"Heyr himna smiður"
Icelandic hymn by Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson
EnglishHear, smith of the heavens
GenreHymn
OccasionFunerals, general
Written13th-century
TextKolbeinn Tumason
LanguageIcelandic
Meter5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5
Composed20th-century

"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) in 1973.[1] This was the first known musical setting of the hymn to become widely popular, although the Icelandic composer Sigvaldi Kaldalóns set the text in the early 20th century; today, Sigurbjörnsson’s setting is among the best-known Icelandic hymns overall. [2]

Text and English translations

The original text is presented here with 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. [3]

Notable recordings

Recordings featuring Sigurbjörnsson’s 20th-century melody:

Notable singers

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.[7][8]

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".[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ "An 800-year-old Icelandic hymn sung in a train station is utterly haunting". Classic FM. May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Iceland's Favorite Hymn". Árni Heimir Ingólfsson. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Heyr, himna smiður (Hear, smith of the heavens) (1973)". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  4. ↑ Or mild king. This is a pun on the word mildingur.
  5. ↑ "Mótettukór Hallgrímskirkju: LJÓSIÐ ÞITT LÝSI MÉR". www.farmersmarket.is. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ "VOCES8 Announce their New Album 'Infinity'". voces8.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ "An 800-year-old Icelandic hymn sung in a train station is utterly haunting". Classic FM. May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Árstíðir - Heyr himna smiður (Icelandic hymn) in train station". YouTube. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Ancient Icelandic hymn featured in popular series Handmaid's Tale". Iceland Magazine. July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Heyr himnasmiður í Handmaid's Tale". MORGUNBLAÐIÐ. July 10, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  • Árni Daníel Júlíusson, Jón Ólafur Ísberg, Helgi Skúli Kjartansson ″Íslenskur sögu atlas: 1. bindi: Frá öndverðu til 18. aldar.″ Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík 1989.
  • Árni Heimir Ingólfsson. ″Iceland’s Favorite Hymn.″ https://www.arniheimir.com/post/iceland-s-favorite-hymn, access date November 8, 2023.
  • Sigurður Nordal et al., ″Sýnisbók íslenzkra bókmennta til miðrar átjándu aldar.″ Reykjavík 1953.
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