Song in Old Saxon - Otto the Great | The Skaldic Bard

Here’s another original song from me, this time in the Old Saxon language, otherwise known as Old Low German. Music, lyrics and performance by yours truly. This one is about Otto I the Great’s victory against the heathen Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955.

I’ve tried to make the lyrics a little more traditional this time by using Germanic alliterative verse in the verses. Let me know what you think!

Upon his father's death in 936, Otto inherited the Duchy of Saxony and kingship of the Germans. He carried on his father's mission to unite all of the German tribes into a single kingdom. The pagan Magyars were marauding and threatening the realm, a problem which Otto responded to strongly, beating them at the Battle of Lechfeld. The German victory secured the Kingdom of Germany and ended nomadic invasions into Western Europe. Following this triumph, Otto I was hailed as emperor and father of the fatherland, and he used his strengthened position as Defender of Christendom after the battle to pave the way for his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in 962.

My intention is exclusively to teach history and languages through song. I do not condone, endorse or seek to glorify violence

I hope you enjoy the song. Please like and share the video and leave a comment - I love reading them!

Many thanks for your kindness and support as always!

Lyrics:
An land lioƀarô liudiô
was ên Sahso gisendid.
Sprâkono spâhi was he,
sô wildi wulf an giwinne.

Is folk wunsama
the was is werkô wân,
was wiðar wamskaðon war:
thea unhêlagon hêðinon.

Thô Odo samnon hêt
sô hwat sô an themu lande
allorô strangoston
thiudiskarô thegnô wârun.

Sûðar Sahson sigun
hebbiandie harm wið hertun,
hwand quam manag hêðin man
the haƀda hardan hugi.

Hêl wis thu, Odo miklo!
Heritogo, Kuning, Kêser!
Fan Sahslande oƀar al waldand
was he helið sînarô liudiô.

Elithioda quam themu lande
ja blôd ja sigi sôkiandia.
He im slôg kraftô swerdô –
thiudiska liudi ne sueltad neo!

“Lât ûs nu ûs gisônian
wið ûsa gadulingmâgos
endi fehta fargetan
that wi drohtin mârean môtin!”

Thô ridun te giwinne
hrossô hôfslaga hôriandie
wið hêðin eoridfolk
the brinnandie bogun bârun.

“Gibâriad gi baldlîko,
ne sî nu iu forht hugi,
hwand wlanke weros sind
thes rîkies thiudisken.

Ên aftar ôðrumu
fîund fellun im tô fuoton
Hêl wis thu, Odo mîn,
wirthis ja kuning ja kêser!

Hêl wis thu, Odo miklo!
Heritogo, Kuning, Kêser!
Fan Sahslande oƀar all waldand
was he helið sînarô liudiô.

Elithioda quam themu lande
ja blôd ja sigi sôkiandia.
He im slôg kraftô swerdô,
Thiudiska liudi ne sueltad neo!

Please do not redistribute my work without permission. Feel free to email me with any inquiries!

[SkaldBard]

Here’s another original song from me, this time in the Old Saxon language, otherwise known as Old Low German. Music, lyrics and performance by yours truly. This one is about Otto I the Great’s victory against the heathen Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955.

I’ve tried to make the lyrics a little more traditional this time by using Germanic alliterative verse in the verses. Let me know what you think!

Upon his father's death in 936, Otto inherited the Duchy of Saxony and kingship of the Germans. He carried on his father's mission to unite all of the German tribes into a single kingdom. The pagan Magyars were marauding and threatening the realm, a problem which Otto responded to strongly, beating them at the Battle of Lechfeld. The German victory secured the Kingdom of Germany and ended nomadic invasions into Western Europe. Following this triumph, Otto I was hailed as emperor and father of the fatherland, and he used his strengthened position as Defender of Christendom after the battle to pave the way for his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in 962.


My intention is exclusively to teach history and languages through song. I do not condone, endorse or seek to glorify violence.

Many thanks for your kindness and support as always!

Lyrics:
An land lioƀarô liudiô
was ên Sahso gisendid.
Sprâkono spâhi was he,
sô wildi wulf an giwinne.

Is folk wunsama
the was is werkô wân,
was wiðar wamskaðon war:
thea unhêlagon hêðinon.

Thô Odo samnon hêt
sô hwat sô an themu lande
allorô strangoston
thiudiskarô thegnô wârun.

Sûðar Sahson sigun
hebbiandie harm wið hertun,
hwand quam manag hêðin man
the haƀda hardan hugi.

Hêl wis thu, Odo miklo!
Heritogo, Kuning, Kêser!
Fan Sahslande oƀar al waldand
was he helið sînarô liudiô.

Elithioda quam themu lande
ja blôd ja sigi sôkiandia.
He im slôg kraftô swerdô –
thiudiska liudi ne sueltad neo!

“Lât ûs nu ûs gisônian
wið ûsa gadulingmâgos
endi fehta fargetan
that wi drohtin mârean môtin!”

Thô ridun te giwinne
hrossô hôfslaga hôriandie
wið hêðin eoridfolk
the brinnandie bogun bârun.

“Gibâriad gi baldlîko,
ne sî nu iu forht hugi,
hwand wlanke weros sind
thes rîkies thiudisken.

Ên aftar ôðrumu
fîund fellun im tô fuoton
Hêl wis thu, Odo mîn,
wirthis ja kuning ja kêser!

Hêl wis thu, Odo miklo!
Heritogo, Kuning, Kêser!
Fan Sahslande oƀar all waldand
was he helið sînarô liudiô.

Elithioda quam themu lande
ja blôd ja sigi sôkiandia.
He im slôg kraftô swerdô,
Thiudiska liudi ne sueltad neo!

[Totjunke]

As always, we love your songs!
I'm a Hungarian (magyar, as we call ourselves), nice to see some representation - even as the opposing side here!

We call this battle as the "Battle of Augsburg", which ended the raiding parties towards Western Europe. The last successful raid was conducted against the Byzantine Empire in 968 nearby Thessaloniki, which was a smaller raiding force.
Afterwards, most of the attempts were repelled - including the Battle of Arcadiopolis which was led by Sviatoslav I of Kiev, accompanied by many groups of warriors, which included us, magyars, too.
As the aftermath, to be short, this led to the Christianization of the magyars and by the coronation of Stephen I of Hungary (in his original, pagan name: Vajk), the Kingdom of Hungary was born.

Skald, don't stop with your composing!

[rustybayonette]

He can't be stopped!
Love the alliteration used, one of my favourite features of Germanic poetry.

[mattiacarnio]

Great Emperor Otto Of Saxony...Imperatore del Sacro Romano Impero, Re dei Romani. Greetings from Italy. 🇮🇹🤝🇩🇪

[Harald]

Greetings from Westphalia, a part of old saxony ! ♥

[bmw]

Otto der Große and the old Saxon? (what happiness) thank you friend.

[BonifatiusvonFriesland]

Sehr geehrter Skalden Barde,

Dankeschön für das Lied über Otto den Großen.
Dem Vater des Heiligen Römischen Reiches Deutscher Nation und Bezwinger der Ungarn auf dem Lechfeld am 11. August 955.
Wieder einmal wunderbares musikalisches Meisterwerk, welches dem Erhalt des Christentums und des Okzident dient.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Bonifatius von Friesland

[KiernanRenaud]

This has to be one of my favourite Skaldic Bard songs

[karolusmagnus]

The Skaldic Bard, as a Frenchman, I admire your work!

[TheRaptorr]

Yet another great song from the Bard. I dont know how you do it man

[OdwisBodekind]

He was King in my Homeland. And his second Wife was a big Woman in my Hometown Quedlinburg. I'am not a Christian, but i have Respect for this two Persons. This Song is very good 👍🏻👍🏻

[Pik]

As a German, thank you for the good song about my favourite king, and our pious emperor, Otto the Great, pater patriae, for the music, and for the use of Old Saxon. I love it. 🔥👏

[stevethegrandmarshall]

I've never added a song to my playlist so fast, this is incredible! Your songs are best with fast tones like this one's

God bless Otto the Great!

[randomdude]

Hail Otto the Great! Son of the house of Liudolf! Duke of the Saxons, King of the Germans, King of Italy! First Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire! Defender of Europe and Christendom! Wielder of the Holy Lance, the Spear of Destiny! I bow to you!

[harrylor]

Excellent work! 😃😊👍
Perhaps of interest to the British:
Buried in Magdeburg Cathedral (Saxony-Anhalt) lies the first wife of the Saxon-German Emperor Otto I, Princess Ædgyth of England, granddaughter of Alfred the Great, Queen consort of Germany!
This marriage was also intended to strengthen the alliance between the two Saxon kingdoms, including in the fight against the Vikings.
BTW: Not all Saxons and Angles left Germany, most of them stayed here.
Many of the Angles moved to Thuringia. All places in Germany with the term ‘Angel’ (Engel) still show this today. (You understand? England...).
Descendants of the Angles therefore also live in Thuringia.
The Old Saxons continued to live in northern Germany (today: Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, northern Saxony-Anhalt), Otto the Great was the first Saxon on the German (East-Franconian) imperial throne.
Greetings from North Saxony Anhalt!
Hengist and Horsa!
Wesad gi hele!

[josephbrown]

Old Saxon seems so much closer to Old English than High German. Its possible that Otto the Great's wife, Eadgyth of Wessex, wouldn't have needed any language lessons since they would have probably been almost mutually intelligible speaking in their own languages and would have made sense of the differences quick enough. Louis IV of West Francia/ France, who grew up in England with his maternal uncle King Aethelstan from the ages of 3 to 16 and probably spoke Old English as his first language, also had no difficulty communicating with Otto and indeed the proceedings at the Synod of Ingelheim in 948 were translated into the "lingua teudisca (presumably Saxon rather than Old High German)" so that Otto and Louis would understand.

[sztallone]

As a Hungarian, I like it! Awesome work! Indeed, the victory over the Magyars, who were heathen foreigners strenghtened Otto's rule

[angelmeier]

Thank you for the song. As a total germanophile it makes me so happy to finally have a German song.

[Cody-]

Welp another one that I won’t be able to get out of my head. Love from Minnesota!

[iberius]

Few things are as epic and endlessly listenable as songs about heroism and victory against impending doom sung in an ancient or medieval language with the right combination of male vocals, infectious melody and instrumentation.