Jórvík: The Viking City
Upon the restless northern tide,
Through mist and storm, they came with pride.
Their longships carved the waves with might,
Dark sails unfurled in morning light.
The Norsemen landed, swords held high,
A crimson sun in England’s sky.
From fjord and fjell, from distant shore,
They came for wealth, they came for war.
Through Eoforwic, they cut their path,
With iron wrath and Odin’s wrath.
The Saxons fell, their banners torn,
And Jórvík’s rule that day was born.
A Kingdom Built in Blood and Trade…..
Yet war alone was not their way,
They sought to build, they sought to stay.
Through Coppergate, the markets swelled,
Where silver shone and merchants dwelled.
The forges rang with hammer’s call,
Their runes engraved on shield and hall.
With wool and leather, amber bright,
The craftsmen worked by candlelight.
In mead halls warm, they drank and sung,
The sagas told in elder tongue.
Of Thor and Tyr, of gods and fate,
Of lands afar and heaven’s gate.
Kings and Conquerors….
Great Ivar came, his name like fire,
A cunning mind, a warlord’s ire.
With axe in hand and battle planned,
He carved his rule upon the land.
And after him, came kings yet more,
With steel and strength, they shaped the lore.
Olaf, Eric, Guthrum's band,
They held the North with iron hand.
Yet even kings must one day fall,
As Saxons rose to break their thrall.
And time moved on, as time must do,
Yet Viking hearts in York still grew.
The Echoes of Jórvík….
Though centuries have come and passed,
Their legacy is built to last.
Through twisting lanes and hidden ways,
The past still walks where children play.
The ghosts of Norsemen haunt the air,
Their spirits whisper everywhere.
In stones of grey and timbered beams,
Their stories live in shadowed dreams.
So wander York, its streets so old,
Where echoes of the North are told.
Through every arch and ancient wall,
The Viking spirit stands so tall.
For though their sails have long since flown,
Their names and deeds are set in stone.
And Jórvík’s heart, both fierce and free,
Still beats within its history.
