While the above ideas are very well thought out, I believe this song to actually be a reference to Ragnarok, the "Twilight of the Gods", in Norse mythology. Ragnarok is preceded by the Fimbulvetr or "Great Winter", a period of three years of perpetual winter with no summer between. Snow will fall from all directions with great frosts and biting wind, and the sun will lend no warmth to the earth. During this time great battles will be fought throughout the world, humanity will descend further into violence and depravity, laws of kinship will be broken, and fathers, sons and brothers will rise up against one another.
The wolves Sköll and Hati will then finally devour Sól (the Sun) and her brother Máni (the Moon) respectively after a perpetual chase, and the stars will burn out and vanish from the sky, plunging the earth into darkness.
What is unique about Ragnarok is that the gods know through prophecy what is going to happen — when the event will occur, who will be slain by whom, and so forth. They even realize that they are powerless to prevent it but nevertheless bravely and defiantly face their bleak destiny.
In the song, Tuomas is symbolizing someone's knowledge and acceptance of their own demise, much like the Norse Gods, as seen in the lines:
"The wolves, my love, will come
Taking us home where dust once was a man."
and
"7 days to the poison
And a place in heaven."
The person knows his end is coming, but has no fear of it. Rather, embraces it:
"I will dream like the God"
"Light the fire, feast
Chase the ghost, give in
Take the road less traveled by
Leave the city of fools
Turn every poet loose"
The above passage is a message to everyone, saying that one should embrace the end, as it is a natural part of the cycle. The "feast" is a celebration of one's end, "chase the ghost, give in" means to give up on trying to live past one's time, and "take the road less traveled by / Leave the city of fools" means to break free from the societal norm of thinking that the end is something negative.
(Note: Sorry if some of this seems a bit disjointed and also sorry that I didn't put it in better order. But its 2am and I'm tired. lol xD)
While the above ideas are very well thought out, I believe this song to actually be a reference to Ragnarok, the "Twilight of the Gods", in Norse mythology. Ragnarok is preceded by the Fimbulvetr or "Great Winter", a period of three years of perpetual winter with no summer between. Snow will fall from all directions with great frosts and biting wind, and the sun will lend no warmth to the earth. During this time great battles will be fought throughout the world, humanity will descend further into violence and depravity, laws of kinship will be broken, and fathers, sons and brothers will rise up against one another. The wolves Sköll and Hati will then finally devour Sól (the Sun) and her brother Máni (the Moon) respectively after a perpetual chase, and the stars will burn out and vanish from the sky, plunging the earth into darkness. What is unique about Ragnarok is that the gods know through prophecy what is going to happen — when the event will occur, who will be slain by whom, and so forth. They even realize that they are powerless to prevent it but nevertheless bravely and defiantly face their bleak destiny. In the song, Tuomas is symbolizing someone's knowledge and acceptance of their own demise, much like the Norse Gods, as seen in the lines: "The wolves, my love, will come Taking us home where dust once was a man." and "7 days to the poison And a place in heaven."
The person knows his end is coming, but has no fear of it. Rather, embraces it: "I will dream like the God"
"Light the fire, feast Chase the ghost, give in Take the road less traveled by Leave the city of fools Turn every poet loose"
The above passage is a message to everyone, saying that one should embrace the end, as it is a natural part of the cycle. The "feast" is a celebration of one's end, "chase the ghost, give in" means to give up on trying to live past one's time, and "take the road less traveled by / Leave the city of fools" means to break free from the societal norm of thinking that the end is something negative.
(Note: Sorry if some of this seems a bit disjointed and also sorry that I didn't put it in better order. But its 2am and I'm tired. lol xD)