Ulveham

Gåte made a modern interpretation of a Norwegian medieval ballad known as "Møya i ulveham" ("The Maid in Wolf Pelt"). The initial lyrical content draws from a mid-19th-century manuscript from Telemark, reflecting a distinctive variant of the Vest-Telemark dialect.{{Cite web |title=Norske mellomalderballadar: Naturmytiske balladar |url=https://www.bokselskap.no/boker/naturmytiskeballadar/tsb_a_19_moyaiulveham |website=Bokselskap}} Several stanzas were identical to those found in the original manuscript. In "Ulveham", the stanzas were restructured and their language simplified, moving closer to the standardised High Norwegian or Nynorsk.{{Cite web |title=Gåte er klare til dyst med ny tekst og ny energi |url=https://www.folkemusikk.no/gate-er-klare-til-dyst-med-ny-tekst-og-ny-energi/ |website=Folkemusikk |access-date=2 February 2024 |archivedate=2 February 2024 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202181945/https://www.folkemusikk.no/gate-er-klare-til-dyst-med-ny-tekst-og-ny-energi/ |url-status=deviated }}

"Møya i ulveham" tells the story of a young maiden, who is transformed into a needle, a knife, and then a sword by her evil stepmother. However, the people continue to appreciate her throughout all of her transformations, angering her stepmother. Therefore, to punish her even further, the stepmother transforms her into a wolf. It ends with the stepmother, pregnant with a child, being pounced on by the wolf. To lift the curse, the wolf drinks her stepmother's blood, which contains the blood of her unborn half-brother.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-20 |title=Gåte – ser mot Europa |url=https://norwayrock.net/gate-ser-mot-europa/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=NORWAY ROCK MAGAZINE |language=nb-NO}}

"Ulveham" opens with a traditional kulokk, a herding call traditionally used to summon livestock, sourced from an early 20th-century recording featuring folk singer Marit Jensen Lillebuen.{{Cite web |title=Gåte må skrive om teksten i MGP-bidraget |url=https://www.nrk.no/kultur/gate-ma-skrive-om-teksten-i-mgp-bidraget-1.16732998 |website=NRK|date=28 January 2024 }} The musical composition incorporates electronic beats and various instruments, such as nyckelharpa, electric guitars, and drums. It uses metal growling with lyrics as background vocalisation.

There is a prevalence of similar ballads in Danish and Swedish traditions. The Danish rendition, titled "Jomfruen i ulveham" ("The Virgin in Wolf Pelt"), and the Swedish versions, where a young man undergoes transformation into a wolf in "Den förtrollade riddaren" ("The Bewitched Knight"), underscore the cross-cultural resonance of this narrative.

{{Main|Melodi Grand Prix 2024|Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024}}

"Ulveham" was selected to participate in Melodi Grand Prix 2024 and was the last performing entry in the event's second semi-final on 20 January 2024. The song was one of three that progressed to the final in Trondheim Spektrum on 3 February. In the weeks leading up to the final, the song advanced with the betting odds, and became the favourite to win by the time of the final. It ultimately won the competition and earned the right to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.{{Cite web |title=Odds Norway Melodi Grand Prix 2024 |url=https://eurovisionworld.com/odds/norway-mgp |website=Eurovisionworld}}

In Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision Song Contest, the rules require that both text and melody must be original and not previously published. As "Ulveham" contains lyrics taken from an almost thousand-year-old ballad, this would violate the contest's rules. In order to avoid problems with the song's possible participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, the Norwegian broadcaster NRK checked with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event.{{Cite web |title=Gåte må bytte tekst før MGP-finalen |url=https://www.vg.no/i/wA1qQP |website=VG|date=28 January 2024 }} After an assessment, the EBU concluded that Marit Jensen Lillebuen's kulning recording could be accepted. To be on the safe side, NRK decided that the entire lyrics of "Ulveham" would be replaced with newly-written and original lyrics.{{Cite web |title=Gåte heiv seg rundt: - Snedig at vi skulle støte på en regel som er der for å hindre plagiering |url=https://www.adressa.no/kultur/i/0Qm1xE/gaate-maa-bytte-tekst-foer-mgp-finalen |website=Adressa|date=28 January 2024 }} MGP manager Stig Karlsen stated that "the song's title and historical theme" would remain.

On 2 February 2024, a revised version of "Ulveham" was released, with reorganised and modified lyrics. It features other small excerpts from the same ballad, with altered wording to avoid resemblance. Three of the band members, Gunnhild Sundli, {{ill|Magnus Børmark|no}}, and {{ill|Jon Even Schärer|no}}, contributed to the writing of the new lyrics.

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country will perform in; the EBU split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.{{cite web |last=Van Dijk |first=Sem Anne |date=2023-12-13 |title=Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30 |url=https://eurovoix.com/2023/12/13/eurovision-2024-allocation-draw-january-30/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |work=Eurovoix}} Norway was scheduled for the second half of the second semi-final, held on 9 May 2024, where it qualified for the final. The song was performed at the Eurovision 2024 final, finishing last of the 25 competing songs.

• Vedergällningen (1999) - Song by Swedish folk rock group Garmarna based on the Swedish version "Den förtrollade riddaren" of the same medieval ballad.

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Category:2023 songs

Category:2024 singles

Category:Melodi Grand Prix songs

Category:Songs in Norwegian

Category:Eurovision songs of 2024

Category:Eurovision songs of Norway

Category:Songs about revenge

Category:Songs about wolves