"Heyr himna smiður" (literally "Hear, smith of the heavens") is a medieval Icelandic hymn written by chieftain and poet Kolbeinn Tumason in the 13th-century. The music that accompanies the text was composed by Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson (1938–2013), more than 700 years later.[1] The hymn is often sung to a melody composed by Sigvaldi Kaldalóns.[citation needed]
"Heyr himna smiður" | |
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Icelandic hymn by Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson | |
English | Hear, smith of the heavens |
Genre | Hymn |
Occasion | Funerals, general |
Written | 13th-century |
Text | Kolbeinn Tumason |
Language | Icelandic |
Meter | 5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5 |
Composed | 20th-century |
The original text is presented here with both the medieval and 19th-century Icelandic versions. The third column features, a rough, literal translation into English, while the fourth column is a looser translation regularized to a metrical pattern of 5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5 and stating all first-person pronouns in the singular. [2]
Heyr himna smiðr |
Heyr, himna smiður, |
Hear, smith of the heavens, |
Hear, smith of heavens.
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Recordings featuring Sigurbjörnsson’s 20th-century melody:
In September 2013, the hymn went viral thanks to an impromptu performance by Árstíðir, an Icelandic indie-folk group. As of 2021, the video, which is published on YouTube, has more than 7.6 million views.[6][7]
In 2017, two episodes of the American dystopian television series The Handmaid's Tale featured the hymn. The version used was arranged and performed by Hildur Guðnadóttir from her 2014 album "Saman".[8][9]
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