The popular historical drama series, Vikings, is currently airing Part B of their fifth season. The minds of fans of the show still linger on the finale of Season 4 when one of the show’s protagonists met his end. The haunting quality of the scene is etched in memory by the hair-raising track, Snake Pit Poetry, written by Norwegian musician Einar Selvik.
The mood for some of the most striking instances from the programme is created by compositions from his outfit Wardruna — the track, Heimta Thurs, that accompanies the notorious ‘Blood Eagle’ execution, for instance.
“They contacted me a few months before airing the first season in 2013 as they were looking for music that imparted a sense of Nordic spirituality. They licensed seven songs for that season, after which I was contacted again to team up with Trevor Morris, the chief composer of the show,” says Selvik, who was also commissioned by the Norwegian government to create the piece Skuggsjá to commemorate the 200th anniversary of their Constitution in 2014.
You know for sure that a band has struggled when you learn that their debut album was released seven years after initial recordings. In the case of this neo-folk act, whose only other permanent member is vocalist Lindy-Fay Hella, one particular difficulty Selvik faced was getting his hands on the instruments, some of which belong traditions that no longer exist. “Only a few people knew anything about these instruments let alone how to make them.
I visited museums and institutions and talked to archaeologists and academics to revive some of them,” informs the 39-year-old, who uses ancient equipment like bukkehorn and talharpa, continuing, “I even made some of them myself. I was very decisive on not wanting to hear any music played on them before I learned how to play.”
The earlier albums of the project, named Runaljod trilogy, interprets the runes of Elder Futhark (one of the oldest forms of letters from Europe), espousing a spiritual visualisation of nature. “I use the ancient alphabets as images of various aspects of the old tradition and it’s very much about our relation to nature,” he reveals. These explorations even involve recording on unconventional surfaces like trees and water, and in settings such as mountains and caves.
“The concept of Wardruna is about getting as close to the runic script as possible, which means that I try to use relevant instrumentation,” adds Selvik. He is currently laying the groundwork for an album where he plans to work with an acoustic setting.
Einar Selvik has no plans to visit India soon
“Wardruna’s music is quite dependent on the setting it’s performed in, so I don’t want to rush into a new scene. I’d rather wait for the right invitations,” says the multi-instrumentalist.