Varden (The Cairn) | Nordic Ritual Folk | Official Music Video

Varden (The Cairn) is a Nordic ritual folk chant in Nynorsk, with a cinematic music video. A woman climbs a mountain and leaves her grief behind at three cairns. Full lyrics in Nynorsk and English below. Varden – eit rituelt folkesong på nynorsk. Ho går opp i fjellet og legg att sorga ved tre varder. Tekst på nynorsk og engelsk under. #NordicFolk #NorseMusic #Nynorsk #Varden #RitualFolk #NorseMythology "Varden" is the Norwegian word for the cairn: a stack of stones that marks the trail across the mountain. Travellers add a stone as they pass. In this song a woman climbs from the valley and puts down, at each cairn, something she can no longer carry: her name, the word that was never spoken, her longing, the last thread. On the summit three women sit without a word. One spins, one weaves, one cuts the thread, and they echo the Norns of Norse mythology. Sorrow becomes stone, stone becomes sand, until the ocean forgets. She walks down with empty hands. No real people appear in this video. For listeners of Nordic and Norse folk: Wardruna, Heilung, Eivør, Skáld, Danheim. Original lyrics (Nynorsk): Stilt no… stilt. Fjellet høyrer før du nemner eit ord. Grip om staven. Lat stigen vise veg. Med attlatne auge kjenner du kvar stein. Tel kvart pust, det fyrste, det andre. Tåka tek namnet du bar med deg hit. Steg for steg ligg dagen attom deg. Ravnen fer frå fjellet ned mot dalen. Ut frå huset, bort frå eld og ly, berføtt gjennom graset, inn i vinden. Stigen smalnar mellom stein og ur. Høgt der oppe sit tre ved ei kjelde. Ved fyrste varden stansar du og står. Legg namnet ditt blant steinane der. Det du legg att, skal ingen bere vidare. Handa vert lett. Himmelen kjem nær. Ved andre varden stansar du og står. Legg der ordet som aldri vart sagt. Det du legg att, skal ingen bere vidare. Handa vert lett. Himmelen kjem nær. Ved tredje varden stansar du og står. Legg der lengten. Slepp den siste tråden. Det du legg att, skal ingen bere vidare. Handa er tom. Himmelen er her. På høgda står du berr for vind og vér. Nordanvinden stryk kald over berget. Tre kvinner sit ved kjelda utan ord: Ei spinn. Ei vev. Ei skjer tråden av. Sorg vert stein. Stein vert sand. Sand vert sjø. Sjø vert sky. Sky vert regn. Regn vert elv. Elv vert hav. Havet spør ikkje. Havet gløymer. Eg bind deg ikkje. Eg løyser ingen knute. Det du bar hit, skal liggje att. Namnet i steinen. Ordet i vinden. Sorga i vatnet. Sporet i jord. Gå no. Gå no. Ingen held deg att. Same stigen ned. Eit anna steg. Varden står. Varden står. Steinen ber det handa ikkje ber. Ho som gjekk opp med sorg i barm, kjem ned med tomme hender. Under henne lyser dalen. Legg ein stein på varden. Ikkje sjå deg att. Gå heim. English translation: Hush now… hush. The mountain hears before you speak a word. Take hold of the staff. Let the path show the way. With closed eyes you know every stone. Count every breath, the first, the second. The fog takes the name you carried here. Step by step the day lies behind you. The raven flies from the mountain down toward the valley. Out of the house, away from fire and shelter, barefoot through the grass, into the wind. The path narrows between stone and scree. High up there, three sit by a spring. At the first cairn you stop and stand. Lay your name among the stones there. What you leave behind, no one shall carry on. The hand grows light. The sky draws near. At the second cairn you stop and stand. Leave there the word that was never spoken. What you leave behind, no one shall carry on. The hand grows light. The sky draws near. At the third cairn you stop and stand. Leave your longing there. Let go of the last thread. What you leave behind, no one shall carry on. The hand is empty. The sky is here. On the height you stand bare to wind and weather. The north wind strokes cold across the rock. Three women sit by the spring without a word: One spins. One weaves. One cuts the thread. Sorrow becomes stone. Stone becomes sand. Sand becomes sea. Sea becomes cloud. Cloud becomes rain. Rain becomes river. River becomes ocean. The ocean does not ask. The ocean forgets. I do not bind you. I loosen no knot. What you carried here shall stay here. Your name in the stone. The word in the wind. The sorrow in the water. The trace in the earth. Go now. Go now. No one holds you back. The same path down. Another step. The cairn stands. The cairn stands. The stone carries what the hand cannot. She who climbed with grief in her breast comes down with empty hands. Beneath her the valley glows. Lay a stone on the cairn. Do not look back. Go home.