Vor einiger Zeit kam ich mit Runahild, der kriegerischen und charmanten Schönheit des lothringer Folk-Projektes "Eliwagar" in Kontakt.
Nachdem ich mich ein paar Mal mit der stolzen Germanin unterhielt, kam mir in den Sinne sie zu einem Gespräch unter dem Banner meines Magazines ein zu laden... Sie nahm meine Einladung an und offenbarte mir in den folgenden Zeilen alles Mögliche über die französische Folk-Band (deren einziges Mitglied übrigens sie selber ist)!
Hail Wotan and hail Runahild!I must confess, I was really looking forward to doing this interview!
All Hail to you! it's a honour and pleasure for me as well to get this interview with you.
1) Paganland usually is into metal but there are some exceptions, of course. And one of these exceptions is your music. So here’s my first question: How would you describe your music? It’s actually some kind of medieval music or Neo Folk, isn’t it?
I myself describe my music as Traditional Pagan Folk Music. I do not like the term "Neo Folk", folk music is certainly the most ancient and most natural musical art since the dawn of time, and I don't see my way to play folk music today as a "new way". Folk music went through ages, and the way today it's played is just the continuity of the ancestral knowledge.
2) Did you previously record different music or did you play in other bands? If so, why didn’t it succeed? Are you part of other projects now?
Yes, I began to compose music first with an ambient project created in winter 2006 which was called Kriegerswald. I was also alone in this project and only played keyboards. I stopped it to begin with Eliwagar and to be entirely dedicated to it to compose folk music instead of ambient.I have founded lately the pagan metal project called Kriegerswald (I took back this name for it's deep meaning to me), and I play with 2 people from Iron Woods: Holykran and Guerriera Nox. I am very happy about the beginning of this new project and this collaboration with 2 very good people.
3) Is Eliwagar completely a one woman band? Or are there any other musicians to assist you?
Yes, Eliwagar is my very personal project and so is a one woman band at 100%. I do absolutely all music, lyrics and vocals for it.
4) Where do you get your musical inspiration from? Who are your heroes / role models?
I don't think I take direct inspiration from any other band.. however I might be influenced undirectly by the great art of Falkenbach, by the accoustic/folk album of Skyforger "Sword Song", by Krynitza and by such bands. But I don't think any of my influence can be heard in
my music today. What is a true and direct inspiration is Nature, my Ancestors, the Gods and Goddesses and the noble Values.I don't have any role model. There are of course people I respect for who they are, but I follow my own way and try to improve myself on my own way day after day.
5) To me, you seem to be THE only true pagan of the 21st century. Therefore, I have many questions for you, and I don’t even know where to start from…First of all: How did it begin? How did you become interested in paganism? Since when have you been fascinated by it?
I guess I am a pagan at heart, I am born pagan and I will die as a pagan. I have always been fascinated by nature, by legends and by what might be called the mysteries of the deep forest and of the spirits living there. I live since forever in a small village with the forest just behind my home, and while I was a child, I created lot of legends about it, and also already gave a great importance to the ravens, to the 4 elements and their magical meaning. But the notion of being pagan itself was revealed to me ever since I listenned to "Ok Nefna Tyswar Ty" by Falkenbach. This band was called "viking metal" and so did I decide to learn about the vikings. The first book I found about them was one about their mythology, and I just finished to read it entirely that I knew I belonged to this north folk, and that I knew the nordic beliefs was my heritage. This is something that immediately echoed in the deepest of my soul and heart, like a call from my true ancestors showing me my path and destiny. Since then, I knew the names of the ones to be hailed.
6) What does your family think of it? Do you have any relatives who are also pagan?
My family perfectly accept my beliefs and respect this, and I am thankful. But none of them are pagan...
7) You appear to take paganism very seriously.
Have you found many people who share your views, and who believe in the Æsir as well?
Not really, I think people confuse the fact of being interested into paganism, into ancient
folklore and mythology with being actually a pagan. So too many call themself pagan, but don't feel this spirit in their heart. and for them, Odhinn, Thor, Freyja and everything else are just names used for great legends without anything nor any deeper meaning behind. So I met lot of those "pagans" who actually were not. Of course, there are different ways to interpret paganism, to interpret the legends and to believe, there is not ONE paganism, not ONE way that we must follow in order to be true, this would make no sense. but there are some basics I would say, and the first one is to believe, not only to find some interest. But much people only find some interest and do not believe.
8) What do you think about the standing of women a) in the neo-pagan scene and b) in paganism in general? Glorious men who die in battle will go to Valhalla.
What about female warriors?
To be honest, I don't know much women into the pagan scene or into paganism in general. there are more men who are serious than women to my opinion. We can see lot of women wearing Thorshammer of course, but who will not look better than all the modern superficial women, caring more about their makeup, their hair and how they look like, some supposed pagan who would fear the true natural world. I have an ironic image of the superficial "pagan woman" who cry under the rain because her hair will be curly.. oh noooo, such a drama!! ahaha.. where the rain is sacred and nourrish the land, and is brought from the sky. To say, it's very hard for me to find other really interesting women in this scene. And I will take advantage of this question to denounce something that really begins to be bothering, this is this trend effect that any women in the metal genre who ever heard about the viking will call themself Valkyries. hum, ok, but Valkyries are warrior maiden which means they know how to fight, they also know the secret of the Runes, they are pure and noble. so, I would like all the nowadays sluts to stop using this name, because that's what most women I see are, some sluts who wear the shortest clothes ever, who would have sex with any men, and who above all would have NO idea how to handle a sword! they are a great dishonour to the true elite of the Valkyries.I don't mean here to talk bad about women, because there are certainly true and great pagan females. but in general, all I see the most is such pathetic individual. Women have a high place in our pagan community, the one to keep the traditions, the guardian of the family and the keeper of life and blood. it's quite a shame to see what women today became and that even women into the pagan movement aren't more worth than all the lost superficial ones..
To answer your second question: a woman who lived as a warrior maiden on Midgard will be chosen by Odhinn to become one Valkyrie in Walhalla. The legend of the creation of Valkyrie is such: once Odhinn saw on Midgard a proud woman rising and fighting with the same rage as men, she had the beauty and purity of women with the strength and courage and didn't fear the fight. When Odhinn saw this woman rising, he thought this was what men would wish for, at their death, to be welcomed by such a woman to lead them to the great halls of Walhalla.. when this woman died, she became the first Valkyrie. Valkyries were warrior maidens as well as Einherjar were brave warriors.
Do you know other girls and women to whom paganism means as much as it does to you?
As I mentioned above, they are really rare. I have only contact with few women who I think are true to what they say to be.
9) If I would suspect someone to practice rituals in earnest, then this one was you. Am I right?
Yes, I do indeed practise the old pagan rituals. mainly the ones of Yule, Midsummer, Ostara, the feast of the Einherjar and the night of Balder. For me, every pagan feast has a very important meaning, it's mainly the symbol of the death of a cycle for the birth of a new one.But I think that to understand the true meaning and importance of the pagan rituals, one have to imagine living in the old times far away from this modern society, where life was truly a natural life, where all the folk depended on nature and on the cummunity to survive. Pagan rituals were not some barbarian practises and inhuman sacrifices dedicated to the strength of chaos and evil. Sacrifices were done like an exchange of energy, and like an exchange of gift. For instance, to thanks our mother earth for the food she gave them into the field, into the trees, into the forest, this food so sacred that allowed them to survive, the folk offered a part of their harvest back to the earth and so to the specific Gods and Goddesses they wanted to honour. By offering a part of their food, they transmit their gratitude and their energy, they honoured and hailed. And this is the same meaning for animal sacrifices. For instance at Yule, most of the time, it was a wildboar that was sacrificed, because Yule was the feast dedicated to the fertility, and it was dedicated to Frey and Freyja, and they were linked to the wildboar. So a wildboar was hunt and killed, and then shared with Frey and Freyja as an exchange. A part of the animal was given to the Gods, and in return Frey and Freyja would ride for 12 days the earth to make the soil fertile for the new year to come.Also, it has to be understood that human didn't feel inferior nor superior to the natural order. so their sacrifices were not done to calm or appease the Gods and Goddesses, but really as an exchange. In the nordic culture, there is this saying "a gift calls a gift" and it simply means gift are what keep friendship, relationship and alliance. Our pagan ancestors knew they were one with the natural world, they knew they were a part of the world and to live in harmony with it there was this exchange of gift.
Today, this notion of being a part of nature is lost into modernism.. people forgot this eternal link with mother earth, where they belong! but only by living in harmony with nature and with the natural laws could they find glory, wealth and happiness!
10) What does your daily life look like? Do you live in the countryside?
Yes, I live in the countryside, in a very beautiful and isolated place surrounded by forests. Until now, I have dedicated a great part of my life for music, for nature and for reflection. Now, I am thinking about learning how to farm to later have my own farm where to live with my family and with some friends near. I am fascinated by the life in autarcy, the life like the old ways in the middle of nature which also would be healthier. I don't trust in the modern world and in the modern system, one day or an other it will fail, so we have to be independant from it, and survive out of it. I really dream to live in a little pagan village, growing our own food, raising our animals and such, yet to stay connected to the world of today to keep in touch with what is going on, and continue to make our art to try to awake other of our folk.
11) Judging from your pictures and your music, nature must mean very much to you…fair enough! Could you imagine to live in a dirty city full of fumes, like me? (Not that I could choose, hehe)
clearly, no I could not, I guess I would escape to the nearest forest after few hours.. ahah.. but you have my thought with you for bearing such a life and standing strong! one day it might change.
12) Could you imagine to live in other countries? If so, which ones would that be?
yes, I could live in any germanic country (Germany, Austria, Norway, Danemark...etc). but I already live in a great one, here in Lothringen. the only problem is that the traditions and culture have been mostly erased since it belongs to France. Just near Lothringen is the region called Elsass, it's also a germanic land taken by the french, but there the germanic traditions are still very important and alive compared to here.I am not against France, I just think that it's important to keep alive the traditions of our own ancestry, and not to take the one of other folk. My roots are germanic, so I want to keep the germanic traditions, as I would encourage all celtic people to keep alive their celtic traditions and so with the slavonic ones and any other folk.
Have you already visited other countries, like Germany or Scandinavia, for example?
Sadly, I haven't visited Scandinavia yet.. but I am wishing for that.. I don't have the occasion
to travel for now, so I only went once in Switzerland, but I need to visit sometimes Austria, Norway, Iceland... and such great germanic country...
13) I heard that every now and then you live away from the civilized world to spend a few days in the woods.A beautiful warrior maiden sitting by the camp fire in the forest. That’s rather the most romantic thing I can imagine! Is this really true? Are you alone when you “take a time-out in nature”? And do you get any
inspiration for your lyrics and your music from nature when out there?
Of course that is true, there is nothing better I can think of!! There is in my forest called Kriegerswald a little cabin called Kriegersheim (mainly built by myself and then with the help of Vargor) where there is a place for the fire and a place where to sleep. I already spent some nights there since it has been built, as well as I did some feast and also even I made some cooking. I really spent some of the most wonderful time of my life there.. Sometimes I go with people, sometimes alone, it depends. And I surely take most of my inspiration for my lyrics in the forest and from my journey there.
14) Do you also fight with swords or do you ride a horse and other things a true German should be able to do? (Of course, a neo-pagan doesn’t necessarily have to do these things, but I think, you are capable of doing them. That’s why I ask)
Sword fight... YES! as I say, I don't only hold a sword for epic pictures, I really love to practise sword fighting since now years and years.. but the problem is to find interested people who want their steel to meet mine.. I also love to learn to use a bow, which could be useful for hunt even. And as for riding a horse, I used to while I was a child, but it's been a long time I haven't been able to ride..
15) You seem to have many different Germanic clothes. Do you spend a lot of money for these dresses and accessories?
I actually do myself all the germanic/viking clothes. so all that it cost me is to buy the material itself and it is not very expensive. It has always been important to me to do everything by
myself, and not just to buy from a shop. so I wanted to make my own chain mail, my own dresses, my own shield.. the only thing I could not do myself for now are my swords and helmet, I still need to learn blacksmithing for that.. hehe.. now to get a very good sword that resist the fight training, you need to count around 150-250 euros.
16) Are you in touch with other bands (maybe even from other musical genres)? Are there also some outside France, or are they mainly outside France?
Since I started Eliwagar, and even before, I began to get contact with other pagan bands mostly into the metal musical genre more than into the folk one, it's quite rare to find pure folk project involved into paganism at the same time. But most bands aren't from France, I can't think of many great bands from France anyway. And as I say, I don't consider Eliwagar as a french project either, I am from Lothringen, a region wrongly seen as french, but which actually have the germanic roots..
17) Do you support any labels, organizations and such?
I support any labels, organisations, bands, Fanzines and anything else that is there to defend our european pagan heritage, that is there for the survival of our folk and true traditions! United we all must be to get victory!!
18) Obviously, there was an outrage because of your predilection for Nordic-Germanic paganism. You already have disassociated yourself from political messages in your music on your MySpace profile. But in this interview you have another opportunity to make it plain once and for all!
Officialy (as you have seen), Eliwagar is not linked to any political ideas and it's better to just remember this... only my friends and close relative know..
19) What is actually the reason why you are a musician? Is it to express yourself, an ode to the Æsir or anything else?
The very first reason why I wanted to play music (it was years ago) was to express my pride and my love for my pagan heritage, for my land (mainly Lothringen nature) and my ancient folk. Those things are going to disappear if no one stand to defend them.. nature is being destroyed, our folk is being killed, and our heritage is more and more fading into the darkness of the past.. hopefully even in those time, some people are rising, and mainly with their art, they hail what must not be erased and this way, they keep alive what is dear to them! Like them, my aim with Eliwagar is to fight to preserve what must be glorious!As long as there are people to sing in honour of dead heroes, then heroes are immortal! As long as there are people spreading the widsom of Wotan, then the Wotan spirit is immortal! As long as there are people to keep alive the traditions, then the traditions are immortal!! So, let's sing and let's play music to the glory of what is honourable, to the glory of our heritage, our motherland and our folk to show that we aren't dead, that we still stand and we are still strong and proud!!The ancient Gods and Goddesses aren't dead and so is not our folk yet! And their voices is still present through our music and art!! So we still have a reason to fight...
20) What happens with Eliwagar in the future, only the Norns will know, hehe! But what do you have in store?
For now, all I am hoping is to get my latest album released.. I also keep in mind to make concert in the future, but this will probably not happen before quite a long time.. Something else…
21) Which Rune of the Futhark can you relate to the most?
Every Runes of the Futhark have a particular importance to me and in my life.. however I feel a very strong connection with the rune Berkana. This rune is linked to Frigg and represent the maternity, and by that, it represent the woman who give birth and transmit the heritage and the blood to keep the folk surviving. Berkana is the rune for the women who keep alive the traditions and transmit them to their children. This is also the rune for the smallest light in the deepest darkness.. such as the birch bark, the shinnier in the deep forest at night.. it represent this light that never fade, even in the deepest darkness.. Berkana is there to guide..
22) Before saying goodbye, I have one last question… It may sound cheesy but I would like to ask you because I’m interested to hear what a woman like you will answer!
If 3 wishes were granted to you, what would they be?
ahah, interesting question I must say! I will sum up with those 3 runes: Tiwaz (glory, justice and equilibrium), Wunjo (happiness, wealth, food, health, harmony) and Fehu (fertility)... may those 3 runes bless our folk and our motherland.. this would be my 3 wishes.. because we need victory and justice to be done to reconquer and once again rule in our ancestral lands, we need to live in harmony with the people of our own folk and with our mother nature with enough food, enough wealth and good health and finally we need fertility for the soil and for the folk, so never our folk dies.. and always there is children to take the place of the dead ones..
Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview! I’m feel very honored and I will keep supporting your project!!
I wish you and Eliwagar all the best. May Wotan protect you and may his servants be devoted to you as well!
Thanks to you for this interesting interview and may the Gods and Goddesses always guide you on glorious ways!
(English translation by the great Roger H. Beck!!!)
