Song of the Shield Wall

Home  |  Song of the Shield Wall  |  Strongest and Best  |  Steel Shod Dance  |  Sixteen Knights  |  Raven Banner  |  Non Nobis (Psalm 115)  |  Leaving Song  |  Hotspur  |  Hal's Song  |  Fyrdmen on Campaign  |  Fruit of the Yew  |  For Crown and for Kingdom  |  Strike the Drum  |  Cheer  |  A Grazing Mace  |  What's New  |  Contact Us
 

Hasten, O sea-steed, over the swan-road,
Foamy-necked ship o'er the froth of the sea!
Hengest has called us from Gotland and Frisia
To Vortigern's country, his army to be.

We'll take our pay there in sweeter than silver,
We'll take our plunder in richer than gold,
For Hengest has promised us land for our fighting,
Land for the sons of the Saxons to hold!

Hasten, O fyrds-men, down to the river;
The dragon ships come on the in-flowing tide.
The linden-wood shield and the old spear of ash-wood
Are needed again by the cold waterside.

Draw up the shield-wall, O shoulder-companions;
Later, whenever our story is told,
They'll say that we died guarding what we call dearest,
Land that the sons of the Saxons will hold!

Hasten, O house-carls, north to the Danelaw;
Harald Hardrada's come over the sea!
His longships he's laden with baresarks from Norway
To claim Canute's crown and our master to be.

Bitter he'll find here the bite of our spear-points,
Hard ruling Northmen too strong to die old.
We'll grant him six feet - - plus as much as he's taller - -
Of land that the sons of the Saxons will hold!

Make haste, son of Godwin, southward from Stamford,
Victory's sweet and your men have fought hard,
But William the Bastard has landed at Pevensey,
Burning the land you have promised to guard.

Draw up the spears on the hill-top at Hastings,
Fight till the sun drops and evening grows cold,
And die with the last of your Saxons around you,
Holding the land you were given to hold!

Words: Malkin Gray (Debra Doyle)
Tune: Peregrynne Windrider (Melissa Williamson)
Source: Westerfilk Collection

Below are preview mp3s from Calontir Songbook [Calontir Practice CD].  This CD was reportedly produced by Mathurin [Kerbusso(?)] in Forgotten Sea (Kansas City).  One of the singers is Dorus Whitecap and we recognize the voice of Simonetta [Musaragni?]. If you know anything about the production of this CD, please email us at .
 

• Various Artists
  • Calontir Songbook [Calontir Practice CD]
    • Song of the Shield Wall - Malkin Gray and Peregrynne Windrider  Time: 2:18
    • Strongest and Best - Andrixos Seljukroctonis  Time: 3:08
    • Steel Shod Dance - Andres lyon on Wolvenwood  Time: 1:37
    • Sixteen Knights - Jason of Westershire (L) / Merle Travis (M)  Time: 2:48
    • Raven Banner - Malkin Gray and Peregrynne Windrider  Time: 2:23
    • Non Nobis - Psalm 115:1 (L) / Patrick Doyle (M)  Time: 1:43
    • Leaving Song - Andrixos Seljukroctonis  Time: 4:15
    • Hotspur - Andrew Lyon on Wolvenwood  Time: 2:14
    • Hal's Song - Marcus de la Foret (L) / Trad. (M)  Time: 2:52
    • Fyrdmen on Campaign - Marcus de la Foret  Time: 2:37
    • Fruit of the Yew - James Treebull  Time: 4:31
    • For Crown and for Kingdom - Conn MacNeil  Time: 2:30
    • Strike the Drum - Mathurin Kerbusso  Time: 2:46
    • Cheer - Fernando Rodriguez de Falcon and Lyriel de la Foret (L) / Leslie Fish (T)  Time: 2:50
    • A Grazing Mace - 1st Verse: Unknown, 2-4 Jenna of Southwind (L) / Trad. (M)  Time: 3:05

We received our copy of the practice CD from Fernando Rodriguez De Falcon.

Copyright © 2001-2020 by The Jack Horntip Collection.  Conditions of Use.