Funeral & Ritual

This shelf holds the quiet after the battle: Viking funeral songs, laments for the fallen, and the ritual chants of the old ways. Blót ceremonies under the moon, seiðr trances, mead hall farewells and the long walk of souls toward Valhalla, carried by slow drums, mournful tagelharpa and voices that sing grief the way the North sang it, mostly in Old Norse. These are songs for remembrance, meditation and the heavy, beautiful moments.

Each track links to its full page with lyrics, meaning and streaming links. Read every lament's Old Norse words and English translation in The Songbook of the North, or learn what the sources say about the halls of the dead in Valhalla and Fólkvangr.

Continue exploring the full music catalogue.

“Now do I see the earth anew rise all green from the waves again.”

Völuspá 59 · The Poetic Edda, Bellows translation

Laments and rites, in the order a funeral would sing them.

1. Undir Væng Hrafnsins, the ravens gathering the fallen: souls guided to Valhalla beneath black wings.
2. Tár Hrafn, a sister mourning her brother: dew on wounded stone and one grief singing with the wind.
3. Heimr undir steini, words laid beneath the stone for the one who fought and passed.
4. Seiðr Vaknar, the old magic waking: a shamanic trance of drums, ravens and dreams.
5. Blót við Tungl, an offering under the moon: silent greeting, sword and heart given to the gods.

What music was played at a Viking funeral?

The clearest eyewitness account comes from Ibn Fadlan, an Arab envoy who watched a Norse ship funeral on the Volga around 921 and described singing and ritual performance around the pyre. Norse tradition also kept memorial poems composed to honour the dead. Our funeral songs reimagine those voices.

What is a blót ceremony?

A blót was the central sacrifice ritual of Norse religion: offerings of animals, food or drink given to the gods, the elves or the ancestors to win their favour, often followed by a communal feast. Several songs on this shelf, like Blót við Tungl and Hjartablót, are built around that rite.

What is Viking funeral music good for today?

Listeners come to these laments for remembrance and mourning, for meditation and quiet focus, for tabletop sessions that need a heavy atmosphere, and for film edits about loss and honour. The slow drums and mournful tagelharpa are made for the moments that deserve weight.