Here's the complete article about Nick Allmark's songwriting with The Longship that was published in the Spring Equinox 2026 edition of Pagans of the North magazine:
The Longship – Warriors of Sound from Northumberland
From the windswept edges of Northumberland comes The Longship, a rock band whose music sails confidently between history, spirituality, and modern Pagan consciousness. Formed four years ago by guitarist and songwriter Nick Allmark, The Longship has carved out a sound rooted in the ancient past yet urgently relevant to the present.
Allmark is a songwriter shaped by more than riffs and rhythm. Deeply spiritual, environmentally aware, and fascinated by history, particularly the Dark Ages, his work reflects a Pagan worldview that honours land, ancestors, and the unseen forces that shape our lives. The band’s songs draw inspiration from Norse Pagan society, folklore, and myth, while also addressing contemporary social and environmental concerns. It is this fusion that gives The Longship its distinctive power.
To date, the band has released eight tracks available on all major streaming platforms, each accompanied by striking music videos available on their YouTube channel. These visuals add another layer to the storytelling, grounding the music in landscape, symbol, and atmosphere.
Calling to the Green Man
One of the band’s most resonant tracks, Green Man, is both invocation and warning. A plea to remember the spirits of the land and the cost of humanity’s disconnection from nature. The song speaks directly to Pagan listeners who feel the strain between ancient reverence and modern exploitation.
“Green Man we know you’re there,
Bringing life back to this world,
But how much longer can you go on,
When we do you so much wrong,
Oh Green Man”
The accompanying video is a visual meditation on this theme, inviting viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the natural world. It does not preach but is unmistakably sincere, a call to awareness rather than accusation.
Fate, Runes, and the Call of the Sea
History and myth take centre stage in Longships, a song that tells the story of Viking invaders setting sail from Scandinavia, guided first by prophecy. Before steel meets shore, a shaman is sought, runes are cast, and fate is revealed.
“You come to me with coins of gold,
Asking what the future holds,
The rune sticks all look good to me,
You’ll find new lands across the sea,
A warriors life you will lead,
Die in battle with axe and shield,
You’ll leave your mark do not fear,
Your name lives on for a thousand years”
The song captures a worldview where destiny, courage, and honour are entwined, a reminder of how deeply spiritual belief was woven into everyday life during the Viking Age. Rather than glorifying conquest alone, Longships honours the sacred rituals that framed these journeys.
Blood, Borders, and the Danelaw
Conflict and cultural tension form the backdrop of Homeland, a track set during the turbulent period of warfare between Viking settlers in the Danelaw and the Saxons of Mercia and Wessex. The song evokes a land caught between identities, where loyalty, survival, and belonging are constantly tested. For Pagan listeners, Homeland resonates as more than historical drama. It reflects timeless questions about place, ancestry, and what it means to defend the land that shapes you.
The Shield Maiden’s Sword
The band’s latest release, Shield Maiden of the Queen, marks a high point in both storytelling and visual presentation. The atmospheric video depicts a Pagan queen who gifts a magical sword to her chosen warrior the shield maiden Ruta. It is a tale of devotion, strength, and sacred duty, rich with symbolism and reverence for feminine power. Rather than reducing the shield maiden to a trope, the song honours her as a consecrated warrior, chosen not just for skill but for spirit. The result is haunting, beautiful, and deeply aligned with Pagan values of balance and sacred purpose.
Spirits That Refuse to Rest
Closing the circle between myth and landscape is Wild Edric, a ghost story drawn from the Shropshire Hills. Like the folklore itself, the song blurs the line between history and haunting, reminding us that the land remembers and sometimes answers back.
Carrying the Old Ways Forward
The Longship’s music stands as a modern expression of Pagan storytelling: loud, electric, and unafraid, yet deeply respectful of the old ways. Their songs do not treat myth as fantasy or history as dead—they are living currents, still shaping who we are and how we move through the world. For Pagans of the North and beyond, The Longship offers more than music. They offer remembrance, reverence, and a rhythm that echoes like oars striking the sea calling us to listen, to honour, and to sail onward with intention.
