Canine Companionship with Amorphis
Check out Rowdy Geirsson’s new book, Norse Mythology for Bostonians, a humorous retelling of the Norse myths to learn more about the time that Odin passed out drunk on Boston Common or when Thor attempted to break and enter into a Dunkin’ Donuts.
Amorphis have been exploring the timeless topics and themes of ancient folklore ever since the release of their debut album, The Karelian Isthmus, way back in 1992. The band’s lyrics speak of the world’s mystical origins, the raw power of nature, and the enduring and sometimes challenging relationships between humans and majestic beasts. But despite the archaic roots of the wisdom shared in the band’s music, the venerable lessons imparted still ring true today, particularly for dog owners, as the following examples illustrate.
On the first moments of getting a new puppy:
“The days they blend into the nights
The moon, the sun unite
Order of stars expires
A wonder is born”— “Sampo”
On struggling to adapt to your puppy’s extremely high levels of energy and as-yet untrained behaviour:
“Come when the sun has gone away
When the world has gone
Take what I will give you
Accept my sacrifice”— “Sacrifice”
On learning to recognize when your dog needs out:
“Do not doubt her wisdom
Don’t resist her call
Just follow in her footsteps
For she will not wait”— “The Golden Elk”
On being awoken by your dog at an ungodly hour:
“Close your eyes now
And give in to the night
Soar above the stars
Forget what’s behind
Don’t stare up at the setting sun
Or the light of dawn”— “Amongst Stars”
On waiting and waiting and waiting for your dog to do his/her business:
“Somewhere there’s a tree of ages
Havens hanging from the branches
Cradling worlds beneath its shadows
It seeds give birth to tomorrow
Universes coil its trunk
And heavens rush above its crown
It dances without moving
It is the tree of ages”— “Tree of Ages”
On playing the staring game that often accompanies a battle of wills with your dog:
“Turned to stone
We accursed
Shackled to our thrones
We accursed
Bound to each other”— “We Accursed”
On losing the battle of wills with your dog:
“My strength is not enough
My powers failed me
I need the heaven’s help
I ask for thunder’s force”— “Silent Waters”
On winning the battle of wills with your dog:
“How does it feel
Blessed to receive
Be modest and forgiving
How does it feel
You can try to hate me
But you’re only hurting yourself”— “Drifting Memories”
On the special bond with your dog:
“The sea of my loneliness
It needs to have a sky
To go with my story”— “You I Need”
On witnessing your dog’s separation anxiety:
“Feel affection for her longings
Lamentation for no reason why
Deep mistrust over matter
Seduce its will to melt away”— “Evil Inside”
On returning home to your dog at the end of the day:
“This is how the lucky feel
How the blessed man think
Like a daybreak in spring
The sun on a spring morning
Like the flat brink of a cloud
Like a dark night in autumn”— “Black Winter Day”
On hiring a dog-walker:
“You will be the mistress (of that house)
You will be given the wide belt
And the big key to the gate
If I said something to you
You would take those words
There’s so much power in those words”— “House of Sleep”
On struggling to walk too many dogs at once:
“Behold this man on the road
The burden that he holds”— “The Wanderer”
On the uncompromising companionship of man’s best friend:
“She wakes beside me
She stands by me
She stares at our sky
She lives our lives”— “Course of Fate”
On the tragically short life-span of man’s best friend:
“Long evenings full on longing
Low-spirited my mornings
Full of longing too my nights
And all times the bitterest.
‘Tis my lovely I long for
It is my darling I miss
My black-browed one I grieve for”— “Elegy”
Follow Rowdy Geirsson on Twitter. His new book, new book, Norse Mythology for Bostonians, is out now.
