Sons of Winter and Stars

Sons of winter and stars are Snowflakes. They are fragile and pretty but they are mighty enough to cause a powerful and vengeful snow-storm.

When the Sons are asked to 'Rise' in the Rain Of Stars, they're asked to join the battle against the Enemy.

In Surrounded By Darkness, the Enemy has allied with Darkness and its minions of Fear and Pain to fight against the heroes, the Sons. But it shows that the Enemy spent too much time hating and fighting, that Time has made him understand that hatred and anger had actually misled him.

The wanderer now asks Fate where it will take him in Journey Inside A Dream, as he is without direction. He finds time to appreciate the snow-clad world around him, which he had set out to destroy once upon a time. Now, the cold around him settles and the old man loses his strength, giving in to Death.

In Sons of Winter And Stars, the victors sing about their passion to fight and protect their realm and their triumph in the battle, telling the world that they are the one thing that will endure through the mysteries of Time.

It seems the sons of winter and stars are the polar lights; aurora borealis/australis. Because when the radiation released by the sun (a star) reaches the polar regions of the planet (where one can poetically say winter is eternal), It interacts with the magnetosphere of the earth to create polar lights. Here are some lyrical references: “Symphony of dying lights” because northern lights appear as many waves, disappear in the dark sky and starting again. “And life and death became abound” the sky is alive with light above the frozen polar region mostly devoid of life due to the cold temperatures. “I have awakened the darkness” May reference the beliefs of ancient cultures that the polar lights are spirits of the dead ancestors coming to visit earth temporarily “Taste the fear! Taste the pain! I am the one who seeks vengeance” This and other danger/conflict/ adventure themed lyrics seen through much of the song are I think Jari’s imagination running wild while looking at the sky and imagining the northern lights/ ancestor spirits having battles, competitions, games, etc. It’s a reference to their playful wavelike movements and mysteriousness. (If you see it or look at a video of aurora borealis and you’ll see what I mean) “They will never survive, they'll die” references to the transitory nature of the polar lights since they’re only visible in low light conditions. Once dawn comes, they can’t be seen with the human eye and appear to ‘die’ “We fly beyond the birth of worlds” The radiation of the sun, once deflected by earth’s magnetosphere will travel many light years away to distant parts of our universe. It will reach nebulas (celestial nurseries) where stardust is accumulating to form young stars, planets and solar systems, and then keep going… “So old I’ve become …That it was just an illusion”” references how the energy of the stars/suns was never created nor will it be destroyed (according to laws of thermodynamics) but just transformed into different things. It always was and will be, it’s as old as time itself (I’m not a scientist feel free to correct errors!) “Someday I will find what I am here for, who am I?... The energy flows in me like a river of stars” Jari is realizing that same sun’s energy that makes the polar lights is also a part of him (plants grow from sunshine, its energy works its way up the food chain, etc). “Our world shall never die” as long as new suns and planets with magnetospheres are created in the universe, there will always be the phenomenon of the polar lights. “In the arms of the wind we ride till dawn” referring to the solar wind (radiation) and apparent disappearance at dawn (according to human eyes).

I haven't analysed the whole song yet so forgive me if this doesn't fit every line, but I have an interpretation for the following segment. Tell me what you think.

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"So old I've become (Thousand years staring into emptiness) But now I realize (That it was just an illusion) All this time I thought it was you that would save the sun Oh rain comes and washes the hate away Now I am at the crossroads with questions Somewhere, someday I will find what I am here for Who am I?

I'm wondering now where will you take me From the horizon the light comes alive Into the mountains high we set our way Will we find our way in this long winter night I see the land of fading sun and rising mountains And I finally feel that I've found my home But oh, it feels so cold when my dreams wither in fragments of time... Revealing that this land will die..."

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To me, this segment represents chasing new ambitions and eventually losing interest "So old i've become but now i realise all this time i thought it was you who would save the sun". The "sun" in this line is something that brings warmth and light, two common motifs in Wintersun songs that (in my opinion) represent happiness. "You" I believe is referring not necessarily to a person but to a concept, maybe a hobby or an interest. Something that once brought the speaker happiness. Over time they have realised that this object does not actually give them any permanent gratification. "The rain comes and washes the hate away" shows the full cycle of their growth in relation to this object. They loved it, they realised it couldn't "Save the sun", and hated it, but then the "rain" (not 100% sure what the symbolism is here but its safe to say its some sort of realisation, maybe the rain blocking out the sun symbolising depression?) came and washed the hate away, they realised it never actually promised them that overarching happiness they desired in the first place. "Now i am at the crossroads with questions. Somewhere, someday I will find what I'm here for. Who am I." Is a fairly transparent line, just serving to clarify the previous ones.

The next verse I feel tells of the speaker, now armed with a better understanding, finding something new in their life "I'm wondering now where will you take me" Again "you" being something that brings them happiness. The speaker wonders aloud how their life will change with the introduction of this new object. "From the horizon the light comes alive" I believe represents them coming back from their depression (The horizon being the line between night and dark, or happiness and sadness) and dreaming of the potentials of this new obsession of theirs "The light comes alive" being the happiness taking on its own life and weaving ideas of where things could go. "Into the mountains high we set our way, will we find our way in this long winter night?" The speaker hopes and dreams that through this new aspect/object/obsession in their life that they might be able to find some greater happiness. "I see the land of fading sun and rising mountains and i finally feel that i've found my home" The speaker recognises in this line that the hope they saw may not have been permanent as they had hoped for as the "fading sun" shows that while it still brings them joy, it won't do so forever. Even so, they felt in this situation that they belonged here, that this part of their life, "this land", was the meaning they had been seeking all this time. "But oh it feels so cold when my dreams wither in the fragments of time, revealing that this land will die" Represents them learning from the past and solemnly accepting that their obsession "This land" will not sustain them forever, and that they must move on from it. "But oh it feels so cold when my dreams wither in the fragments of time" shows how despite the fact they know how "this land" will die and stop bringing them happiness, its still a crushing feeling to watch as all the dreams from earlier in the verse start to wither away and stop seeming so attainable.

In my opinion, this section represents the speaker's experience in going through a hedonic treadmill, where changes to their life they thought would bring them permanent happiness ended up only being temporary, and the start to their journey to not only understand this phenomenon, but also to be able to prevent it setting them back into depression.