The Varangians - Epic Byzantine Norse Music

An original composition by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn’t reconstructed music from the Medieval Norse or Eastern Roman cultures; it’s modern music with a historical theme. The artwork featuring the human figure is by J.F Oliveras, check out his wonderful historical recreations: The Varangians were the Vikings (Scandinavian traders and raiders) who specifically operated in Eastern Europe, and would become a foundational turning point in the history of nations such as Russia and Ukraine in their early days. They would make their way to Constantinople where they would become the Varangian Guard, which was an an elite section of the Eastern Roman Emperor’s forces, serving as its bodyguards. They were originally Rus, then mostly Scandinavian Norsemen who effectively fought as mercenaries and later as the Emperor’s personal bodyguards—trusted both for their lack of local political ambitions due to their remote origins, and their strong sense of oath-based loya