Herr Mannelig in Old English The Skaldic Bard

Here’s another version of Herr Mannelig, this time in Old English, translated from the original Swedish and arranged by me, and performed by me and my wife. This is her first time singing in Old English, and I think she did a wonderful job! Herr Mannelig is a very popular Swedish folk song dating back centuries. A young Christian man is tempted by a pagan woman who offers him a plethora of worldly goods in order to win his heart. Resolutely standing by his Christian principles, the young man rejects her advances on account of his mortal soul. There are several possible interpretations of the name “Herr Mannelig” quite, which literally means “Sir Manly”. It refers not only to his manliness as a young, virile male, but possibly also to his human nature; the lady in the song is called a “mountain troll” in the original Swedish, which may refer to not only her pagan nature, but possibly her supernatural form. As the word “troll” is not native to English, I opted for “mountain witch” in Old English – the word “witch” similarly pointing to her supernatural, pagan nature.