Hallvard T. Bjørgum - Skjoldmøyslaget (hardingfele/hardanger fiddle)

1988. The title reads to most of us as meaning “The Shieldmaiden Battle“, but a fiddler friend has told me that in this context, “slaget“ means “(the) tune“, hence “The Shieldmaiden Tune“. The legendary shieldmaidens that the title refers to have given name to a mountain near Setesdal called Skjoldmøynuten, “where they often sat and played so beautifully. They rode over the heathland and blew upon their horns. Many know their tune still: it is called ’Skjoldmøyslaget’, and it was so pretty that people cried when they heard it.“ In this clip, Bjørgum plays “the tune of the tune“, or the main melody, not the whole tune. Quotation: Johannes Skaar (my translation) øynuten