London Bridge is Broken Down
I haven't updated in a while. But I'm tired, I went to bed at like 11 last night, it was bad. So instead I'll give you a Norse poem written in 1225 by Snorri Sturluson (sp? Perhaps), translated later by Ottar Svarte. The original London Bridge version:
"London Bridge is broken down. --
Gold is won, and bright renown.
Shields resounding,
War-horns sounding,
Hild is shouting in the din!
Arrows singing,
Mail-coats ringing --
Odin makes our Olaf win!"
"At London Bridge stout Olaf gave
Odin's law to his war-men brave --
`To win or die!'
And their foemen fly.
Some by the dyke-side refuge gain --
Some in their tents on Southwark plain!
The sixth attack
Brought victory back."
This is in reference to King Ethelred and Olaf Haraldsson, his Norse ally, burning the London Bridge down in order to split and rout invading Danish forces. They won, as the poem says. However, this is deceptive. London was the last standing English city who had not surrendered to the Danes. From there the Danish king, Svend Tjugeskæg (Sweyn Forkbeard, how cool is that?), went to Bath. The Thanes in western europe met him there and swore fealty to him. Here Svend Tjugeskæg was declared King of England.
"London Bridge is broken down. --
Gold is won, and bright renown.
Shields resounding,
War-horns sounding,
Hild is shouting in the din!
Arrows singing,
Mail-coats ringing --
Odin makes our Olaf win!"
"At London Bridge stout Olaf gave
Odin's law to his war-men brave --
`To win or die!'
And their foemen fly.
Some by the dyke-side refuge gain --
Some in their tents on Southwark plain!
The sixth attack
Brought victory back."
This is in reference to King Ethelred and Olaf Haraldsson, his Norse ally, burning the London Bridge down in order to split and rout invading Danish forces. They won, as the poem says. However, this is deceptive. London was the last standing English city who had not surrendered to the Danes. From there the Danish king, Svend Tjugeskæg (Sweyn Forkbeard, how cool is that?), went to Bath. The Thanes in western europe met him there and swore fealty to him. Here Svend Tjugeskæg was declared King of England.