"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" | |
|---|---|
| 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.
|
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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