2025, DistroKid. All rights reserved Ásatrú Records. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~↓ Youtube ↓~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ https://www.youtube.com/@Alextheviking ~~~~~~~~~~~~~↓ Explanation ↓~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hestablót” is, for me, the story of a sacred offering, not an act of cruelty, but a passage. With this piece, I wanted to evoke a time when humans and gods shared the same breath, when life and death were bound together within a single ritual act. It begins with the sound of hoofbeats, a slow, steady rhythm, like a heartbeat beneath the earth. I imagined a white horse standing in smoke and silence, not fleeing death but embracing it, becoming the bridge between worlds. Through the verses, I sought to let the ritual unfold: fire, shadows, and the voices of men and women chanting in solemn harmony. There are no cries, no spectacle, only breath, stillness, and the deep gravity of devotion. In the chorus, I call the horse “the traveller between realms”, whose symbolic blood opens the path to the gods. Each repetition of “Hestr blótsins” is meant to feel like an invocation, not of violence, but of transcendence. By the end, the horse becomes spirit, its fall marking renewal, its silence echoing through those who remain. The closing line, “One horse falls, and ten men rise,” embodies what I wanted this piece to convey: the eternal cycle of sacrifice, gratitude, and rebirth that defined the old northern world — where nothing truly ends, but everything transforms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~↓ Lyrics (Old Norse) ↓~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Intro] Í þykkri reykjunni stendr hestrinn hvítr, kyrr Hliðar hans skelfa undir járni en augu hans eru kyrr sem vatn Hann flýr eigi dauðann hann fagnar honum sem goði [Verse] Þeir ganga í hring, brenndr logar kasta skuggum á steina Andadráttur dýranna, hvísl manna þögn rís fyrir egg sverðsins Þegar blóðið sprettir, engi hróp einungis þögnin fyrir bænin Lát blóð hans renna á hold vort síga í jörð forfeðra. Því í falli hans sverjum vér trú ok í andardrætti hans gefum vér þakkir [Chorus] Hestr blótsins ferðamaðr milli heima blóð þitt opnar leið til goða Hvítr sem morgunn rauðr sem endir slá hjarta þitt enn í mold feðranna [Verse] Gufa rís eldr sleikir blóð ok goðin drekka án orða Holdið fellr, Sál hans rís borin af vindi fórnarinnar Skuggi hans fer um nótt leiðir spor þeirra er lifa [Chorus] Hestr blótsins ferðamaðr milli heima blóð þitt opnar leið til goða Hvítr sem morgunn rauðr sem endir slá hjarta þitt enn í mold feðranna [Outro ] Í kyrrð blóðsins, heyrist hjarta heimsins slá. Einn hestr fellr, ok tíu menn rísa.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~↓ Lyrics (English) ↓~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Intro] In the thick of smoke the horse stands, white, still His flanks tremble under iron yet his eyes are calm as water He does not flee from death he welcomes it as one greets a god [Verse] They march in circle their torches painting shadows on stone The breath of beasts The whisper of men all fall silent before the blade When blood bursts forth, no cry is heard only the silence before the prayer Let his blood run upon our skin let it sink into the soil of our fathers For in his fall, we swear our faith and in his breath We give our thanks.. [Chorus] Horse of the blót Traveler between worlds your blood opens the path to the divine White as dawn Red as the end may your heart still beat within the earth of our dead [Verse] Steam rises Fire licks the blood and the gods drink without a word The body falls The soul ascends carried by the wind of sacrifice His shadow crosses the night guiding the steps of those who remain [Chorus] Horse of the blót Traveler between worlds your blood opens the path to the divine White as dawn Red as the end may your heart still beat within the earth of our dead [Outro] In the stillness of blood the heartbeat of the world is heard One horse falls and ten men rise
