Semigalls’ Warchant demo

WEREWOLVES

The pale moon casts its evil eye
Over the man in the forest
He calls wolves with the soundless bagpipe
Utters the magic words of summoning
And when the snowstorm starts its icy dance
Wolves come – red burns their eyes
Hungerful howlings fills the night sky

In the depth of the forest
There live people far from the others
They live by the elders’ custom and worship pagan gods
Wolves guard them against the persecution of Christians
As they deny the dogma of Christ

People from the neighbouring villages
Call this place – the forest of werewolves
( they tell: )
Those who pass by the marsh of wolve
Never return

Howling
The snowstorm roars
Red blood paints the snow
Wolves gnaw the bones of man
Who dared to enter the realm of werewolves

VIRSAITIS  NAMEISIS

I call you brothers to the war
To the land where Christians dwells
Proud Semigallian sons
I call you to grind your swords

There’s no peace in our land anymore
Since Viestards has passed away
But Semigalls will never
Bend the knees in front of the cross!

Beware Christians
Nameisis is my name
Creep in fear hearing that
I come invited by the Dead

My foal runs swifter than Northwind
Battle axe don’t know the rest
I sing the song of victory where
Blood of my enemies is spilled

And Semigalls together with Lithuanians
Through Prussian lands they ride
Nameisis cuts crusaders most wrathfully
Along own men he calls:

“Let’s kill all the Christians
You, my proud heroes!” *

* From „Rhyme chronicle”

SIGNS  CARVED  IN  STONE

Black clouds lies over the dark forests
Dreary centenary oaks rustle in the wind
On olden stones of sacred mound
Ravens sits voicelessly
They’re messengers of Velins* land

Sacred fire under oak burns in night
Stones sink in moss and slowly wane
Signs carved in them

Signs carved in stone…

But with a morning’s fog
Nine priests ascend the sacred mound
Beside the stones they stand
And ancient ritual has begun

Spirit of Fire, take our offerings
Let wreath of smoke reach the sky
Don’t turn away your blessing
Pērkon, old God of forefathers
Let the next generations to understand
Signs forsaken by us

Let us raise again
The banners adorned with thunder crosses
Let us carry on the kin that perishes
And proudly uplift our hanged heads
And let our power never again leave us

Pērkon, give us a power!

*Velins – the god of underworld, he is master of the Dead

NIGHT OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE

The sun has vanished
Freezing northwind now rules the land
From the realm of ice and eternal darkness
Mother Winter snow clouds sends

White warlord rides the sky
Hundred steeds pull his sledge of ice
The roaring noise follows him
It’s the sign that the winter solstice has arrived

The ancient song fills the air
On the mound sacred fire burns
People dance the magic dance of rebirth
For the sun’s sooner return

Here is the longest night of the year
When the evil spirits of darkness is awake
Old witch woman dances across the room
She drives whole evil spirits back in the gloom

Over the frozen field the northwind wails
Falling snow turns into the raging snowstorm

LONG I HEARD, NOW I SEE

(Ancient Latvian folk song)

Long I heard, now I see
Dievs’s grey horses
Adorned with silver droplets

In darkness Dievs arrived
Don’t know where to put his horse
Ride sister at night watch at grass
Let him into the apple grove

Dievs placed his horse
On a stone to rest
So his hooves wouldn’t rust
In the tillable land

On the road I found
The horse Dievs had ridden
Golden saddle on its back
Silver bridle

SEMIGALLS’ WARCHANT

Titmouse sings
Near the house door
Wake up, brothers, saddle the horses
Titmouse brings the message of war

Come on, sisters
Shine our heavy swords
Then go, open the gates
Your brothers must ride to the war

I cut my battleaxe
In the green oak
Onto my spear I tread
Here we swear the oath

Almighty god of war and thunder
Watch us from above
Now we are the hunters
To the hunt we go
Father Moon, high in the sky
Light our way tonight

Two bloody rivers flow
Down from the hill
There my enemies lie
By my sword they’re killed

From their bones we made the bridge to home

This is our warchant
It gives us courage and makes us strong

All music by Rihard, Peter & Edgar
All heathen poetry by Peter, except “Long I Heard, Now I See”.