Fun fact. The artists in the Norwegian national selection had the option to use auto-tune. The lead singer of Gåte declined. 😇😇😇

So Gåte's text is based on and distilled from an ancient ballad about a maiden who lost her mother when she was born, but later got a stepmother. The stepmother was so jealous of the girl that she transformed her first into a sword and placed it in the king's courtyard. However, the girl's inherent goodness also manifested in the sword, even though she had been changed into an object. All the finest knights and soldiers favoured this sword above all other swords, and the envious stepmother then transformed the maiden into a needle. The most skilled tailors loved this needle and sewed the most beautiful clothes with it. The stepmother grew even angrier and turned the girl into a wolf, cursing her to roam the forest forever, unable to rid herself of the wolf form unless she drank her brother's blood. And so it was. The maiden wandered through the woods. For eight years, the stepmother stayed indoors, afraid to venture out because she knew the wolf maiden was out there. But then she became pregnant and wanted to go to church. The wolf pounced on her, seized the stepmother's blue cloak, pulled her off her horse, tore out her heart, and drank her blood and thereby also her brother's blood. With that act, the curse and enchantment were lifted, and the maiden emerged, just as beautiful and kind as before, and returned home to her father.

Love it! The winner for me ❤❤❤❤

I'm an Israeli black metal fan and I know Norwegian 🖤 I love everything about it, 12 points from Tel Aviv 🇮🇱

She didn't get forced to wear a Wolf's skin. Her stephmother made her to a werewolf. The only way to lift the curse is to drink the blood of her Brother. When they repeat the chorus towards the end, you might notice some whisper/growls in the back. That voice tells the rest of the story. Basically that she killed her pregnant stephmother, and drank the blood of her unborn half brother Dark stuff. I love it. I saw Gåte live in 2001/2002. That's when they made a breakthrough in Norway.

The instrument is a Nøkkelharpe/Nyckelharpa, which is a swedish/norwegian/scandinavian instrument. It's found in Sweden, Norway and Germany, and has existed since the 17th century. It got popular again in the 1960's in Sweden, and today we have multiple different kinds of the instrument.

My favourite song on Eurovision 2024 is Gate from Norway 🇸🇯 12 point from Estonia 🇪🇪 & Ukraine 🇺🇦

The original folk ballad exists in 10 versions. Here is the one most close to the Gåte performance. These old ballads are meant for dancing, so there are a lot of verses + a chorus sung by all the dancers. Oppskrift 1857 av Sophus Bugge etter Elen Rolleivstad, Fyresdal, Telemark . Written down 1857 by Sophus Bugge from Elen Rolleivstad, Fyresdal, Telemark Eg va' meg så liti ei møy mi moder ho monne på barseng døy. -Imot den blie somår I was so small a maid my mother she should in birth-bed die - Towards the mild summer Eg va' ikkje håt åtte år då eg fekk meg en sjukmoder i går. I was not yet eight years when yesterday I got a stepmother Så skapte ho meg i en gangari grå så sendte ho meg av ti kungens går. Then she made me into a grey horse Then she sent me off to the king’s estate De totte mi skjukmor vere vest at adde dei gjillaste sill' ake mæ meg mest That my stepmother thought was the worst that all the finest should ride with me the most Så skapte ho meg i eit liti svær eg sille fare i mannefær. Then she made me into a small sword I should travel on the ways of men [= to war] De totte mi skjukmor vere vest at adde dei gjillaste sille bera meg mest That my stepmother thought was the worst that all the finest should carry me the most Så skapte ho meg i ei liti nål så sendte ho meg av ti skræddarens går. Then she made me into a small needle Then she sent me off to the tailor’s estate De totte mi skjukmor vere vest at adde dei gjillaste sill' saume mæ meg mest That my stepmother thought was the worst that all the finest should sew with me the most Så skapte ho meg i ein liten kniv ho sa' eg sill' taka av manneliv Then she made me into a small knife She said I should take men’s lives De totte mi skjukmor vere vest at adde dei gjillaste sill' tægje mæ meg mest That my stepmother thought was the worst that all the finest should take with me the most Så skapte ho meg i ein ulve grå ho sa' at eg sille på skogjen gå. Then she made me into a grey wolf She said I should roam in the forest Ho sa at eg sill' ikkje få bot før eg fekk drukkji min broders blod She said I should not be restored before I got drinking my brother’s blood Min skjukmoder var så gammel en kvinde men herre Gud lod hende mæ båni binde My stepmother was such an old woman but the lord God let her be bound with children Mi skjukmoder va' heimi i åtte år ho tore 'kje ti kyrkja for ulven grå My stepmother stayed home for eight years She dared not to the church for the grey wolf Dæ niende tok ti kyrkja gå nie møyar så va dei då. The ninth startet going to the church Nine maidens were there then Nie møyar dei rei i ring mi skjukmor ho rei innar i kring Nine maidens rode in a ring my stepmother she rode within the circle Så tok eg hennar i kåpa blå så rykte eg hennar av gangaren grå Then I grabbed her in the blue coat Then I jerked her off the grey horse Så tok eg hennar i silkjeskaut så rykte eg hennar av veg braut Then i grabbed her in the silk headscarf Then I jerked her off the track of the road Så reiv eg ut hennes vistri sie så hennes blod de sprang så vie Then I tore out her left side so that her blood ran so widely Så reiv eg ut hennes hjarterot så fekk eg drukkji min broders blod Then I tore out her hearts root then I got drinking min brother’s blood Då eg ha' drukkji min broders blod då bleiv eg atte ei jomfru så go When I had drunk my brother’s blood then I became again a virgin so good Då eg va' ei jomfru så go då gjekk eg inn for min fader å sto When I was virgin so good then I went in standing in front of my father Då eg gjekk inn for min fader å sto så skapte han meg i ei lind så go. When I went in standing in front of my father He made me into a linden so good Fyst andre lindar dei feller bla allstøtt ska' du stande like klar First other lindens they shed leaves All the time you shall stay just as ready Når andre lindar dei feller løv allstøtt ska' du stande like grøn When other lindens shed leaves All the time you shall stay just as green Her sit du mi syster å skor din fot eg stende uti mæ frosi rot. Here you sit, my sister, putting shoes on your foot I stand outside with frozen root Her sit du mi syster å klær din kropp eg stende uti mæ frosen topp. Here you sit, my sister, dressing your body I stand outside with frozen top I kvell så kjeme der belar ti deg imorgo kjem hoggaren høgg av meg Tonight there is coming a suitor for you Tomorrow comes the lumberjack cutting me down Dei høgge av meg dei kyrkjesvalir eg høyrer så mange dei løyndetali They make of me the church swales I will hear so many secret speeches Dei høgge av meg ein kyrkjekamm eg skjuler så mang ein synduge mann They make of me a church room I will hide so many sinful men

And this is how to compose and perform a 3-minute epic.

I'm Norwegian and a huge fan of Gåte. Your reaction is one of the best. I see that it is difficult to really understand everything about this song. But you really try to understand the lyrics and the story behind this song. And you're reactions are real! Love your work bro. Be strong, be safe, be kind!

Gåte’s music is a dark, mesmerizing and stunningly beautiful take on Nordic folk. Where they flirt with elements from traditional Norse and pagan music as well as from more modern genres like rock and industrial. The chorus is a socalled KULOKK, - the maiden calling the cattle in from the the mountains.

Very nice reaction👍 I love this song and performance and I’m really glad we’re sending Gåte (gaw-teh) to Eurovision😍 The intro is an old “kulokk”. A “kulokk” is how the women called/calls the cows home to be milked in the summer, often in the mountains. The chorus is inspired by this “kulokk” Ulveham means wolfskin, and she is turned into a real wolf The song is taken from an ancient Scandinavian medieval ballad, called "Møya i ulveham". The Norwegian story exists in various versions. Basically, the story revolves around a young maiden being transformed into a needle, a knife and a sword by her evil stepmother. However, the people of the world appreciate both the needle, the knife and the sword. To punish the maiden even more, the stepmother transforms her into a wolf. The story ends with the stepmother staying with the child, and on the way to church the wolf pounces on her and drinks the stepmother's heart's blood. This lifts the curse, and the maiden emerges from the wolf's den. Greetings from Norway🇳🇴

It’s an old medieval story. And more correctly about the translation of the text is that the stepmother _cursed_ her to walk alone in the woods, not _forced_ her. She was cursed to be a wolf, and would never be whole and good untill she drank her brothers blood. There is a lot of dark old stories from the ancient dark forrests and mountains of Norway. This is just one of them.

Thanks for your reaction. So proud we are sending this for esc24. This is norwegian soul served on a silver plate.

The violin insteument is nyckelharpa «original» 🇸🇪 - nøkkelharpe 🇳🇴

Magnus on guitar and Mats on bass are amazing. Check out their band 22

The instrument is a key fiddle. A swedish old instrument used back in the days. The lyrics are a curse. She is turned into wolf and forced to kill her brother. She refuses and instead she kills her step-mother, but she was pregnant. Curse lifted... 😊 Dark.. Based on a old norwegian middle aged story. A lot of the screamimg is a norse way to call the animals (kulokk).

It's from a very very old Scandinavian folktale about someone being turned into a wolf by an evil stepmother, and the only way to break the spell is to drink the brother's blood, which happens when the pregnant stepmother is passing by... Here are the english lyrics of the full text sung by a swedish folkrock group called Garmarna. The norweigan group Gåte [gaute meaning Riddle] had to cut down the lyrics to fit within 3 minutes, that's why it's so short. Amazingly done to cut a thousand year old folktale to only 3 minutes, right. Btw, the instrument is called Nyckelharpa. Anyway, here's the full lyrics in english of the tale where it's called Vedergällningen (=Vengeance): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mrKJntKY29PViZs.htmlsi=dY7ELXyvZpkiued2 And here's a similar folktale with english lyrics, Varulven (The Werewolf): kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pKpogK52qKnIqJc.htmlsi=gGyppb2-aUIzqCEe

Tusen hjertelig takk fra oss i Norge ❤ Gåte means RIDDLE 😘 And this is a "farytail" from far away in time❤ Tusen hjertelig takk ❤🍀

The moment after you said that you didn't know what to make of her saying she drank her brother's blood, I got an add for a Big Mac Bacon😭😂

The voice in the background is the vocalists brothers step son, he at the time was 11 years old when it was recorded i belive.

Gåte (meaning enigma, pronounced gawtey) takes Medieval songs and rocks them up. It's mostly sad and dark songs. Gunhild sang like this when she blew my mind at an outdoor concert 20 or so years ago. She was in her early teens. Her talent was extraordinary already at that age. No matter how the Eurovision finale goes, I'm a proud to be a Norwegian this year! BTW: The instrument you're marvelling over is called a nyckelharpa. It's a Swedish medieval instrument used only by Nordic traditional folk musicians as far as I know. Gåte makes it sound better.

Norway was beautiful and awsome❤ sadly them ended on the last place in the competition😮 cant belive it. Norway and this years winner switzerland was my favorites. Did you see the song from switzerland?? /Li from sweden

thanks! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Ulveham❤

It’s called nøkkelharpe, it’s a type of fiddle/

The lyrics is a much condensed version of a much longer medieval ballad, and so a lot of the "sense" to it is lost. Even so, they present the drama and despair of the story exceptionally well though. In the original story, the step mother wants to get rid of the girl and turns her into various objects that she sends away (as gifts). The stepmother then becomes increasingly furious that no matter what she turns the girl into (whether its a needle, sword or a tree), they become everyone's favorite. Finally she turns the girl into a wolf (a feared and hated animal) and tells her that she cannot turn back unless she drink her brother's blood (Something the girl presumably would not wish to do). Nine years later the step mother is pregnant and on the way to church she meets the wolf (who is the girl) again. The girl kills her and by doing so, also her unborn brother, lifting the curse.

The lyrics in the video aren’t completely on point so I’ll try: I was such a beautiful maiden With an evil stepmother, my mother died She made me into a sword and a needle And sent me off to the King’s estate And the wrath my stepmother felt the most When the nicest liked me the best And then the chorus.. She gave me a skin, as grey as the wolf She cursed me to walk lonely in the woods Never will I be whole and well Until I get to drink my brother’s blood And the chorus again And this is what the guy is growling: So I ripped out her left side So her blood ran wild So I got to drink my brother’s blood Translating these lyrics isn’t the easiest, not even for me as a Norwegian. She sings in mostly Nynorsk and some of the words are very old, I actually had to Google the meaning of them.

The name Gåte is a norwegian word for riddle...

The Å is like in AUtomobile. G AU TE / GÅTE.

Nyckelharpa Key Harp is the traditional instrument that also made Norway win 1995 with Nocturne a Swedish artist behind the instrument. This year we have the Norvegian twins compete for Sweden. So this will be very interesting. I guess or want Norway to win.

You said it correct the first time : Gåte . -And : Ulveham : means : "Wolves skin" or "Wolves fur" ...Lyrics are based on an old , old, really old text... You will figure it out if You want to know.....

Great reaction. I believe the story is about how her evil step mother cast a spell on her, transforming her to a Woolf. She could not return as a human unless she drank her brothers blood. Old Scandinavian story.

I am from Norway and Gåte means Enigma😀

The album version of the song contains the last verse with the resolution.

It`s a key harpe (nøkkelharpe).

The å in Gåte is pronounced exactly like 'oo' in floor.

This croatia or ireland for me...personally norway for me is the best song..

Å is pronounced as the a in"raw"

The voice in the background is actually a woman. A famous Norwegian death metal vocalist.

Gåte were forced to remix the song, make it shorter and change words, so it is not the 'exact' story.. 1000 your old Norwegian tale, or ballad I read some places.

The stepmom cursed her to be a warewolf and the only way to break the curse was for her to drink her brothers blood. Gåte is said like gaw-teh

i believe thats a nyckelharpa

She is cursed and made into a grey wolf by her stepmother. Only way to lift the curse is to drink her brothers blod. It's old Norwegian folklore

"Gåte" is pronounced "Gaw-teh".

It is about time some countries like Spain, Italy, USA, Uk and France get mandatory education in Norwegian language and culture.

Phenomenal performance. Weird lyrics.

You pronounce Å like if you say AU together. Like Paul.

Gåte = Gaw-teh

Ulveham=Wolfs cote

The å in Gåte kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o5Nxl8qh1Ki2pKs.html&ab_channel=JulienMiquel

Gohteh

tvelve stringer

super Eurovision reaction - like always ♥