Medieval Style Cover

2009Music genre / remix trendsemi-active

Also known as: Bardcore · Tavernwave

Medieval Style Cover, or Bardcore, is a musical microgenre that reimagines modern pop songs with medieval instruments and vocal styles, popularized in April 2020 by German YouTuber Cornelius Link's viral medieval rendition of "Astronomia.

Medieval Style Cover, better known as Bardcore or Tavernwave, is a musical microgenre built around reimagining modern pop songs with instruments and vocal styles from the Middle Ages. The style had roots on YouTube as early as 2009, but it exploded during the COVID-19 lockdowns of April 2020 when German YouTuber Cornelius Link dropped a medieval rendition of "Astronomia" that racked up millions of views3. What started as a niche musical experiment became one of the most charming internet trends of the pandemic era, spawning an entire community of creators turning everything from Radiohead to Wu-Tang Clan into tavern bangers.

TL;DR

Medieval Style Cover, better known as Bardcore or Tavernwave, is a musical microgenre built around reimagining modern pop songs with instruments and vocal styles from the Middle Ages.

Overview

Medieval Style Cover refers to the practice of taking well-known modern songs and rearranging them using instrumentation common during the Middle Ages: lutes, hurdy-gurdies, recorders, harps, and similar period-appropriate instruments2. Many creators go beyond just swapping instruments. They rewrite lyrics in archaic English, design thumbnails using medieval art styles like the Bayeux Tapestry, and adopt stage names that riff on historical figures1. The genre sits at the intersection of music production, comedy, and internet history nerd culture. Tracks often sound like something you'd hear in a fantasy RPG tavern, which is where the alternate name "Tavernwave" comes from3.

The roots of medieval-style music on YouTube stretch back over a decade. Musician and composer Paul Vakna was one of the earliest to experiment with the concept, posting medieval compositions on his YouTube channel starting February 8, 20092. His catalog built up an audience over time, with his "Medieval Music – 'Hardcore' Party Mix" from July 6, 2013 pulling in over 7 million views2.

Others followed in the years after. Composer LjB0 posted a medieval take on the Halo theme titled "Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)" on August 29, 2017, which picked up 1.7 million views2. That same year on December 19, a creator called Algal the Bard uploaded a medieval cover of System of a Down's "Toxicity," which reached several million views by 20203.

But the genre didn't have a name or a real movement behind it until spring 2020. On April 20, during widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, German YouTuber Cornelius Link posted a medieval-style version of Tony Igy's "Astronomia," the electronic track already famous as the soundtrack to the coffin dance meme3. The video hit 3 million views within weeks2. The Guardian pinpointed this upload as the moment bardcore crystallized into a distinct trend3.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube
Key People
Paul Vakna, Cornelius Link, Hildegard von Blingin'
Date
2009 (earliest examples), 2020 (viral breakout)
Year
2009

The roots of medieval-style music on YouTube stretch back over a decade. Musician and composer Paul Vakna was one of the earliest to experiment with the concept, posting medieval compositions on his YouTube channel starting February 8, 2009. His catalog built up an audience over time, with his "Medieval Music – 'Hardcore' Party Mix" from July 6, 2013 pulling in over 7 million views.

Others followed in the years after. Composer LjB0 posted a medieval take on the Halo theme titled "Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)" on August 29, 2017, which picked up 1.7 million views. That same year on December 19, a creator called Algal the Bard uploaded a medieval cover of System of a Down's "Toxicity," which reached several million views by 2020.

But the genre didn't have a name or a real movement behind it until spring 2020. On April 20, during widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, German YouTuber Cornelius Link posted a medieval-style version of Tony Igy's "Astronomia," the electronic track already famous as the soundtrack to the coffin dance meme. The video hit 3 million views within weeks. The Guardian pinpointed this upload as the moment bardcore crystallized into a distinct trend.

How It Spread

Link followed up his "Astronomia" hit with a medieval instrumental of Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" on May 11, which grabbed another 3 million views within a month. The comment sections on these videos became a creative hub of their own, with users competing to write the best mock-medieval lyrics and upvoting their favorites.

One of those lyrical suggestions, written by a commenter named Cryopinacle, caught the attention of YouTuber the_miracle_aligner, who recorded himself singing the crowd-sourced words over Link's instrumental on May 21. That video crossed half a million views in under twenty days. The_miracle_aligner also posted a medieval "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival on June 6.

Around the same time, a Canadian creator operating under the name Hildegard von Blingin' (a play on the medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen) stepped into the spotlight. She started with a medieval cover of Haddaway's "What is Love," rewriting both the instrumental and lyrics in period style. Her cover of Radiohead's "Creep" pulled over 1.1 million views. She went on to cover Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," Dolly Parton's "Jolene," Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness," and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," adjusting rhythm and lyrics to fit the genre each time. By the end of June 2020, her "Pumped Up Kicks" vocal version and Link's instrumental had each reached 4 million views.

The trend attracted a wave of other creators. Latvian band Auļi, along with YouTubers Graywyck, Constantine Bard, and Samus Ordicus all joined the movement. Creator Wysterstone contributed a medieval "Take On Me" by A-ha that pulled over 129,000 views. Someone clever in the community coined the term "Bardcore," and it stuck.

By October 2020, bardcore had crossed over into mainstream media. Scott Mills featured tracks by Beedle the Bardcore, Hildegard von Blingin', and Stantough (who covered Harry Styles's "Watermelon Sugar") on his prime-time BBC Radio 1 show. Wu-Tang Clan gave the genre a high-profile endorsement by reposting Beedle the Bardcore's cover of their track "C.R.E.A.M." on their official YouTube channel.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a bardcore track typically involves a few key steps. First, pick a well-known modern song with a strong melody. Then rearrange the instrumental using medieval or Renaissance-era instruments like lutes, recorders, hurdy-gurdies, harps, or hand drums. Many producers use virtual instrument libraries or MIDI to approximate the sound.

For the full bardcore experience, creators often rewrite the lyrics in mock-archaic English ("ye," "thou," "hath," etc.) and perform them in a more restrained, period-appropriate vocal style. The thumbnail usually features medieval-style artwork, frequently created using the Historic Tale Construction Kit (the same tool used for Medieval Tapestry Edits). Adopting a stage name that sounds like a medieval figure is common but not required.

The genre works best with songs that have a strong, simple melody that translates well when stripped of modern production. Pop hits, rock anthems, and meme songs tend to perform the strongest.

Cultural Impact

Bardcore arrived at the perfect cultural moment. With billions of people stuck at home during COVID-19 lockdowns, the genre offered a weird, delightful escape that combined musical skill with internet humor. As Elmira Tanatarova wrote in i-D, bardcore "carries with it the weight of years of memes made about the medieval era, and the bleak darkness of that time period that appeals to Gen Z's existential humour".

The BBC Radio 1 feature in October 2020 brought bardcore to an audience well beyond YouTube's algorithm. Wu-Tang Clan's endorsement of Beedle the Bardcore's "C.R.E.A.M." cover gave the genre credibility within hip-hop circles. The artwork accompanying bardcore videos frequently drew on existing meme traditions, particularly Medieval Tapestry Edits and illuminated manuscript parodies, creating a visual language that felt instantly familiar to internet users.

TwistedSifter described it as "a new whimsical style that has found a fun and creative way to reimagine hit songs we all know and (mostly) love".

Fun Facts

The thumbnails for bardcore videos are often made with the Historic Tale Construction Kit, the same web tool responsible for the Medieval Tapestry Edits meme.

Hildegard von Blingin's name is a pun on Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess who was one of the most prolific composers of the medieval period.

The comment section on Link's "Pumped Up Kicks" instrumental became its own creative workshop, with users writing and voting on mock-medieval lyrics for the famously dark song.

Paul Vakna had been quietly building a medieval music YouTube channel for over a decade before the genre got a name, accumulating 17 million views by 2020.

Derivatives & Variations

Medieval "Astronomia" / Coffin Dance Bardcore

— Cornelius Link's April 2020 cover that kicked off the trend, combining the already-viral coffin dance meme with medieval instrumentation[3].

"Pumped Up Kicks" Medieval Version

— Both Link's instrumental and the_miracle_aligner's vocal version with crowd-sourced mock-medieval lyrics became signature bardcore tracks[2].

Hildegard von Blingin' catalog

— An entire discography of bardcore covers spanning pop, rock, and indie, including "Creep," "Bad Romance," "Jolene," and "Summertime Sadness"[3].

Beedle the Bardcore "C.R.E.A.M."

— A medieval Wu-Tang cover notable for being endorsed and reposted by Wu-Tang Clan themselves[3].

Stantough's "Watermelon Sugar"

— A Harry Styles cover featured on BBC Radio 1[3].

"Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)"

— LjB0's 2017 pre-trend cover that retrospectively became part of the bardcore canon[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

Medieval Style Cover

2009Music genre / remix trendsemi-active

Also known as: Bardcore · Tavernwave

Medieval Style Cover, or Bardcore, is a musical microgenre that reimagines modern pop songs with medieval instruments and vocal styles, popularized in April 2020 by German YouTuber Cornelius Link's viral medieval rendition of "Astronomia.

Medieval Style Cover, better known as Bardcore or Tavernwave, is a musical microgenre built around reimagining modern pop songs with instruments and vocal styles from the Middle Ages. The style had roots on YouTube as early as 2009, but it exploded during the COVID-19 lockdowns of April 2020 when German YouTuber Cornelius Link dropped a medieval rendition of "Astronomia" that racked up millions of views. What started as a niche musical experiment became one of the most charming internet trends of the pandemic era, spawning an entire community of creators turning everything from Radiohead to Wu-Tang Clan into tavern bangers.

TL;DR

Medieval Style Cover, better known as Bardcore or Tavernwave, is a musical microgenre built around reimagining modern pop songs with instruments and vocal styles from the Middle Ages.

Overview

Medieval Style Cover refers to the practice of taking well-known modern songs and rearranging them using instrumentation common during the Middle Ages: lutes, hurdy-gurdies, recorders, harps, and similar period-appropriate instruments. Many creators go beyond just swapping instruments. They rewrite lyrics in archaic English, design thumbnails using medieval art styles like the Bayeux Tapestry, and adopt stage names that riff on historical figures. The genre sits at the intersection of music production, comedy, and internet history nerd culture. Tracks often sound like something you'd hear in a fantasy RPG tavern, which is where the alternate name "Tavernwave" comes from.

The roots of medieval-style music on YouTube stretch back over a decade. Musician and composer Paul Vakna was one of the earliest to experiment with the concept, posting medieval compositions on his YouTube channel starting February 8, 2009. His catalog built up an audience over time, with his "Medieval Music – 'Hardcore' Party Mix" from July 6, 2013 pulling in over 7 million views.

Others followed in the years after. Composer LjB0 posted a medieval take on the Halo theme titled "Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)" on August 29, 2017, which picked up 1.7 million views. That same year on December 19, a creator called Algal the Bard uploaded a medieval cover of System of a Down's "Toxicity," which reached several million views by 2020.

But the genre didn't have a name or a real movement behind it until spring 2020. On April 20, during widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, German YouTuber Cornelius Link posted a medieval-style version of Tony Igy's "Astronomia," the electronic track already famous as the soundtrack to the coffin dance meme. The video hit 3 million views within weeks. The Guardian pinpointed this upload as the moment bardcore crystallized into a distinct trend.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube
Key People
Paul Vakna, Cornelius Link, Hildegard von Blingin'
Date
2009 (earliest examples), 2020 (viral breakout)
Year
2009

The roots of medieval-style music on YouTube stretch back over a decade. Musician and composer Paul Vakna was one of the earliest to experiment with the concept, posting medieval compositions on his YouTube channel starting February 8, 2009. His catalog built up an audience over time, with his "Medieval Music – 'Hardcore' Party Mix" from July 6, 2013 pulling in over 7 million views.

Others followed in the years after. Composer LjB0 posted a medieval take on the Halo theme titled "Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)" on August 29, 2017, which picked up 1.7 million views. That same year on December 19, a creator called Algal the Bard uploaded a medieval cover of System of a Down's "Toxicity," which reached several million views by 2020.

But the genre didn't have a name or a real movement behind it until spring 2020. On April 20, during widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, German YouTuber Cornelius Link posted a medieval-style version of Tony Igy's "Astronomia," the electronic track already famous as the soundtrack to the coffin dance meme. The video hit 3 million views within weeks. The Guardian pinpointed this upload as the moment bardcore crystallized into a distinct trend.

How It Spread

Link followed up his "Astronomia" hit with a medieval instrumental of Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" on May 11, which grabbed another 3 million views within a month. The comment sections on these videos became a creative hub of their own, with users competing to write the best mock-medieval lyrics and upvoting their favorites.

One of those lyrical suggestions, written by a commenter named Cryopinacle, caught the attention of YouTuber the_miracle_aligner, who recorded himself singing the crowd-sourced words over Link's instrumental on May 21. That video crossed half a million views in under twenty days. The_miracle_aligner also posted a medieval "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival on June 6.

Around the same time, a Canadian creator operating under the name Hildegard von Blingin' (a play on the medieval composer Hildegard von Bingen) stepped into the spotlight. She started with a medieval cover of Haddaway's "What is Love," rewriting both the instrumental and lyrics in period style. Her cover of Radiohead's "Creep" pulled over 1.1 million views. She went on to cover Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," Dolly Parton's "Jolene," Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness," and Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," adjusting rhythm and lyrics to fit the genre each time. By the end of June 2020, her "Pumped Up Kicks" vocal version and Link's instrumental had each reached 4 million views.

The trend attracted a wave of other creators. Latvian band Auļi, along with YouTubers Graywyck, Constantine Bard, and Samus Ordicus all joined the movement. Creator Wysterstone contributed a medieval "Take On Me" by A-ha that pulled over 129,000 views. Someone clever in the community coined the term "Bardcore," and it stuck.

By October 2020, bardcore had crossed over into mainstream media. Scott Mills featured tracks by Beedle the Bardcore, Hildegard von Blingin', and Stantough (who covered Harry Styles's "Watermelon Sugar") on his prime-time BBC Radio 1 show. Wu-Tang Clan gave the genre a high-profile endorsement by reposting Beedle the Bardcore's cover of their track "C.R.E.A.M." on their official YouTube channel.

How to Use This Meme

Creating a bardcore track typically involves a few key steps. First, pick a well-known modern song with a strong melody. Then rearrange the instrumental using medieval or Renaissance-era instruments like lutes, recorders, hurdy-gurdies, harps, or hand drums. Many producers use virtual instrument libraries or MIDI to approximate the sound.

For the full bardcore experience, creators often rewrite the lyrics in mock-archaic English ("ye," "thou," "hath," etc.) and perform them in a more restrained, period-appropriate vocal style. The thumbnail usually features medieval-style artwork, frequently created using the Historic Tale Construction Kit (the same tool used for Medieval Tapestry Edits). Adopting a stage name that sounds like a medieval figure is common but not required.

The genre works best with songs that have a strong, simple melody that translates well when stripped of modern production. Pop hits, rock anthems, and meme songs tend to perform the strongest.

Cultural Impact

Bardcore arrived at the perfect cultural moment. With billions of people stuck at home during COVID-19 lockdowns, the genre offered a weird, delightful escape that combined musical skill with internet humor. As Elmira Tanatarova wrote in i-D, bardcore "carries with it the weight of years of memes made about the medieval era, and the bleak darkness of that time period that appeals to Gen Z's existential humour".

The BBC Radio 1 feature in October 2020 brought bardcore to an audience well beyond YouTube's algorithm. Wu-Tang Clan's endorsement of Beedle the Bardcore's "C.R.E.A.M." cover gave the genre credibility within hip-hop circles. The artwork accompanying bardcore videos frequently drew on existing meme traditions, particularly Medieval Tapestry Edits and illuminated manuscript parodies, creating a visual language that felt instantly familiar to internet users.

TwistedSifter described it as "a new whimsical style that has found a fun and creative way to reimagine hit songs we all know and (mostly) love".

Fun Facts

The thumbnails for bardcore videos are often made with the Historic Tale Construction Kit, the same web tool responsible for the Medieval Tapestry Edits meme.

Hildegard von Blingin's name is a pun on Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess who was one of the most prolific composers of the medieval period.

The comment section on Link's "Pumped Up Kicks" instrumental became its own creative workshop, with users writing and voting on mock-medieval lyrics for the famously dark song.

Paul Vakna had been quietly building a medieval music YouTube channel for over a decade before the genre got a name, accumulating 17 million views by 2020.

Derivatives & Variations

Medieval "Astronomia" / Coffin Dance Bardcore

— Cornelius Link's April 2020 cover that kicked off the trend, combining the already-viral coffin dance meme with medieval instrumentation[3].

"Pumped Up Kicks" Medieval Version

— Both Link's instrumental and the_miracle_aligner's vocal version with crowd-sourced mock-medieval lyrics became signature bardcore tracks[2].

Hildegard von Blingin' catalog

— An entire discography of bardcore covers spanning pop, rock, and indie, including "Creep," "Bad Romance," "Jolene," and "Summertime Sadness"[3].

Beedle the Bardcore "C.R.E.A.M."

— A medieval Wu-Tang cover notable for being endorsed and reposted by Wu-Tang Clan themselves[3].

Stantough's "Watermelon Sugar"

— A Harry Styles cover featured on BBC Radio 1[3].

"Halo Theme (Ye Olde Medieval Version)"

— LjB0's 2017 pre-trend cover that retrospectively became part of the bardcore canon[2].

Frequently Asked Questions