Het Wilde Heer [English translation]
Het Wilde Heer [English translation]
The storm is raging stronger
While days are getting shorter
Between life and death
The boundaries shall fade
Yuletide1is arriving again
And the skies are starting to roil
In the cold winter's month
Horsemen are moving along the clouds
Wodan’s2army is traveling through the night
When death and life have been brought together
Furiously, the Wild Army3is raging
Forefathers, revered by us
Twelve nights of storm through the skies
The Wild Army with lots of noise
Wodan’s army is traveling through the night
When death and life have been brought together
Furiously, the Wild Army is raging
Forefathers, revered by us
The sun dies at the horizon4
And darkness shall fall
The army of death returns once again
From the high frozen grounds5
The wheel will be burned6
And brings light in dark times
In the longest night
The dead shall ride
The sun dies at the horizon
And darkness shall fall
The army of death shall return once again
From the high frozen grounds
Listen and behold
The Wild Army
In the winter’s cold
Long lasts the night
The Wild Army
Is going hunting in the skies
Heroes of yore
Descend furiously on Midgard
When darkness falls
And the horn sounds again7
The twelfth night, live beckons
When the Army is moving homewards
From the south the sun returns
To the north oncemore
1. a pre-Christian Germanic pagan festival that was observed around the time when Christmas is celebrated now ("Troll the ancient Yuletide carol" in the Christmas carol "Deck the Halls" also refers to this festival.)2. Germanic for Odin.3. The Dutch word "Heer" literary means "Lord" in modern usage, but an alternative (now archaic) meaning for the word is "army".4. "einder" is an archaism for "horizon"5. The Dutch word "hal" (plural: hallen) most often means "hall" in modern usage, but an alternative uncommon meaning that is used in this context is "frozen ground".6. During the pre-Christian age, it was a common tradition among German and Dutch pagans to burn a wheel during the Yuletide's festival in order to scare away ghosts, which is what this song is describing.7. The correct line is "Als de hoorn weer schalt"
- Artist:Heidevolk
- Album:Walhalla Wacht