Mp3s (with scholarly notes)
The following are Kari's Grant Submissions for Music Composition

Track 1
"Holdas Spinning Song" ................................Tauring, April 2006 BMI
Recorded live in one take Randy Lamora Studio June 2006 as a draft.

The Germanic Goddess Hulda/Holda spins the past, present and future. She is patron of those who use the distaff (spinners) and her avatars are the Seið-kona. The central motif "spins out" from the following:

"Drømde mik en drøm i nat, um silki ok ærlik pæl.
Dreamed me/I a dream last night, of silk and finest fur.

This is the oldest known Scandinavian tune written found in a manuscript from Denmark. The addition of rune chant follows from the ancient nature of this text as well as the mystical work by one of Holda's avatars.

The Story
The setting is a Viking era (750's C.E.) gathering of spinners in the women's long house. The Seið-kona asks if anyone has remembered a dream. One lady mentions a bit of hers: "Dreamed me/I a dream last night, of silk and finest fur".

Her beloved is on a trading mission down the Danube to the silk road. She wonders if her dream indicates success. The kona offers to help her "scry" or see in her mind's eye where the ship is. They find the ship in a storm off the Danish coast. The kona offers to spin a magical line to the ship and reel it in for a share of the treasure it carries. The two women work together with the other spinners in the room represented by the guitar and fiddle to set the ship back on course. The kona chants a rune spell to secure the ship's safe return.

Rune chant of the Hulda: Radiho means wheel and journey. Othelo means the Homeland calling you. Eohl is elk, a protection rune. Tyr is a victory god and also means the North Star and the distaff. It creates the energy line connecting the points of the traveler to the homeland in the North and the other runes in the spell.

The addition of a rune chant follows from the ancient nature of this text.

6/8 - DADGAD Tuning
i. Dromte, Dromte, Dromte, Dromte - Husker du?
(Dream, dream, dream, anybody? Do you remember?)

Dromte mig en drom I nat un silki ok aerlik pael
(Dreamed me/I a dream last night, of silk and finest fur)

ii. Icy Waves, cold dark sea. My beloved back to me….back to me…
Crashing waves top the prow, wind dragon wet fields plow!

Desert Sand far from fjords, years away, far off shores
I will sing you home, gifts for safety come*

iii.. Casting - on, casting - off, Crashing - cut, cutting through (astir, vestr, sudri, nordri)

Radiho, othelo, eohl, ehol, tyr…
North star steer, eohl, tyr, norward steer radiho tyr**

Back to me, lost at sea, back to me, victory…

* The Kona acknowleges that she will receive part of the ship's bounty for her role in bringing it in safely. they join voices on the lines to acknowlege mutual gifting of the abundance. The two women, work together with the other spinners in the room (the guitar and fiddle are the other voices besides the Kona and the Kjerringa.

**Rune chant of the Hulda. Radiho means Wheel. Othelo means the Homeland calling you. Eohl is the elk and sedge and protection from the selfless place. Tyr is the North Star, the distaff, and the line that connects the points of the traveller to the homeland in the North.

The Story
The setting for the song is a gathering of spinners. The seidth Kona (Woman Shamman) asks if anyone had remembered a dream. One worker mentions a bit of hers.
"Dreamed me/I a dream last night, of silk and finest fur".

You see, her beloved had left the summer before on a trading mission down the Danube and into the silk road. She wonders if the dream means he has had success. The Kona offers to help her "scry" or see in her mind's eye where the ship is. They find the ship in a storm off the Danish coast.

The Kona offers to casting a line to the ship and reel it in for a share of his new found wealth.

Fiddle's motif is the fishing line the ladies use to hook the ship back on course. reflects influences from Schubert's Gretchen am Spinnrade).

Track 2
"Kari og Mari" - traditional Valdres Huldre Lokk, Asbjornsen and Moe, 1886. Original tune, arrangement, translation and interpretation by Kari Tauring 2005. A tune for this lyric was played by Trond Etun throughout Minnesota in the early 1800's.

4/4 DADGAD Tuning
1. Kari og Mari, statt op nå, tend ti ljos, gakk i fjos!
Kari and Mari get up now, light ten candles and go to the barn
Kua ha børi svartan kælv, kælven han heiter Dagros.
The cow has born a black calf named Dagros.

2. Kælve ku, grise su, kilje geit, lembe sø! Kua ho ligg ti myra.
Calf cow, pig sow, kid goat, lamb ewe! Cow has gone ten leagues into the swamp.

3. Hei Halvorsen, Halvor Darsen, Dei Dyringen, Dyring Bramsen
Bram Børresen, Børing Bundersen, Dunder Dangsen og Somme
Ringsen, og Somme Dromlingen. (the names of 9 men, possibly a lineage)

4. Så lokker vi kua på myra, (so we look for the cow in the swamp)
Hurra, hurra, hurra uti skog (hurry hurry hurry into the woods)

A. Kom late oss leike på Valdris vis! (come let us play the Valdres way)
I Valdris i Valdris, der er så godt ågjæte. (in Valdres there is such good herding)

B. Der tuter dom i bukkehònne A A kua! kua! åstakkar!
(there they blow the billy goat horn. Ah, cow, poor cow) end with khulning

The Story
Kari and Mari are huldre. Knowing when the cow is going to calf they go to the barn at the magical hour, lighting ten candles. The ladies are thrilled at the birth of a black calf and call him Dagros (more research to be done here). They call out all mother and young pairings on the farm: Calf and cow, pig and sow, kid and goat, lamb and ewe! The cow wandering ten leagues into the myre (more research on 10 leagues, 10 candles, 9 names) provides a reason for the huldre to call for the "help" of nine men, beckoning them into the woods and swamp on the pretense of "finding the cow". The cow tailed Huldre are notorious for their sexual exploits with human men. Here they finish celebrating the birth of Dagros and "play the Valdres way." The huldre praise Valdres Valley for keeping the old herding traditions alive. There they blow the bukkehonne (horned instrument sacred to the agricultural gods Freya and Freyr.)

Note: Valdres Valley was the last stand of paganism against Olaf in 1026 AD. Anyone who kept the old traditions were tortured and killed at that time.

Track 3
"Komme Alle"…. tune based on "Ah poor bird" traditional, lyric Tauring 2003

Komme Komme Alle, Alles sangen Eohl - (or engles sangen eohl)
Come, come everyone. Everyone sing of ehol - (or angels sing of elk)
Gifu, Gifu, Mannehiem, Komme, Komme, Alle.
Gifu, the gift of Mannehiem (Human community). Come, come everyone.

Runes used:
Ehol is the rune for elk. Elk's willing sacrifice is our example of how to come together.
Gifu is the rune for gift. Gifts of elk, gifts of our relationships is what calls us into community.
Mannaz is the rune for humans in community.

Also chanted in this recording were:
"Litany of Norse Goddesses" by Kari Tauring
The Four Directions (East, South, West, North) in Icelandic.

This was written as the invocation to ritual for Lake Harriet Spiritual Community December 2003.

Track 4
"How do we honor you?" …….Staving chant by Kari Tauring 2004
Originally written for two leaders and small group participation for "Goddess Night - a monthly gathering" in Minneapolis, MN. This version was recorded live at the Cedar Cultural Center, Yule 2004. The performance included over 100 stavers including two on stilts and included the chant, Nam myoho renge kyo)

Intro:
How do we honor you?
(repeat several times until the audience is keeping time with their stavs)

1.
Take up a branch that freely fell, ask it nice and listen well

Take it with you if it is pleased, work it with your hands and feet.

Carve it here, adorn it there, stav it on the threshing floor.

Listen to the song it sings, share your song within the ring.

2.

All: through the worlds I safely ride

3.

All: Through the worlds I safely ride

(Repeat 3 inserting different trees - audience may call them out)

4.
Up and down and up my spine, Roots in deep and branches high

(add drums to the stav work, then digeridoo and other instruments)

About The Musicians