‘The Martyrdom of St Olav’

 

Over the mountains,

Through forest and fjord,

The betrayer comes,

Wearing a crown,

Wielding a blade.

Faithful to Freja and Odin,

To Balder and Thor;

Now he splinters their shrines

With a stroke of his axe.

 

In their place he leaves

Painted planks of wood–

Of Jesus Christ,

Called Son of God,

And of Mary,

Virgin-Mother

(So he names her);

Also there a Cross

Instead of Yggdrasil,

Tree of the World.

 

He has come nigh

To Stiklestad,

Seeking to rule.

We will throttle

This man – his blood will run!

But la!  He dies

Peaceful, serene;

Utters no curse

But a blessing on us.

 

Day follows night;

Day follows night;

Day follows night;

And from all around

Rivers of men

Flow to his grave.

They bow before him,

And kiss his tomb and his axe.

They ask for his prayers

And leave healed and unburthened.

 

The light of his Jesus

Shines brightly from there,

Upon all the land

And the faces of men.

But the shadows grow darker

In our hidden wood.

Ragnarök has come,

But not as foretold.

Our world crumbles and dies,

But Norway reborn

Is alive, and united

As never before

Beneath the banner

Bearing the axe

Of Olav, forever her king!

 

Holy icon from https://orthochristian.com/81284.html .  A short life of St Olav may be read on the same web page.

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Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!

Anathema to the Union!