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INTRODUCTION
TO EDDAN

The Main story

Facts and background

About the creation of the music

 

The Main Story


Eddan is based on a merge of all the Edda poems.

The work spans the complete pre-christian scandinavian mythology from the beginning to the end of the world (Ragnarök) and beyond.

And most important it answers the question why the world must perish.

The red line thru the piece is the invincible sword, forged by the master smith Völund in part 65.

The sword was forged as revenge upon the whole creation when Völund lost the competition instigated by Loki in part 28.

The competition stood between the elves (Ivaldis son’s) and the dwarfs (Mimir’s son’s) in which the most beneficial treasures for Asgard were made. The gods were tricked by evil to be the judges in this fatal competition.

Völund proved whom was the better smith with this marvelous sword. The sword was crafted with all his knowledge, carved with forbidden runes of absolute victory. The sword fights by itself, shines of its inner power and is indestructible.

A weapon was brought into the world that nothing could stop.

The nature of the sword was that it granted unconditional victory to Völund and his relatives, but eternal ruin to everybody else.

Slowly the plot unfolds and the sword draws the world relentlessly towards Ragnarök.

After the marriage between Svipdag an Freyja in part 104 the blue skies seem to return and in part 106, Frigg is filled with hope that Svipdag can resurrect Baldur and the fate of the world will be reversed.

But this fails and the faint hope of avoiding the apocalypse is lost.

In part 117, the sons of Mimir, the original nature smith’s, resigns after their fathers death. Now convinced that nothing can purify the world except the coming Ragnarök, they all went to sleep.

The seven sleepers will slumber throughout all ages of the world until the final battle.

Mats Wendt

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Facts and background

The synopsis to Eddan is based on the work made by Viktor Rydberg. He was a scholar, journalist and poet for over 100 years ago.

In late 19th century, in a comprehensive work, Rydberg tries to recreate the lost heathen mythology by putting together all the available historical and mythical sources like the Eddas and old European lore. The Edda poems just reflects pieces of a greater whole that was common knowledge in the old world. Rydberg also made a lighter version of his findings and wrote Fädernas Gudasaga, Our Fathers' Godsaga a classic in Swedish literature.

You will find it here.

MW

 

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About the creation of the music


The creation of Eddan started in 1999. The idea had grown for over two decades. The first attempt was in the eighties with Voluspa' but I was dissatisfied with the result.


I had a more modern musical language at this point that did not describe the mythic world very well. It was no grandeur, no awe, no innocence, no magic, no bravery, no fear, no force. The only thing that described the myth was the title the rest was just the opposite of silence.

In 1993 when I formulated the cybersymphonic law, the direction of my efforts changed and the Monumental period begun.


The years goes by with concerts and new works. I first entered Tolkiens world and composed the suite in 18 part
Tales from Lord of the rings.
I went on dissecting William Blakes sinister landscapes in The Marriage of heaven and hell and Europe a prophecy. This was preparations for finding the mythological language.

Mats Wendt

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