Wow ... thanks for sharing that with us, Tyra!
Well, I might as well tell my story as well, since "Thousand Years of Oppression" also has a lot of meaning to me. It was the first AA song I've ever heard ... here it goes:
My gilrfriend is christian. (Yeah I know, I can't believe it either ...) She's not with the catholic church, but she strongly believes in "God", and that all our sins will be forgiven because of Jesus ... I guess ... that part I actually still don't understand.
Well anyway: I at the time didn't believe in anything. Not in anything religous. I read a lot of things written by japanese Samurai, about "the Way of the Samurai". I tried to to follow that way, as good as it can be done in our modern times. Not the fighting part, but the way to look at things ... yourself ... and others. It totally redefined the word "honour" for me. In case you're interested, the "Hagakure" is something you should read.
Ok ... well since my girlfriend is christian, there is a slight problem, since she told me that she could never marry anybody who is not.
That's not because she thinks Christians are better or anything, but because of things like "special moments" only christian believers can have together (reading the bible and I guess also the afterlife).
So I actually started to read in the bible ... to see if I might become a Christian after all.
And I couldn't.
Specially not after my beliefs are based on honour, inner strength and ... well a warriors way!
In the Hagakure it sais, that a warrior shouldn't study religion too deeply, since it could weaken his mind.
That still didn't satisfy me, since it meant Buddism, and it also sais that you should honour the gods of your forefathers ...
About that time, I heard "Thousand Years of Oppression" for the first time.
Before that I didn't think, that I would ever like that kind of Metal (and now Amon Amarth is what I like to listen to most of the time).
It was almost like a wake-up call! Since you never hear anything about Odin, Thor and all other gods, I assumed that all of the knowledge was lost! It's not!!
The image of Odin, hanging there ... "So that we all may live out lives, by the wisdom that he gained" ... I was just stunned!
"Let me die without fear!
As I have lived without it"
and
"We were not made to bend like reed
or to turn the other cheek"
... I mean, that's just the trouble I had, when I tried to read the bilbe!!
The next thing I did (after beeing ashamed for beeing so blind) was researching and getting a copy of the "Edda". I'm still amazed, at how much sense it all makes now ... (except my girlfriend

) ... it's like I've been guided up until this point, where I was finally introduced to "my" gods.
And this would have never happened without Amon Amarth ... or Tyras e-mail.
Fate of Norns?
I still get a lot out of most of the songs. The way the things are described often help me to understand it all better ... it's like in the old times, when the old ones would tell the stories to the young ones. It all comes to life.
(I hope that wasn't too dramatic

)