Valkyrie's Lullaby

By Lady Lasair inghen ui h'Airt

Lyrics

The battle is finally done
One of the two armies has won
The crows take flight at day's last light
And yet, they still try to run

Do not try to run from me
The light of your soul I can see
The torch of your deeds, your honor and greed
determine the fate you receive.

(Chorus)
Enter my arms
to carry you home
away from your harm
you will be one of Odin's own.

You stand in a ring of your foes
all fallen from your axe blows
your sword drank their blood that rained as a flood
your honor and wordfame will grow

Shield maiden defending your land
your life was vict'ry's demand
your shield split in twain, blood waters your grain
your death brings you to Freya's hand

(Chorus)

Frightened jarl hates the spear-din
you lost the battle within
when you fought your fate, surrendered your gate
your weak battle-dew shames your kin

Hidden under your dead friends
today was not your journey's end
remember your war, your brush with death's door
keep honor till we meet again

(Chorus)

My sisters and I heed the call
to choose after last fighter falls
for Freya's green fields or einhenjar shields
or sent to Hel's darkness to crawl

So open your ears to my cry
and for the last time close your eyes
reaver's work is done, the last mercy comes
I sing Valkyrie's Lullaby!


(Chorus x2)


Notes: I first encountered this song from the Knowne World Bardcast and immediately felt it had all the feels of a Calontir song so I quickly learned it and brought it over in 2017.

In doing so, I made a few minor changes to the lyrics. The first was to add the word "finally" to the first line as originally, the word battle was stretched out over several notes. Being the only word in the song to do so felt awkward to me so I added the extra word to improve the scan.

The second change was to the second verse in which the original line was "your honor and fame quickly grow." Being that Calontir has an Anglo-Saxon bent to our culture, fitting in "wordfame" seemed appropriate.