
The Norwegian collective Wardruna has always operated at the intersection of music, myth, and memory, crafting musical odysseys that explore the ancient rhythms of the natural world. With their latest release, “Birna“, released on January 24, 2025, “Einar Selvik” and his collaborators have created what may be their most thematically cohesive and emotionally charged work yet. Rooted in the animist reverence of the bear as a symbol of strength, wisdom, and introspection, Birna is an album that feels as ancient as the Norse sagas yet as vital as a heartbeat in the wilderness.
The title “Birna “- meaning “she-bear” in Old Norse – immediately sets the stage for the album’s thematic. In Nordic animist traditions, the bear occupies a sacred space, a liminal figure straddling the worlds of the wild and the spiritual. For Wardruna, the bear becomes more than a symbol; it’s a vessel for exploring humanity’s lost connection to the natural world. The album invites listeners to step into the bear’s heavy, deliberate gait, to hibernate in deep introspection, and to emerge renewed and resilient.
Einar Selvik, the band’s creative nucleus, has described the bear as “a guardian of cycles, of survival, of nature’s wisdom“. This reverence permeates the album, from its deliberate pacing to its earthy, immersive music.
The tracklist alone reads like the outline of a mythical adventure. The music itself alternates between moments of contemplative stillness – evoking the weight of snow-draped forests – and crescendos of raw, guttural energy. Tracks like “Birna” and “Dvaledraumar” envelop the listener in hypnotic drones and haunting vocal chants, while “Lyfjaberg” offers a sense of resolution, a spiritual ascent to a place of healing and understanding.
Wardruna’s music is meant to be lived, not merely listened to, and “Birna” invites us into a state of deep communion with its music. Just as the rhythms of nature unfold in cycles – seasons turning, tides rising and falling, the heartbeat of the wild pulsing in endless patterns – this album envelops us in a trance-like experience, dissolving the barriers between self and surroundings. To truly hear “Birna” is to surrender to its flow, to become part of its journey, and to reconnect with something far older than language itself.
Tracklist:
Hertan
Birna
Ljos til Jord
Dvaledraumar
Jord til Ljos
Himinndotter
Hibjørnen
Skuggehesten
Tretale
Lyfjaberg