The band was formed in 1994 by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Terje "Valfar" Bakken, and released its debut album, Sóknardalr, in 1997.
Windir combined black metal with Scandinavian folk music, folklore, and mythology, and many of the band's lyrics were written in Sognamål.
The band broke up in March 2004 after frontman Valfar died of hypothermia after becoming caught in a blizzard on his way to his family's cabin in Norway.
Most of the band's early albums featured lyrics written in Valfar's native dialect, Sognamål.
On September 3, 2004, in Oslo, Windir's remaining members performed their last concert to reconnect with their roots and maintain what they believed was real.