
Plus it always comes at the perfect time
This is definitely one of your best compositions I think! It doesn't fail to inspire me every time I listen to it! The drums, the various languages, the whole style is great! The story also simply brings the whole thing to another level. Keep it up!
Awesome to hear, thanks!
I've been binge-hearing this one for a week. Bloody brilliant.
English-Viking-Byzantine friendship is strong 🇬🇷🇳🇴🇮🇸🇬🇧💪
You forget the Faroe Islands🇫🇴, Denmark🇩🇰, and Sweden🇸🇪, among your flags.
🏴 not 🇬🇧
🏴✊🏻👍🏻
Lets take back Istanbul !
@@franckvermont1926No, it is Constantinople!
Legendary trio of a Norseman, Anglo-Saxon and a Romaiois (Roman).
This is the best trio ever, don't try to change my mind
@@TzarTzarevich777facts
The trio is legendary but jsyk Romaioi is the plural, singular would be Romaios.
sorry, just sometime I see the Romaioi without the s sometimes with it, thanks for correcting me@@georged.5595
Easily your best work yet, love the percussion on this one! Pass my compliments on to your wife for such angelic singing!
Holy shit. Your songs make my blood pump like nothing else. Well met🤘🏼🪓🛡️❤️🔥
Your work is like a musical version of Tolkien; both works give us "Westerners" a modern interpretation of our cultural story.
Music should be a far more common medium, for learning language and history.
-From a US citizen with German-Celtic background: Thank you for presenting our history in such an engaging way!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment and the very humbling comparison! Much appreciated, glad you're enjoying it
@@SkaldBard Scaoil amach do cheoil os cionn do chairde is chlann mar na gaoithe sa spéir
That switch to Greek
i remember when this first came out. it'll still be a great track in a year from now I'm sure!
I have been listening to your songs (especially the germanic ones) for the past hour during my workout, the effect is splendid, thank you, Skaldic bard
Based. Glad you enjoyed, my friend
Probably my favorite of your songs ❤
Timeless. Bone chilling. Thank you for your music and scholarship (I'm an old reader of Anna Komneni's words).
Thank you for another masterpiece !
lol just got back from work and was telling my Norwegian boss about the Varangian guard! perfect timing
Just discovered your channel. Really great stuff! I'd love to hear more Medieval Greek. Maybe parts of the Digenis Akritas epic? There's a part where Digenis saves the maiden, would make a great duet!
This is awesome! I love it!
I really love your music! You have such a talent!
May God help you in your creativity!
I'm half northern English and half Greek. This is now my training anthem hahaha
Waos
Just found this, I listened to 1 minute, and I instantly subscribed, amazing stuff!
Very lovely song, I love how it portrays the multicultural nature of the Varangian guard. A song I'd love to hear someday is a song about William the Conqueror since you made one for Harald and Harold. Being a descendant of the Conqueror, I'd love to hear you make a song about him.
An other Idea fo a next song could be one sung in Norman-French about the Normans of Normandy. P.S. This song here by the way was beautiful (As always) i really enjoyed it , the greek language strain was a touch of class 😉
Some much needed appreciation for the Battle of Beroia! Thanks for the song, from an enjoyer of Ioannes II Komnenos and the Varangians of Thule!
scyttena = archers on back
scyttena = Scythians
I love languages and the music created by them.
This is a true gem people, we need to produce more and more music like this.
Please keep them coming!
Skytt (Shooter) modern day swedish - Skyttarna plural or multible Skyttar (Shooters)
Thanks, you've given me the perfect song to listen to whilst I play the new Varangian Guard hero in For Honor.
Lovely! I was wondering, have you thought about making a song in Alanian one day? Alans have fascinated me for a while, being sort of "fish out of water", migrating through the Roman Empire with their Germanic neighbours
What is Alanian? An extinct sister tongue or old form of Ossetian?
An artistic mix of the languages! I love this!
yet again amaizing song! I really enjoy listening to your songs! Keep up the great work
Thanks, mate! I do have some Bulgarian planned as I know you've been asking, just in case you were wondering ;-)
@@SkaldBard thank you very much that makes me very happy! I guarantee you that i will continue supporting you
It's lit how the historically verisimilitudinal music community now exists and I can jam out to shit sung in languages usually normally only discussed and explored in university philologist settings.
Yay, the old norse is back.
I could feel you breathing down my neck.. ;-)
@@SkaldBard 😅
My favourite so far. Haunting and beautifully put together and performed
I must say, you are my favorite skáld, flawless job, i have to say that this kind of "tense" rythm and passe really catches me (im brazilian, dont know how to translate my idea well, sorry) this song and haraldr haldradr are my favorite.
And the less "tense" are Sigurd the crusader and olafr trygvason.
Waiting form some jomsviking too! God bless and stay with you, every single day until the end of the world!
What a powerful and picturesque song, dedicated to those axe-wielding guardians, who cut bloody swathes through the Roman Emperor's enemies! It's remarkable how similar Norse and Anglo-Saxon sound, on the surface of it.
Incredible stuff as always
I hail Varangians. I hail them from the old capital, Constantinople. Bravery will never be forgotten. Loyal lions of the old Emperors, their names will live forever. Lots have changed, but not all. Byzantine Emperors were so lucky to have them, host them in my city. I thank you both husband and wife for this masterpiece.
You truly are Skaldic.
Hail! This is probably my favourite out of all your works. Keep it up! Would be cool to see songs about Migration Period figures like Arminius and Sigurd the Dragon Slayer.
Goshhhhhh amazing !!! I love the singing rythm !
Amazing work, I really commend you for this, it is fantastic 💪🏻
Thanks a lot man, and congrats again on your recent cover of Foss
Is a collab with Farya Faraji too much to ask? 🥺
Hm, well.. watch this space
@@SkaldBardHehehe
Enjoying this masterpiece from Algeria
Next: Battle of Manzikert in Old Norse, Old English, Byzantine Greek and Anatolian Turkish
Had no idea this actually happened in European history. Impressive. Such a thing would have blown away the minds of Both Scandinavian and Saxons of King Alfreds kingship.
That's absolute wonderful... I was born in Sicily, once upon a time we were a beautiful kingdom maden up by Byzantine Greeks,Arabs and Normans (Vikings) the Sicilian Kimgdom was a very modern state for those times. The Normans allowed Christians (West Christians and East) to be together with no problems, even Muslims could be Muslims they still were ours, Sicilians wich was the most important thing. I am proud of my Byzantine eritage,proud to be born in that beautiful land. You should write something about the Old Sicilian Kingdom of king Roger.
Весьма захватывающая песня! И вполне звучит даже намного лучше предыдущих работ, эпик, ритм, всё это звучит довольно бесподобно! К слову, по ощущениям это даже больше походит на композицию из игры. :)
I am Greek , Old Norse and Old English sounds so beautiful to my ears unlike modern German which I despise.
Your music is lovely , covering figures that apeared in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire that I have a special interest in.