Norwegian Black Metal Poetry: From Church - burning

Satanism in the 80s to “Innocent” Idolisation of Viking

Values.

Guest lecture at Harvard University, October 2006.

By associate professor Ernst Åge Johnsen

Introduction
For the past ten years I have found the issue of Black Metal poetry an interesting issue both in
Norwegian and English. To my surprise, my students - intelligent, well-behaved and
integrated into mainstream society - have shown a fascination for the hardcore and screeching
vocals, aggressive drums and keyboards of Black Metal.

The music is one, but lyrics quite another reason for my surprise. In the 1980s lyrics were
both racist, Neo-Nazi, Satanist and Anti-Christian.

The turbulent and violent decade culminated with tragic killings and church burning of stave
churches that totally scandalised Black Metal. These are the oldest wooden constructions in
the world, dating from 11th century, and are protected by Unesco on The World’s Cultural
Heritage List.

Norwegian Black Metal artist, Varg Vikernes (Count Chrishnackh), was the arsenist, and was
imprisoned in 1994 for 21 years for manslaughter and is still in jail. Scandinavian Black

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Metal in the 80s and 90s was a reaction against the “politically correct” American Death
Metal, and aspired to be anti- political, anti-religious, Satanist and Occult. Its music was
characterised by an evil and dark atmosphere.

In Norway, there even is a band, Horde, with a Christian message, and there is a discussion
whether this is comme il faut. In Norway it is called “White”, or “Unblack” Metal.

Black Metal had become shamelessly anti-Semitic as well as wanting to rid Norway of
Christian influence, in order to return to Old Norse, pagan roots and rituals.

Somehow during the 1990s, Black Metal came of age, or grew up. It left several of the
seamy sides of its traditions. Today, much to my surprise, Norwegian studies at universities
abroad are heavily influenced by students dressed in black, with conspicuous piercing and
spikes wearing white makeup and all the rest of it. When I taught Norwegian at universities
abroad some twenty years ago, the curriculum was dominated by Ibsen, Undset, Hamsun and
Vesaas. They are still on the curriculum, thank God, now only pushed further down on the
reading list, at the expense of Black Metal poetry.

It is important that more serious writers like S.C. Lewis, in the Narnia Series, and J.R.R.
Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings owe a lot to the same mythology. Both of them were Irish,
and had close contacts with Old Norse myths locally. Their fantasy genre have conjured up
the Norse figures of elves, dwarfs and frost giants.

The fascination with Ragnarok, or The End of the World, in Black metal is linked with a
recent Neo-paganism in Nordic culture. This heritage is not quite decent. Even Henrik Ibsen,
in the 19th century, felt attracted by Old Norse mythology and ideals in his early historical
plays. Some scientists claim that if it was not for the fact that Ibsen died 30 years too early,
he might have ended up sharing views with Hamsun, whose Pan- Germanism later developed
into a longing for Aryan and fascist ideology in the 1930s.

In this lecture I am going to explain the background for this fascination with rather childish
and mediocre poetry. Much of it idolises Old Norse and Viking heritage. It is essentially
nationalist – and raises the issue of how negative Christianity has been for our culture.

Again based on my observations of students in the last decade, this links up with a parallel
fascination with The Middle Ages. Students are often involved in medieval role plays. One
positive effect of this in Norway has been a renewed interest in the Old Norse language, its
literature and mythology.

While we used to struggle to make students learn Old Norse language, the Sagas and Eddaic
poetry, students are now keen on them. This has also resulted in a new interest in protecting
our dialects and national language.

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It links up with an increased interest in medieval war and enactment of famous battles, both
on the internet and in real life. The World of Warcraft Industry has won 4-5 million players
only in Europe. The critical view of Christianity among Norwegian students is interesting in
our age where “The Clash of Civilizations” is a hotly debated theme. In our “modernized”
world, young people seem to be disenchanted by “modernism” and tend to look for
alternatives - obviously the more “unmodern” the better. So what is better then than pagan
and primitive Viking culture?

Old Norse (800-1200 AD) and Viking themes

Norse mythology has a strong position in Black Metal ideology. Professor Gro Steinsland has
in a recent book described Norse myths based on modern research. This book is popular
among the young. Vikings believed in several gods.

Odin portrayal

Odin was the strongest one, who lived in a mix of cooperation and conflict with other gods.
He sacrificed his eyes in order to gain wisdom .His two ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin
(Memory) gave him extra wisdom. His squirrel, Ratatoskr, runs up and down Yggrasil with
messages. He also spreads rumours.They are all portrayed on the image above.

The creation of the universe (Genesis) was based on a brutal and bloody execution of the Ur-
Jotne, Yme (giant) from Jotunheimen. Yme’s blood was turned into water, rivers and sea.
His bones became mountains, and his meat turned into soil. His eyebrows became clouds and
his skull became the vault of heaven that all creatures in the world looked up at. This myth
explains the violence in Old Norse traditions. It also illustrates the basic conflict: The Jotne
wants to take revenge on the gods, as they are not the best of friends.

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The Old Norse Cosmos can be presented as a series of concentric circles. In the top circle,
above the trunk of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, we have Åsgard, the home of gods, Vanir
(Vanaheim) and Light Elves (Alfheim). This is the centre of universal energy in cosmos and
contains Valhalla.

In the middle circle is Utgård, or the home of “chaos forces”, where Jotnes, Gygres and
Giants (Jotunheimen) live. Humans also live there, and the Midgard serpent (brown on
illustration) bites its tail and surrounds the world. It is frightening as well as positive in that it
surrounds the vital process of birth-death. The tallest mountains are the Jotunheimen, or
home of the Jotnes. The humans live in a constant tension between these forces.

Gods may transcend the limits between Åsgard and Midgard, but not without risk. They may
travel across Bifrost, or The Flaming Bridge (yellow), which is connected to Yggdrasil and
Hel in the bottom circle on illustration. The Jotnes may move upwards to the gods. When
there is peace among all beings, they may feast together, when not, the “ecosystem” of their
cosmos is at risk.

The World Tree, Yggdrasil, illustrates this “ecosystem”, as it sucks in water from the well of
Urd (in Åsgard), the spring of Mimir (in Midgard) and the spring of Hvergelmir (in Hel). The
World Tree Yggdrasil is exposed and may rot if not water and sacrifices are brought to it.

Most myths of creation, as in Christianity, depend on equilibrium of good and bad. Not so in
Old Norse mythology. Here is a balance between male and female forces. In addition there is
the balance between chaos (disorder) and cosmos (order).

Frøya is the god of fertility and represents a mighty feminist force. When the god Balder is
buried, his wagon is pulled by cats that represent free sexuality. Frøya attracts even Jotnes and
Dwarfs, who are captured by dangerous desire. That is why Christians were most scared by
her influence. If compared with Christian mythology, Frøya bears several likenesses to the
later Virgin Mary.

In Eddaic poem Hávamál,12 th and 13 th century, the social pyramid of Viking society is
clearly outlined. From the top to bottom we find the kings, earls, chiefs, and farmers, in the

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bottom crofters and slaves. The whole idea of “honour” was similar to those of youth in the
21st century.

Valiant behaviour, or death in fighting and in war, automatically qualify warriors to end up in
Valhalla among the gods, where they are resurrected to new life after a beautiful day of
senseless feasting and glorious fighting every day. This illustration indicates the attraction of
Valhalla.

Others end up in the lowest circle – or in Niflheim, in the realm of the dead (Hel). Not so
attractive, according to illustration.

The whole idea of Ragnarok (The End of the World) is thematically strong in Norse
mythology and adds to its gloomy atmosphere. The main god Odin, sacrificed his eyes in
order to gain more wisdom by drinking from spring of Mimir (wisdom).

Ragnarok is a rather concrete idea of the end of the world. In Voluspa, a poetic Edda poem,
we find a graphic description of what will happen. The forces of chaos will overturn the
forces of cosmos- or harmony. Loke and his forces from Helheim, will leave Niflheim to

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attack the living. Heimdall, the watchman of the gods, will summon all his forces and still
lose. The main god, Odin, ends up being swallowed by Fenrir, the Gigantic Wolf.

The ending of Ragnarok is symbolic as only few survivors among the humans are able to
populate a new world, to create another cycle of life. Scholars disagree whether this is an
influence of Christian ideas at the end of the Viking age.

Voluspa has an equally interesting myth about how it all started. At the outset, only Niflheim
and Hel (Land of the Dead) were inhabited, as the world of Ice.
The opposite world was Mispelheim, or the land of fire. This world was guarded by Surt, with
his flaming sword. At the end of the world he would defeat all gods and burn everything
with his fire.
These were the two worlds of extreme elements.
In Ginnungagap, the unknown world in between, there was only empty space. Then the cow
Anembla licked the ice and created the first god, Buri.

Black Metal poetry, as well as Norwegians in general, have a fascination for this mythic
cosmos. In modern education this positive attitude is valuable in order to have students study
Norse mythology, language and culture.

Some claim that Black Metal music owes a lot to Norwegian folk music, which dates back to
pre-Christian culture. Christians claimed that for instance the Harding fiddle (unique
Norwegian folk instrument) was the instrument of the Devil – or Satan. It was not allowed in
church.

Satanism, more as a protest against Christianity than anything else, has been – and is still –
an important theme in Black Metal poetry and music. It is depressive and owes a lot to folk
music in Norway, which often is in the Minor key – a depressed note, as opposed to folk
music in many other countries, which is lively and invigorating. Some theoreticians claim
that it is the sternness of the Norwegian landscape and the darkness of polar regions that have
inspired Black Metal depression.

Other gods than Odin are popular with Black Metal poets:

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Idun (top), a female god and Frøya (bottom), are both associated with sexuality.

Odin’s wife, Frigg, is associated with marriage, although she is accused of adultery – an
interesting contrast.

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Balder is Odin’s and Frigg’s second son. He is mild and humane, innocent and
associated with the latest phases in life. He is the god of peace and beauty. As the wisest
of Æsir, he is often associated with Christ, and with his magic dreams. He dreams about
his own death, and dreams were often seen as prophetic.

Thor is the war god who keeps up the world order by fighting the Jotnes – or forces of
chaos.
His hammer, Mjølne, creates lightning, an indication of Tor’s hot temper.

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 Loke is the son of a Jotne – and is therefore a semi-god. He is treacherous, but intelligent.
He is able to fool Hodr, Balrd’s blind brother, into shooting Balder with bow and arrow
indavertently.

The End of The World (Ragnarok)

Ragnarok is portrayed in Voluspa. Here are some extracts:

. An ash I know, | Yggdrasil its name,

With water white | is the great tree wet;
Thence come the dews | that fall in the dales,
Green by Urth's well | does it ever grow.

. I saw there wading | through rivers wild

Treacherous men | and murderers too,
And workers of ill | with the wives of men;
There Nithhogg sucked | the blood of the slain,
And the wolf tore men; | would you know yet more?

47. Yggdrasil shakes, | and shiver on high

The ancient limbs, | and the giant is loose;
To the head of Mim | does Othin give heed,
But the kinsman of Surt | shall slay him soon.

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48. How fare the gods? | how fare the elves?
All Jotunheim groans, | the gods are at council;
Loud roar the dwarfs | by the doors of stone,
The masters of the rocks: | would you know yet more?

57. The sun turns black, | earth sinks in the sea,

The hot stars down | from heaven are whirled;
Fierce grows the steam | and the life-feeding flame,
Till fire leaps high | about heaven itself.

59. Now do I see | the earth anew

Rise all green | from the waves again;
The cataracts fall, | and the eagle flies,
And fish he catches | beneath the cliffs.

Brutality of Christianity
Black Metal poets and musicians, admittedly an underground movement today and a
movement of protest against modernisation, have a good point in their protest against
Christian brutality. We know it from European history, and the same in Africa and the
Middle East. People in Black, however, could not care less about Africa, but are more
concerned with the brutality against Norway when it was Christianised around year 1000. As
opposed to the case in England, Norwegians were much harder to “save”, and less likely to
listen to arguments.

The Viking Age disappeared when the new religion had defeated the old. Even Christian
Viking king, Olav Tryggvason, used brutal methods in scaring people from sticking to the
old belief.

He tied up Volvas ( Shamans) at low ebb and left them to drown, to set an example, and scare
off others who had stuck to their old faith. Look at illustration.

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 This is a picture presentation of how the dead spirit, Volva has a revelation. Vóluspá, as in
the extracted stanzas above, shows Ragnarok in great detail, and explains the beginning and
end of the universe. According to Snorre, it was the chief god Odin, who awoke the spirit of a
dead Volva (shaman) and challenged her to reveal what she knew. She was reluctant, but
Odin insisted.

Odin is eaten by Fenris the Giant Wolf during Ragnarok.

Some extract of Black metal poetry to illustrate themes

I shall analyse texts later, but first I intend to discuss them with you to find out how you
understand them. Try to base your analysis and interpretation of one poem on Norse
mythology, as explained above. Happy reading:

1
Heading home (Mistur, Andre Raunehaug. Translation, Ernst Åge Johnsen)

A warrior left speared on the field

Cowardly stabbed from behind
Sword thirsts for revenge

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But the warrior is dead
Only his spirit picks up the weapon and heads home

He roams Valhalla
The kingdom of the dead
Where the heroes’s “skål”
Echo in the festive halls

They greet the newcomer with lifted mugs

Listen to his sad tale
And thirst for revenge over the coward

When he will appear

Swords will sever his skin

2
Misty mountains ( Mistur, Andre Raunehaug, translation, Ernst Åge Johnsen)

Sworded Christians
Poisoned by new belief
Flood the country

The mountains view them with despise

Misty mountains mock the flock

Some countrymen did not bend

Sickened by the stench of humble blood
Trolls appear from granite wombs
To trap the Christians’ cross

Next night gold soothes saintly soldiers

Safe and sheepish

Sudden shock sends shivers down their spines

Flesh turns cold as swords sever saintly souls

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The following two are the same poems, 1 and 2, translated by Bjørn Ljung

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3. Dominions Of Satyricon

From beyond come the storms

Landscapes turn to ash before my pressured eyes
Nothingness turns to nothingness
And my imagination fades like dustclouds over
This deserted land feel satyricon
Wonder how stormclouds rage

H
And all you can feel is the cold winds of
Funeral times, timeless they are

He saw lived and died

In these dreams of demons
Wondering how he could open the gate to
Dark medieval times and bring forth to the domains

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of satyricon, two great spears and a flag of dominion
And hate

Above it all creations fall

Living for the quest and the search
Dying for the key, living for the domains
Arise northern spirit and come forth under
The might of the castle satyricon

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1. Black Winds

Summon thy hidden wisdom, gather the unholy hate

Winter is at hand, frozen my tears will be
Created by blasphemy
The edge of my sword, the powers of my mind

Winter is at hand, as two torches blaze in the dark

A warrior dressed in black, granted eternal life
Black winds blow my hair, as the voice of the night
Whispers my name

Blackened ground, misty sound

Hear the call for war, the master calling his
Warriors to explore by the sign of the horns
As the dawn arises the souls of a thousand
Young men shall go wild
As the fire shines into the night they're sitting by
The campfires awaiting the dawn

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The Forest Is My Throne

Through years of knowledge, man rode the wings of evil

Through the enormous winter, three years without summer
Prepared for the battles of the north

I sat on my throne and watched between

The skies of a cold northern light
Knowing this was my ground, but those who turned their backs
Against my throne, only got my sword on their back!

I rose from my throne, and walked away with the wind

Through centuries of weakness
Only the strong follow me, on my crusade of darkness
In this land where the forest is my throne
I have come to re-hunt

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6
Transcendal Journey ( Attergangar, Cor Scorpi. Gaute Refsnes)

In between the shadows

Dormant in the cold
Lies hatred everlasting
Just waiting to unfold

Drifting void
All dignity bereft
Empathy dead
All the dark cravings are suppressed
Thoughts
Of retribution
Instincts concealed
Charred remains of decay forlorn

Filled to the point

Of agony and pain
A submissive mind
By hatred gone insane

Feel the spirits of the darkened soul

Black as midnight on a moonless night
Feel the rebirth of the animal
Wise men guided by the moral light
Feel the power of the anger freed
Now unleashed through a primal scream
Feel the pain from these jaggd teeth
An embodiment of a violent dream

Transcendental journey
Of bestial devastation

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Windir

8
Dimmu Borgir
[The New Kingdom]

Our hate shall win

Our evil shall grow
To fix itself in young souls
The final war shall we win
And the blood of the good shall fall as rain

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Their short souls shall be gathered together
We shall reign over chaos and everlasting night.
We shall forget the womanly weak small mother
And end all
A kingdom shall raise itself
In the ash of burned homeland
There is only one master ruler
We pay tribute to you Satan the king of the strong
Your time has come

Forgotten times on Jotuns path

There over high cliffs and mountains
Has marked it with dust and ashes
From when Alders' herds wandered these grounds.
Here Gandviks Cave trolls stamped forth
In an evil and large goblin-herd
Where rangers found a big wisdom
About the lands forest-life and dark sides
Here on the path creeps eternally forth
Between banks where they difficult still
Can be seen in the horizon
So great it must have been

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[For All Time]

Every tear is frozen

Our soul is linked
Our hate is bloody
All happiness is gone away
All laughter is gone away
All life shall end in death
In a cold and deserted landscape
Shall the black horde step from
Our lord shall rise
Up for all time, rise his kingdom again
Our struggle shall be rewarded
Our names shall be written
Our minds shall pull the bough
All morality shall be cast away
You want but you die of shame
Now is the time come
Yes break the word of the good
Let us for all time become rulers on this earth

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Destroy The Orcs (2003)
Kill the Orcs
Slay the Orcs
Destroy the Orcs

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You returned late home that night
Evidence all around you from the fight
You see your family's blood spilled on the ground
There's no trace of the Orcs to be found

Take the broadsword in your hand

Follow the Orcs to their camp
You will have vengeance in blood
With their heads they will pay the price

Spill blood
On their trail we hunt them tirelessly
Spill blood
Bloodshed eases their loss
Spill their blood
Their decapitation leads to the cessation
Of the sadness, of the woe
Spill the blood

Some analyses of poems

Dominions Of Satyricon

The poem is about a “Dommedag” or Ragnarok, because it sounds like the world is going
under or something else big who has destroyed the world.
He is searching for the key to Valhalla, but he ends up in Hel. He had no life when he was
alive. The poem (or song) is inspired by the Vikings and their mythology.

When you hear the song Dominious of Satyricon, you can almost picture Satyr marching into
the domains with his army to reclaim the homeland, with the intense battles being illustrated
in the faster parts. After the fight, Satyr summons the northern spirit to protect his lands while
he goes to battle for the power of the Shadowthrone, and that's when "The King Of The
Shadowthrone" kicks in. This is when he puts up a fight with the king of the throne to claim it
for himself. When the beautiful folk guitar kicks in and Satyr says, "I am spirit, I am stone,
and I am immortal", you know he has won the fight, and thus became the new king of the
Shadowthrone.

The poem “The King Of The Shadowthrone” is a continuation of the lyric “Dominions Of
Satyricon”.

Student Mari

In conclusion, one may wonder whether the Black metal ideology is a particular way of
exploiting Old Norse mythology to one’s one commercial benefit. When looking at student
Mari’s analysis above, it is hard to imagine how she could have arrived at those conclusions
simply analysing the text through close reading.

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 It is more likely that she has included how she experiences of the beat and rhythm of the
musical accompanying the poem. Also, her prior knowledge of Old Norse Gods and
mythology has enabled her to imagine things through being in a particular mindset as she
reads.

The high moral values of Old Norse Eddaic poetry like in Havamal and Trymskvida seem to
be competely ignored at the expense of some false and exotic “fundamentalist” interpretation.
It is tempting to compare this with Christian fundamentalist thinking, and how this tends to
demonise the Muslim religion when it is needed, like Bush does in Irak. Religious
Romanticism and Nationalism are strange bedfellows sometimes.

Feedback:
andre@raunehaug.net
arthur.svendsbraten@sauda.vgs.no
bjorn.ljung@sauda.vgs.no
s.gusdal@online.no
vegard.johnsen@bygdeposten.no
a-lie@online.no
gaute.refsnes@gmail.com
sigbjornnjn@hotmail.com
solidsnake174@hotmail.com

Sources
Students:
Stian Ritland, Sauda.
Gaute Refsnes, Oslo.
Andre Raunehaug, Sogndal.
Ane Johnsen Lien, Sandnes.

Writers:
Bjørn Ljung, Sauda
Syvert Bruknapp, Sauda
Gro Steinsland, Old Norse Mythology

Websources:
Wikipedia
Google
Darklyrics

Bands:
Satyricon
Windir
Dimmu Borgir
Mayhem
Darkthrones
Emperor
Immortal

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Cor Scorpii
Mistur

Discussions:
• Where is Norse ethics in Black metal (Håvamål and Trymskvida)?
• Drums and primitiveness (drums in Africa and Black metal)
• Lord of The Flies
• Odin and wisdom, sacrifices eye
• Classical musical influence, why not Harding fiddle?
• Lucifer and Satan mixed up in Christian religion. Satan is Christ- Christians have
misunderstood (Laval)?
• Is Satanism a universe of survival of the fittest, indifference, hedonism and revenge?
• Is Islam a universe of preordainment ( Ony Allah knows everything- throws two
handfuls of sand behind himself and says “one will be saved… the other not”) ?
• Is Hinduism a universe of justice (humans collect bonus points through their living to
deserve their Kharma- i.e. being reincarnated as either elephants or mice)?
• Is Protestant Christianity a universe of security, fear and good- versus- evil? Can only
belief bring salvation?
• Has Catholic Christianity an element of good deeds (cp Hiduism) and is the
sacrament of confession in church a guarantee for absolution?
• Does Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Grey and H.C. Andersen’s fairy tale The Shadow
illustrate the dark side of human characteristics ?

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