They Sung An 800 Year-Old Hymn In A Crowded Train Station, The Sound… AWESOME.

Somewhere in a nondescript train station in Wuppertal, Germany, a transformative performance was recorded on film, causing listeners to sit in wide-eyed reverence to the sounds produced by these young men. The group Árstíðir began singing the ancient Icelandic hymn “Heyr himna smiður.” It’s the oldest known Scandanavian hymn, dating all the way back to the 13th century and reportedly written by former Icelandic chieftain Kolbeinn Tumason on his deathbed. The English lyrics are chilling: > Hear, smith of the heavens, what the poet asks. May softly come unto me thy mercy. So I call on thee, for thou hast created me. I am thy slave, thou art my Lord. > God, I call on thee to heal me. Remember me, mild one, Most we need thee. Drive out, O king of suns, generous and great, human every sorrow from the city of the heart. > Watch over me, mild one, Most we need thee, truly every moment in the world of men. Send us, son of the virgin, good causes, all aid is from thee, in my heart. If reading the worlds wasn’t powerful enough, see their incredible performance of the song, in Icelandic, below;.