The project of Ludvig Swärd is happy to present the new album. Available on vinyl, CD and digitally from now on
Forndom proudly unveils his new album, Moþir, an immersive exploration of divine ambiguity. Through Moþir, Ludvig Swärd’s latest creation embraces both nurturing warmth and the cold inevitability of fate, woven through themes of creation, destruction, and renewal, producing a sound as ancient as the Earth itself.
Swärd intentionally sheds modern elements, opting for an acoustic sound. “Like my previous albums, this one follows the cycle of life, beginning in darkness and chaos and ending in a grand crescendo, followed by silence,” he explains. “I hope that listeners will absorb not only the notes but also the silence before, between, and after them. For it is in that silence, after all, where we find the true mother – the unknown that awaits us all.”
“Moþir” is as intricate as the deities it portrays, interweaving themes of fertility and loyalty, love and betrayal, light and shadow. “Tunridor,” an old word for witches, symbolises feminine darkness. The song draws inspiration from two stanzas of the Hávamál: Stanza 155: The tenth I know: if I see witches play, high in the air I can cause them to go astray, lose their form, and lose their soul. Stanza 118: A man I saw, sorely wounded by words of an evil woman; a lying tongue took his life, though for no just cause”.
Recorded and mixed by Swärd himself, Moþir features haunting performances from collaborators Thomas von Wachenfeldt (Bards of Skaði) on violin, Janne Posti (Häxkapell, Sons of Crom) on choral vocals, and Draugurinn, whose presence evokes the spirits of forgotten times. The album’s arrangements feel timeless, evoking reverence for ancient traditions and the cyclical nature of existence.
As the first glimpse into Moþir, the lead single “Tunridor” embodies the album’s themes of divine ambiguity. Inspired by the Norse concept of witches, “Tunridor” explores feminine darkness, invoking ancient curses and mystical forces. Swärd explains: “The tenth rune, according to the Uthark system, is Ís – the rune of death. This rune is chanted eight times by Janne Posti in the song, representing the transformative power of death and rebirth.” ‘Tunridor’ captures the tension between these forces, drawing listeners into the enigmatic feminine divine. Swärd adds, “While the song had a deeply personal connection during its creation, it evolved over time, taking on a more profound magical significance.”