Wardruna - Birna

From the deep woods emerges Norwegian group Wardruna's sixth studio album, Birna. 

Birna – the she-bear in Old Norse – is a work of art dedicated to the warden of the forest, nature’s caretaker, and her battles here on earth. Slowly driven out of her habitat by modern day societies, she has entered a stage of permanent hibernation. As a result, the forest is gradually dying, longing for its pulse and heart – its shepherd. Birna calls for her return.

The bear frequently figures in the oldest myths of mankind in the northern hemisphere, and many indigenous people still regard this animal as a totem, honouring it with rites and songs. It was once our respected guardian, our guide to edible plants and berries, a creature we both feared and admired.

The heartbeat of the dormant bear, around nine beats per minute, can be felt throughout the Birna album. This cyclical process, so embedded both in nature and the worldview of older cultures, drives Einar Selvik’s every creative work. Birna nurtures the insight that has been at the core of Selvik’s philosophy right from the start: sowing new seeds whilst strengthening old roots. 

Instruments and wisdom from ancient times, coupled with modern day soundscapes and recorded sounds of nature, provide a rare opportunity to tell us something valuable about ourselves. It works as a reminder that we are part of nature, not above it, and it offers a way of remembering, not for memory’s own sake, but to gain both new and forgotten insights.