Heilung's 'Othan' Explained: Odin, Ljóðatal Battle-Charms, and Runic Formula Words

Othan by Heilung is one of their clearest examples of what the band actually does at its best: take historically-attested ritual language and reshape it into a modern working—a performance meant to function, not merely to entertain.

At the surface level, the track is an invocation of Óðinn—not the Marvel mascot, but the older Germanic figure whose very name reaches back into the idea of wōð- : ecstatic inspiration, possessed intensity, the fierce clarity of a mind pushed beyond the ordinary. In practice, the repeated “Othan” behaves like a name-charm: not a narrative chorus, but a rhythmic engine that concentrates attention, builds pressure, and signals a shift into ceremonial mode.

Under that invocation sits a deliberately chosen core of source material. Heilung threads in two of the numbered charms from Hávamál’s Ljóðatal—a section where Odin doesn’t “tell a story,” he lists things he can do. One charm is protective and communal: a shield-chant for leading companions into battle and bringing them back heilir—safe, intact, whole. The other is bluntly combative: a charm to halt a flying weapon if it is seen. In other words, the song’s spine is not romance or mythology trivia; it’s operational magic aimed at survival, cohesion, and controlled violence.

Around that spine, Othan uses Older Futhark formula words—the kind of compact, repeating sequences found on amulets and bracteates. These are not “lyrics” in the usual sense, and they aren’t meant to be read like a sentence. They function more like a carved charge: short words with long cultural shadow, repeated until they stop behaving like semantics and start behaving like tools—sound, breath, and rhythm acting as the delivery mechanism.

Taken as a whole, Othan is structured like a ceremony: an amuletic opening that sets the field, a protective working that binds the group, an escalation into direct battle-force, and a final sustained god-name invocation that locks the altered state in place. Whether you approach it as history, theatre, or personal practice, the intent is the same: to move the listener from ordinary attention into a disciplined, collective intensity—then aim that intensity toward protection and resolve.

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1) What “Othan” is actually invoking

“Othan” is best understood as a modern, stylized spelling designed to evoke the Old Norse letters þ/ð (thorn/eth), pointing at Óðinn (Odin or Wodan) and his wider Germanic name-family (Wōden, Wuotan, etc.).

More important than the spelling is the meaning behind Odin’s name:

*wōð- ≠ “anger management”

The Proto-Germanic root behind Óðinn is usually reconstructed as *wōð- / *wōðaz.

In this archaic ritual context, that root is about ecstatic inspiration / possession / battle-frenzy / poetic-spirit — not “I’m mad and need to vent.” German Wut (“rage”) is a real descendant in the same semantic field, but the older concept is closer to entering an altered state than purging emotion.

So when Heilung repeatedly chants “Othan,” it works more like:

• invocation (calling the god)
• embodiment (summoning the “frenzy/poetic-spirit” state associated with him)
• rhythm-driving trance (the mantra as engine)

Heilung’s label even describes the repetition as a wolfish, barking mantra intended to convey a “warrior pack” feeling (i.e., not therapy — intimidation and trance).

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2) The “chant words” are not gibberish: they’re rune-formulas

The opening / interleaved formula line in Othan is widely written as:

Hariuha laþu laukaR gakaR alu ole lule laukaR
(Older Futhark formula words — charm-like, not a normal sentence)

Key point: this isn’t “phonetics” or “fake Norse.” These are attested formula words that appear on bracteates (gold amulets) and other early runic objects — exactly the kind of short, punchy words you’d expect in amuletic magic.

What they “mean” is debated (and anyone claiming a single clean translation is overselling it), but the recurring pieces are well-known:

• alu (literally linked to “ale,” but in inscriptions it’s commonly treated as a charm word / ritual formula)

• laukaR (literally “leek/garlic,” a plant with strong protective/apotropaic associations in Germanic and wider European folk magic)

• laþu (often treated as a formula word; proposed meanings vary — this is one of the most disputed items)

• Hariuha (attested as a runic sequence; interpreted in multiple ways, often linked in scholarship and practitioner circles to war/army concepts, but not settled)

How to explain it cleanly in the article: Treat the whole line as an amulet-style “power string”: compact, repetitive, and designed to do something (charge, protect, bind/loose, intimidate), not to “say” something like ordinary language.

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3) The numbered charms: what “the fifth” actually refers to

When Kai screams:

Þat kann ek it fimmta
(That I know, the fifth [charm])

“Fifth” refers to the 5th charm in the Ljóðatal (“Song-count”) section of Hávamál (Poetic Edda), where Odin lists a sequence of charms by ordinal number (I know one, I know another…).

Heilung uses two of these:

• the 11th charm (protect comrades under shields; come back “heilir”)
• the 5th charm (stop a projectile in flight if you can see it)

Important nerd detail: stanza numbers vary by edition, but Heilung and most commentary cite these as Hávamál stanzas 156 (11th) and 150 (5th).

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4) Source text: Hávamál / Ljóðatal

Below are the actual Old Norse lines Heilung is drawing on, formatted with a tight English translation after each line.

The Eleventh Charm

Often cited as Hávamál 156:

Þat kann ek it ellifta:
(That I know, the eleventh:)

ef ek skal til orrostu
(if I must go to battle)

leiða langvini,
(to lead long-friends / dear comrades)

und randir ek gel,
(under shields I chant)

en þeir með ríki fara
(and they go with power/strength)

heilir hildar til,
(safe/whole to the fight)

heilir hildi frá,
(safe/whole from the fight)

koma þeir heilir hvaðan.
(they come back safe/whole from wherever.)

Commentary: The magic here is not “heal the sick,” it’s keep your people intact — bodily, socially, and spiritually — through battle.

The word heilir can be translated “healthy,” but in context it’s often better read as safe / unharmed / whole.

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The Fifth Charm (often cited as Hávamál 150)

Þat kann ek it fimmta:
(That I know, the fifth:)

ef ek sé af fári skotinn
(if I see [it], shot from danger / hostile attack)

flein í fólki vaða,
(a shaft/spear moving through the host)

flýgr-a hann svá stinnt
(it does not fly so hard/fast)

at ek stöðvig-a-k,
(that I cannot stop it,)

ef ek hann sjónum of sék.
(if I behold it with my eyes.)

Commentary: This is a straight-up combat charm: perceive the threat → stop the threat. It’s also why a screamed, forceful delivery makes sense — the stanza frames it as a performed charm, not a polite poem reading.

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5) So what is the song “doing,” structurally?

A clean way to describe Othan is:

1. Amulet-formula opening (Older Futhark “power words”)
2. Protective group-blessing (11th charm: safe to battle, safe from battle)
3. Active combat spell (5th charm: stop the projectile)
4. Name invocation (“Othan” repeated as trance + identity + threat display)

That arc matches the band’s own public explanation: protection under shields → darker shift into active combat magic → repeated god-name as a “barking mantra.”

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6) Why the repeated “Othan” works (without forcing modern psychology onto it)

If you feel catharsis — cool. But the older logic is closer to:

• sound as force
• name as presence
• repetition as trance + intimidation
• “frenzy/poetic-spirit” as a state you enter (wōð), not merely “anger you vent”

That’s why the chant lands: it’s built like a working, not a narrative.

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Full Lyrics (Othan)

Þat kann ek it ellifta
(I know the eleventh [charm])

Ef ek skal til orrustu
(If I must go to battle)

Leiða langvini
(to lead dear/long-tried friends [close comrades])

Undir randir ek gel
(under the shields I chant [a spell])

En þeir með ríki fara
(and they go forth with strength/power)

Heilir hildar til
(safe/whole to the fight)

Heilir hildi frá
(safe/whole from the fight)

Koma þeir heilir hvaðan
(they come back safe/whole from wherever)


Þat kann ek it fimmta
(I know the fifth [charm])

Ef ek sé af fári skotinn
(if I see [one] shot from peril/danger)

Flein í fólki vaða
(a shaft/spear going through the host)

Flýgr hann svá stinnt
(it flies so hard/fast)

At ek stöðvigak
(that I can stop it)

Ef ek hann sjónum of sék
(if I behold it with my eyes)


Þat kann ek it ellifta
(I know the eleventh [charm])

Ef ek skal til orrustu
(If I must go to battle)

Leiða langvini
(to lead dear/long-tried friends [close comrades])

Undir randir ek gel
(under the shields I chant [a spell])

En þeir með ríki fara
(and they go forth with strength/power)

Heilir hildar til
(safe/whole to the fight)

Heilir hildi frá
(safe/whole from the fight)

Koma þeir heilir hvaðan
(they come back safe/whole from wherever)


Heilir koma þeir
(safe/whole they come)

Heilir hvaðan
(safe/whole from wherever)


Þat kann ek it fimmta
(I know the fifth [charm])

Ef ek sé af fári skotinn
(if I see [one] shot from peril/danger)

Flein í fólki vaða
(a shaft/spear going through the host)

Flýgr hann svá stinnt
(it flies so hard/fast)

At ek stöðvigak
(that I can stop it)

Ef ek hann sjónum of sék
(if I behold it with my eyes)

Conclusion

Othan works because it’s built like an actual working, not a pop lyric sheet: name-invocation + amulet-style formula words + two numbered Ljóðatal battle-charms. The repeated “Othan” isn’t “vent your anger” so much as enter the wōð- state—ecstatic inspiration/possession/battle-frenzy—then aim it with very practical magic: keep your people safe under shields (the 11th charm) and stop the incoming weapon (the 5th). ([revolvermag.com][1])

And the chant-string (alu / laukaR / etc.) matters precisely because it’s not ordinary language: it’s the kind of compact, repeating “power words” you actually see in early runic/amuletic contexts, where the point is effect and charge, not a tidy sentence. That’s the clean way to present it: Othan is a modern performance built from older “spell technologies”—rhythm, repetition, and culturally-loaded words—reassembled into a coherent ritual arc. ([Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )][2])

Sources

• Heilung label commentary on Othan (Season of Mist news post)
• Hávamál / Ljóðatal translations (multiple editions; stanza numbering varies)
• Runic formula scholarship on alu / laþu / laukaR and bracteates

• Heilung/Season of Mist description of Othan using Hávamál stanzas 156 and 150, plus the “wolfish, barking mantra” explanation. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
• Public-domain Hávamál text/translation references showing the numbered charms and the “fifth” projectile-stopping charm. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
• Odin / Wōðanaz / wōðaz etymology + cognates (wōþ/wuot/etc.). :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
• Runic formula scholarship noting alu, laþu, laukaR as formula words in older runic inscriptions. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
• Gundestrup cauldron
• Etymonline - Odin
• Nine From Nine - Ljóðatal