Today our guest is Einar Selvik, musician, singer and ethnomusicologist. Einar is the founder of the band Wardruna. We talk about ancient sites, nature, wild places, landscape and Einar's life growing up in Norway. We talk about music, poetry, archaeology, playing drums in metal bands and the beginnings and evolution of Wardruna up to the present day. We also discuss Wardruna's new album Birna.

From the deep woods now emerges Birna, Wardruna’s sixth studio album. Through his restless dialogue with nature, main composer Einar Selvik has been searching for the voice of the bear, resulting in this upcoming release, scheduled for January 2025.

Birna – the she-bear in Old Norse – is a work of art dedicated to the guardian of the forest, nature’s caretaker, and her battles here on earth. Slowly driven out of her habitat by modern day societies, she has entered a stage of permanent hibernation. As a result, the forest is gradually dying, longing for its pulse and heart – its shepherd. Birna calls for her return.