A statement from a Naturechild

[Windvang]

Yes, at least he spoke about it in a interview for the Dutch magazine Aardschok. It was at the time Ödemarkens Son was released. Vintersorg stated that this album deals with the reflections of these times.

Some quotes from 'A statement from a Naturechild':
I was under this beautiful lady's majestic spell while I was composing the songs on this piece.

The lyric themes includes some folklore inspired tales, nature romantic celebrations & my own reflections over the hard life in old times.

I think this subject is worth a new thread!

Good idea Mark, thanks for making this thread! I hope Andreas will answer some questions about the time he lived in the forest, and don't think this matter is too personal. I also like to use this thread to discuss similar reflections from the forum members.

Well, Andreas, can you tell us a bit more about your story?

For how long did you lived in the forest? And where did you sleep?
How old were you at that time? Did you have other obligations at that time, like school/work. Did you meet people every now and then?

Damn, I have so much more questions. Probably I should undertake a similar enterprise to find the answers, hehehe!

 

[Sigurðr]

woahhhhhhhhh, andreas lived in a forest for a time?! I never knew about it !, Damn..I'm curious I make Windvang's questions my questions

I don't know if it is a silly question but here I go:
How did you survive in the wintertime? winters in scandinavia are pretty cold, especially in Västerbotten County

 

[Draugen]

woahhhhhhhhh, andreas lived in a forest for a time?! I never knew about it !, Damn..I'm curious I make Windvang's questions my questions

I don't know if it is a silly question but here I go:
How did you survive in the wintertime? winters in scandinavia are pretty cold, especially in Västerbotten County

I thought that everyone knew about this...

The only thing I know is that the place was called Sjungande Dalen (The Singing Valley - how can you get more Vintersorgesque than that? ). I also remember reading an old interview that he said that he had to walk out on the ice, hack it with a pickax, collect some and take it back home and boil it just to get water. That's the thing that I remember the most from that interview.
Oh, and I think he lived there for about a year.

 

[lefay82]

my bigger question is: in search of what? inspiration? better understanding and awareness? isolation? new perspectives? a deeper self-knowledge? or just escaping from something?
i know these questions are more personal, so feel free to not answer if you are not at ease....

is eremiten in some ways connected with this experience?
i'm refering in particular to this verse:

Jag har satt mig själv i isolation
Avskild från bedömares kaskader
Liksom eremiten som ströp sin relation
Till masshysteri, och myriader

 

[Vintersorg]

Good idea Mark, thanks for making this thread! I hope Andreas will answer some questions about the time he lived in the forest, and don't think this matter is too personal. I also like to use this thread to discuss similar reflections from the forum members.

Well, Andreas, can you tell us a bit more about your story?

For how long did you lived in the forest? And where did you sleep?
How old were you at that time? Did you have other obligations at that time, like school/work. Did you meet people every now and then?

Damn, I have so much more questions. Probably I should undertake a similar enterprise to find the answers, hehehe!

The forest story goes: moved out of town to find peace, myself and the wonders of nature in deeper way than the ordinary exploring of all of the above. I've moved out on ´96 and back to the "crowd" in '99....so it was three years of joy, hard work and becoming more me than before. I worked at a theater at the time so I had to go into town from time to time...at my "rotten" house I had electricity but not water...and then you understand that no indoor toilet came with the deal...it was a great expericence and I think it formed me on an essential plane that you hardly come across as an adult..if you don't go through a great loss, illness or other types of bad things. I think everyone should try to live lika this for a year and find out what's important in life and how you behave towards other people and nature as well.

mr V

 

[Defiance]

The forest story goes: moved out of town to find peace, myself and the wonders of nature in deeper way than the ordinary exploring of all of the above. I've moved out on ´96 and back to the "crowd" in '99....so it was three years of joy, hard work and becoming more me than before. I worked at a theater at the time so I had to go into town from time to time...at my "rotten" house I had electricity but not water...and then you understand that no indoor toilet came with the deal...it was a great expericence and I think it formed me on an essential plane that you hardly come across as an adult..if you don't go through a great loss, illness or other types of bad things. I think everyone should try to live lika this for a year and find out what's important in life and how you behave towards other people and nature as well.

mr V

Indeed, one needs to get away from things to appreciate what you have. Living with nature, being constantly surrounded by it is great; you feel one with it, and it is overwhelming (in a good way, of course). Whenever I feel stressed I just go near some trees and listen to some music. I've never lived in the forest for such a long time, but would certainly love to. I've always been in contact with nature (or what's left of it here or in Canada), and always feel at peace with myself and the world.

 

[Agah]

Next year I have nothing in particular planned to do, so I might move outside for a while. I'm thinking at least a month, but I might stay longer if I enjoy it. My only worry is that I'll need money for gear and clothing.

 

[lefay82]

3 years? that's a lot of time!
i think we all knew you stayed there for one year, but the true story goes past the legend this time
i wonder why you decided to go back among "humans".... did you find what you were looking for?

now i see some old lyrics through a different light, and they have a different taste....

 

[Windvang]

The forest story goes: moved out of town to find peace, myself and the wonders of nature in deeper way than the ordinary exploring of all of the above. I've moved out on ´96 and back to the "crowd" in '99....so it was three years of joy, hard work and becoming more me than before. I worked at a theater at the time so I had to go into town from time to time...at my "rotten" house I had electricity but not water...and then you understand that no indoor toilet came with the deal...it was a great expericence and I think it formed me on an essential plane that you hardly come across as an adult..if you don't go through a great loss, illness or other types of bad things. I think everyone should try to live lika this for a year and find out what's important in life and how you behave towards other people and nature as well.

mr V

Thanks for answering, makes me feel good! I my opinion your words could be a message to many people. One can learn a lot from himself when exploring nature.
Further, it seems you're faring well in life, judging from what I know from you (I know, not so much, haha!). I can understand that, in a way, this benefits from your learnings from nature.

A story like this really can make me smile. I never did a enterprise like this big but from time to time I find myself in similar conditions. Being in nature the whole day and night brings me to the essence. Maybe I will find the possibility to do something like you did. I have to admit the idea is growing in my head, and inspired by an interview you once did. Hope that I did not find the right job for me too soon, haha!

think it formed me on an essential plane that you hardly come across as an adult

This excite me... will think about this plane and if I came across it.

 

[ErikSL]

3 years out in the woods alone, with no running water must have been very tough...especially early on in the journey. Though, I can imagine such an experience would strengthen one's spirit and mind a great deal. I'll think about this the next time I listen to Odemarken's Son. I've learned my fun fact for the day.

 

[Alteredmindeath]

I was not aware of the "Forest Story". I find it awesome and amazing Vintersorg lived there for a great while. I can tell you that there is a certain magic on OS. People are so spoiled in today's world they could not last in the woods for more than 3 days without going insane. I respect that journey for only a true man could survive such hardships in a world of technology. I lived in Ohio where the Amish people still live like in the olden times.They choose to live in an olden world instead of live in the now.

 

[lefay82]

even if i'm grown in the country i've never experienced a such deep fusion with earth and nature.
if i look back at my childhood i've a lot of good memories, i remember the days lived in the fields, between trees, in searching of animals and insects, and i miss it, i really miss the fact that when i look outside my window i don't see grain fields and vines rows anymore, what i see now (and i'm quite fortunate) are the mountains from my house's back window and the pines of the park about 200 mts ahead from the windows on the front side of my house.
but it's still too few. the love for nature is something that if grows inside of you, it will never leave you, and you will never get rid of it, it's a sort of companion that always follows you, and you will always try to get back "home".
but frenzy of modern life often swallows you into this vortex of things to do, places where to run, people to satisfy, and you have no fucking time, and also move in the country, especially if your job place is too far, becomes a serious problem to manage.... when i was searching my new home 5 years ago i searched also in the little country town where i was born and raised, my will to go back there was so strong, but i had to consider many things (including my boyfriend's will and job) so we decided to stay here, in this city.

 

[lefay82]

andreas, do you sometimes feel some kind of nostalgia thinking of those past years? are some parts of you still there, in the forests? did you leave something there or everything of you returned to civilization?

 

[Qu Appelle]

Interesting - thanks for telling us about it.

Andreas,

Is that 'rotten house' still standing? Do you go visit it? And what prompted you to come back to 'civilization'?

 

[Windvang]

if you don't go through a great loss, illness or other types of bad things. I think everyone should try to live lika this for a year and find out what's important in life and how you behave towards other people and nature as well. mr V

On the other hand, also people who did go through this types of bad things you mentioned can be disconnected with nature and other people too. It's not always possible to take the right learnings for themselves with the result that they stay unhappy.

Yesterday I had a nice talk with a friend about these matters and a bit of politics as well. I think politics should think more progressive here in the Netherlands. The thought that lay under their ideas must be something like 'we must try to get beauty out of human beings' instead of money. It's all about nature.

Hope more forum members will share a bit of their experiences about these matters. Like to read your words per example lefay Your surroundings seems to be not bad at all, I think. But you once told me a bit about your job. Being so busy must be hard at times. Longing for the opposite, a calm village with a lot of trees and stuff around you, is so understandable. I also live in the city at the moment. It takes hours to get in the forest, sometimes I feel locked in the city. Still I find the time to go to the forest for hours anyway.

 

[lefay82]

if you will come to tuscany, i'm sure you will love it, mark!
it's really not bad at all, using your words
it's a beautiful fusion between civilty and nature. you find quite big cities, like florence, siena, pisa, but there's a lot of nature around. you drive half an hour from the city and you find yourself lost in nature. and when i say lost i mean no sound of civilization. we have everything you may need, especially where i live. we have the sea, the park inside the town, i mean a natural park, where you cannot enter with cars or motorized means, where everything is protected by strict laws. then going out the city you start to find fields and cultivations and nice country little towns. you drive 20 minute and you reach the hills. behind the hills (600-800 meters high) you find the mighty Alps (1000-2000 meters high, where marble is carved), so every kind of natural landscape you can wish for is concentrated in a belt of 5-10 km along the coast.

i include a view of my city seen from the dock which can explain this landscape better than words.

but still if i'm surrounded by nature the time to live inside it is very few, and you cannot enjoy all this beauty around you. and this is pretty irritating. :Smug:

 

[Windvang]

if you will come to tuscany, i'm sure you will love it, mark!
it's really not bad at all, using your words
it's a beautiful fusion between civilty and nature. you find quite big cities, like florence, siena, pisa, but there's a lot of nature around. you drive half an hour from the city and you find yourself lost in nature. and when i say lost i mean no sound of civilization. we have everything you may need, especially where i live. we have the sea, the park inside the town, i mean a natural park, where you cannot enter with cars or motorized means, where everything is protected by strict laws. then going out the city you start to find fields and cultivations and nice country little towns. you drive 20 minute and you reach the hills. behind the hills (600-800 meters high) you find the mighty Alps (1000-2000 meters high, where marble is carved), so every kind of natural landscape you can wish for is concentrated in a belt of 5-10 km along the coast.

i include a view of my city seen from the dock which can explain this landscape better than words.

but still if i'm surrounded by nature the time to live inside it is very few, and you cannot enjoy all this beauty around you. and this is pretty irritating. :Smug:

Hehehe, yes, it was kind of an understatement indeed!
I really like Italy. In my heart I'm still a fowler and I did see some special birds around Pisa. But sad enough I didn't spend so much time in the nature of Italy, I've seen cities mainly. I like the Catholic aesthetics, brings me in a bit of melancholic mood. Italy is full of melancholy from my point of view, and I like it.

 

[lefay82]

yes, italy is mostly known for cities of art, and people forgets there's also a lot of nature to see

so you do bird watching?

 

[Windvang]

Yes, as a child I was a birding enthusiast but lately I picked up my birding activities again. At the moment I'm fond of the geese migration and it's nice to determinate these animals and find out where their journey took them.

 

[lefay82]

how does it work exactly?
you sit and wait? you follow some traces? i have no idea