Heyr himna smiður

"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), more than 700 years later.[1] The hymn is often sung to a melody composed by Sigvaldi Kaldalóns.

"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

Text and English translations

The original text is presented here with both 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. [2]

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.[6][7]

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".[8][9]

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. "Heyr, himna smiður (Hear, smith of the heavens) (1973)". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  3. Or mild king. This is a pun on the word mildingur.
  4. "Mótettukór Hallgrímskirkju: LJÓSIÐ ÞITT LÝSI MÉR". www.farmersmarket.is. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  5. "VOCES8 Announce their New Album 'Infinity'". voces8.com. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  6. "An 800-year-old Icelandic hymn sung in a train station is utterly haunting". Classic FM. May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  7. "Árstíðir - Heyr himna smiður (Icelandic hymn) in train station". YouTube. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  8. "Ancient Icelandic hymn featured in popular series Handmaid's Tale". Iceland Magazine. July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  9. "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
  • Sigurður Nordal et al., Sýnisbók íslenzkra bókmennta til miðrar átjándu aldar, Reykjavík 1953.
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