The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Tuonela" by the artist "Therion"

The lyrics of the song "Tuonela" by Therion narrate the journey of a soul to the underworld, Tuonela, a place shrouded in darkness and mystery in Finnish mythology.

The first lines describe the last steps of a person in the world of the living. The lyrical hero, a lonely wanderer, walks through a "dark desert," anticipating the inevitable transition. Their "last secret steps of life" are filled with trepidation before the unknown.

Further, the text addresses the soul that descends along the "crystal path" - a metaphor for the transition to the other world. The lyrical hero, bound by physicality, cannot follow the soul. They can only watch as it moves away, like "the light of stars and drops of dew disappear." There is no return from Tuonela, the river of life flows only in one direction.

The repeating refrain "(Tuoni opens)" creates a sense of inevitability and the power with which the deity opens the gates of his kingdom. Tuoni's wisdom is all-encompassing, he sees the "aspirations of every soul," past, present and future.

The image of "deserted plains," "mournful island," and "endless streams" paints a picture of a lifeless yet majestic world. Tuonela is not hell, but a place of eternal peace, where truth merges with the flow of time and the waves of life turn to dust.

In the finale of the song, the lyrical hero observes a "swan soaring from the east" - a symbol of a soul that has found peace. The river, "enveloping the dawn" on its "blue face," possibly symbolizes the border between the worlds of the living and the dead. The soul, freed from earthly bonds, plunges into the "depths" of Tuonela, where the past no longer disturbs the heart.