"Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears."
Laurence Binyon
Written in Rock Well Green
Near the town of Wellington
In Somerset
In the Kingdom of Wessex
1 TA21 9DB
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>© Trevor Morgan, midday on the Spring Equinox 2004, all rights reserved
Trevor Morgan is hereby identified as the author of this work in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act in the year of our Lord’s incarnation 1988.
List of CharactersSerpent – avenging Pagan Danes Ingvar the Boneless – dead war leader of the Danes Odhinn (All Father) – the Head of the gods of Asgard Christian – member of a Roman Cult Norn – Goddess, one of the Fates Urth – Norn of the Past Fri – Goddess – the Mother, Friday is Fri's Day Wilfrith, or the Gryphon's Child – known as Saint Boniface to Christians Gryphon – Somerset and West Wessex Jesus – Son of the Christian God worshipped by the Christians Thor – the god of Thunder, Thursday is Thor's Day Tyr (or Tiw) – the god of War, Tuesday is Tiw's Day Hel – Goddess of the Realm of the Dead Edmund the Saint – martyred Christian king of East Anglia Gudrum – Dane King of East Anglia Noki – priestesses, seers, worshippers of the Norns Verthandi – Norn of the Present Loki – God of uncertainty, change and fire Balder – God of joy and light Hoth – God of darkness and night Haldane (Blood Hammer) – young Dane killed at Edington field Satan – fallen angel of the Christian God, Lord of all evil Pagans – men, followers of the gods of Asgard |
Giants and Monsters – enemies of the gods of Asgard Bragi – God of poetry Thorsun – the bloody hammer of Haldane Harper – Alfred the Harper, spy for the Saxon King, Alfred Skald – Bard, recites at feasts G'na – messenger for Fri Saint Martin – Patron Saint of Christian warriors Valkyries – Demi-goddesses, they guide the souls of heroes to Asgard Angles – people of the East of the Isle of Albion Saxons – People of the South of the Isle of Albion Leif – Founder of the new world after the twilight of the gods Alfred – King of Wessex List of PlacesAsgard – realm of the gods Valhalla – hall of the gods and dead heroes Ragnorok – site of the twilight of the gods Cosmos and Chaos – Origin of most things Escafeld – a dark, sad place to the south of Jorvik (York) Crediton – birth place of Wilfrith, the Gryphon's Child, Edington – site of battle, place of Haldane's death |
This is the third in a series of Wessex Sagas and follows on and crosses over the tale of Alfred and Gudrum and of Child Aethelwulf. Neither Aethelwulf nor Haldane are bad men and yet it is their fate to inflict mortal wounds upon each other at the Battle of Edington in the year 878.
This is a turning point in a long series of wars between Anglo-Saxons and Danish invaders that went to create the English nation.
Haldane as a part of an attacking wedge breaks through the front line of the army of Wessex and smashes the spine of Aethelwulf. Aethelwulf when trodden underfoot by Haldane delivers a mortal wound to Haldane.
Through the long night that follows Haldane stays true to his faith despite the fact that he is never given a sign or visions by his Gods.
Both men are forgotten casualties in a forgotten war.
Nothing much changes. Today many people in Britain could not say where our servicemen have died around the world since the Second World War. Old men still strive with their faith or lack of faith and much of the world is as mad as it ever was in the Dark Ages.
The pagans of this period had a very complex belief system and much of what we know of them was written by their enemies, the eventual victors, the Christians. I have sought to approach their belief systems with an open mind and they have touched me. Theirs was not in any way a way of wickedness. They sought harmony with the natural world and the environment and they may have much to teach modern cultures. They were vengeful but they were also capable of kindness. In that they are like many of us today.
Haldane is based upon a taciturn but kindly man I once knew. He was big and strong and easygoing but easily upset. The dead girl by the road is based on how that man was upset by the death of a stranger. In empathy we are good to each other and in a lack of empathy we stray from this path.
The purpose of these sagas is the try to bring some of the past back to life and to celebrate all of our quite lovely and joyful ancestors. May they be at rest and may we all live well and seek happiness.
Trevor Morgan
Rockwell Green, Somerset
To Odhinn, enemy of the worm and giver of the sacred herbs
Odhinn he hacked the worm to bits
Nine segments squirmed away
They cause all fever plague and fits
That are with us each day
The worm it spat its venom out
So plague it was increased
The healing herbs grew all about
So soon each plague had ceased
An old man stood beside the road
Some soldiers passed him by
His face was painted with the wode
He seemed about to cry
The Legion moved by passed him there
The land would be exposed
He had a vacant empty stare
As this long era closed
Some camps were burnt as soldiers left
The wall now had no guard
It seemed the land would be bereft
The future could be hard
Now economic wealth would fall
As would a lot of trade
But what in future might befall
The Fates hid 'neath a shade
That old man had a vision there
He saw what was to be
He gazed with that hypnotic stare
And saw much blood flow free
He saw the feuding of dark foes
The rage of constant wars
The constant rain of hammer blows
All round their eastern shores
He saw the tribes come from the East
Who settled on his land
He saw them bow before the priest
He saw the peace at hand
The rage it then began again
With wild men from the sea
The feuding was more deadly then
Yet what would be would be
He travelled to the western shore
With all his kith and kin
And there they dwell for evermore
Why fight when you won't win
His Celtic blood is still there now
It peoples their land still
His long line has survived somehow
They live by Blackdown Hill
A Danish serpent raised his head
And glowered to the West
As so much of his spawn lay dead
He was now too distressed
Ingvar the Boneless did not rage
To him war was an art
Now none would say he was a sage
Or that he had a heart
His thoughts were strategy and guile
He conquered all he fought
And though he had the coldest smile
There was so much he taught
Before his time Danes hit and ran
They did not hold much ground
But once led by this canny man
The hare became the hound
As one by one small kingdoms fell
He sacrificed each king
He sent his Christian foes to hell
He was to them – Death's sting
He drove on South with his armed men
He beat the great and strong
And all of this had started when
They had done Him a wrong
Ingvar was all alone one night
When Odhinn came to him
The god leant him that special sight
And showed him sights so grim
That strange Norn, Urth came to him in that dream
At first this Norn had given him a fright
She showed him all the horrors that had been
How innocents had been crushed by foul might
Fri had been worshipped in their land
In sacred grove and glade
But zealots and a firebrand
Had left the weak afraid
"The Gryphon had a deadly child
That caused a lot of woe
Treachery and murder followed
Wherever he might go
On the outside Oh, so mild
Some fools made him a saint
But Oh, this awful Gryphon child
Would leave a nasty taint
The Gryphon's child betrayed a king
Helped traitors to a throne
And then he did a wicked thing
And hunted down each crone
The Gryphon's child went to each glade
To desecrate each shrine
This zeal became his stock in trade
He herded men like swine
One day deep in a Friesian wood
He sought to kill a witch
It seems he was well understood
They killed him in a ditch"
"Within that grove those joyous women sat
They talked of happy times and little things
With Wilfrith, some men stalked them like a cat
A so-called man of God who worked for kings
Some troops then seized these women everyone
Each was gang raped and foully sodomised
Before they hanged them up there in the sun
If they'd been men they could have been baptised
The choices that he gave were "Font or Axe"
As they sought to convert each pagan man
Gone were the times when pagans could relax
As harsh Wilfrith imposed a zealous ban
Those free from guilt have right to cast a stone
And Jesus wept in heaven on his throne"
"Wilfrith some now know was no Saint
Who preached the word of God
For he's the man who bore the taint
Through reasoning quite odd
A Gospel, Oh, so meek and mild
That preaches heavenly bliss
He made of it a sneak so wild
With him it was Death's kiss
His reasoning was that by force
He'd force all to believe
Though not the only one of course
At end he could deceive
When butchered in that far off land
He reaped what he had sown
This may have been what Fate had planned
Though this may not be known"
"The grove was at the end of that small track
There was a putrid scent upon the air
The women's heads were piled there in a stack
Some zealots of the Church had passed by there
Their children could be seen up in the trees
Each one secure, they'd been hanged there with rope
They gently turned there in an airy breeze
This seemed to be the very end of hope
The peaceful worship of our Mother Fri
Had been converted by what was done here
The time was now for those bereaved to cry
Before they called upon both Thor and Tyr
Those who imposed their power and their might
Were now to face a long and bloody fight"
Ingvar was startled by these shades
Christians he knew had spite
The murder in those blood soaked glades
Proved an unwanted sight
It took time for these horrors to sink in
It seemed to him that Fri had done no wrong
Those villainous assaults must be a sin
It's easy to attack when you are strong
His life was haunted by these dreams
He burned with righteousness
His life was lived through plots and schemes
He lost all gentleness
Urth seemed to let herself be used
It's through her that comes each excuse
To justify each foe abused
When from the past we pick and choose
Odhinn it was that she had used
For in their turn his Danes would lose!
He did not froth he did not fit
Became quite cold within
He thanked the Norn for all of it
And prayed to Lord Odhinn
"What has been done can't be undone
The dead are with Dark Lady Hel
There are some great wars that must be won
Odhinn you've shown me this full well!
Guide me in all the fights ahead
Guide every arrow from my bow
Help me to leave these Christians dead
Help me destroy this loathsome foe
Show me good Odhinn all the ways
That we may fight these wicked swine
I promise you through all my days
I'll sacrifice them as a sign
They have their symbols and their creeds
For everywhere they bring their cross
May I now show them by my deeds
Theirs will be the greater loss
If their lands should fall to your might
I swear that I'll Blood-Eagle kings
I pray you will enjoy that sight
That special joy that vengeance brings"
He "cut an eagle on the back"
Of Edmund now a Saint
No where was safe from his attack
Vengeance has no restraint
He waged his wars across the land
With guile and with speed
His every battle was well planned
He made the Christians bleed
The Norn accepted Odhinn's deed
Was passive for a while
But she would sow another seed
For she had much more guile
Now Ingvar was a mortal man
His time came and he died
All men may only live their span
At his death no one cried!
As men go out to right each wrong
Then new wrongs they will do
The weak may well become the strong
But vengeance can't be true
The righteousness of those wronged men
Will simmer deep inside
And will do much injustice when
It gets puffed up with pride
To justify each brand new wrong
Old wrongs are pointed to
Then vengeance will career along
And has so much to do
Some hungers cannot be fulfilled
Past wrongs can't be put right
It matters not how each gets killed
In each new pointless fight
Before men seek to right a wrong
The may wish to refrain
New enemies may soon grow strong
Cycles repeat again
Later Gudrum became the king
Of all of Edmunds land
He tried to do the boldest thing
But Norns were there at hand
The Dane conquest swept all before
The island kingdoms fell
If Wessex fell there'd be no more
Their foes would be with Hel
So Danes from very far afield
Went south to fight some more
Once Wessex had been forced to yield
Then they would win this war
And all about the land crows were well fed
They followed groups of men who carried arms
They learned where such men went they would find dead
They were, to crows, big groups of good luck charms
To crows and carrion birds these were good years
Great populations waxed and were replete
They fed upon the cause of widows' tears
Warm slaughtered flesh to them was quite a treat
With dark and shiny feathers and bright eyes
They flew above the fields as battles rage
Great clouds of them could darken midday skies
Some named these long sad years "The black crow age"
There is no consolation for the dead
When each has lost his life to see crows fed
(A forgotten casualty from long ago)
Young Haldane led a healthy life
On conquest you're well fed
There's profit in both blood and strife
And goods of men who've fled
His father was a fearsome Dane
His mother was a Scot
He's taught to purge a Christian stain
And no wrongs were forgot
He was a wild and fearsome child
Taught in the ways of Thor
Yet with his friends he could be mild
That is what friendship's for
There in a tent upon a shore
Of Ulva's lovely isle
Midwives were busy at their chore
A fierce Dane paced awhile
He loved his lovely Celtic bride
Childbirth filled him with dread
He felt a cold dark dread inside
He did not want her dead
A Noki took him by the hand
And said "Come walk with me
Our Mother Fri has all things planned
Let us sit by the sea"
"Does Lady Fri know of my love
For my wild auburn wife
Tell me, in Asgard, up above
Will she care for her life"
"You chose a fiery robust wench
This may be her first child
I have not yet seen her teeth clench
It's like her soul's turned mild
She seems serene like in a dream
A Norn may be with her
But not all things are as they seem
I pray you – don't come near!
The midwives have great skill at this
So she may well survive
She seems not ready for Death's kiss
The child should soon arrive
It seems that this bairn is quite strong
One midwife felt him kick
So calm yourself though this take long
You look so down and sick"
Now this old Noki had a skill
She liked to burden men
She would not say she got a thrill
From playing mother hen
For most men seemed to worry so
So big and strong – yet weak
She got a secret inner glow
In making them feel bleak
Verthandi stood before them there
The Noki seemed to stall
As both of them could only stare
They heard a Raven call
The Norn went in the husband's mind
It seemed that he might fit
Though what he saw may seem unkind
She showed him all of it
He saw advances would be made
He saw the foemen fall
He would be there when kings were slayed
She showed him – almost all
That Noki heard her every word
She too was in a trance
The Norn knew she was overheard
This was not some mischance
"Your Grandmother she taught you well
Taught you to hold Fri dear
But your boy here he will excel
Guided by Thor and Tyr
Though this Half – Dane may well be mild
We Norns mark him for war
Berserks must teach him to go wild
Odhinn needs him and more
So many Danes have felt dire pains
And Fri's been made to cry
Now is the time to take the reins
Time for your foe to die"
There in his trance and in a glance
She showed this man his boy
How he would grow as they advance
In victory there's much joy
She showed him all the lands they'd win
She showed him all their gains
She let him feel there deep within
His woman's dire birth pains
"Be confident, teach confidence
At heart he's truly brave
And he's now called by providence
To send foes to their grave
The pyre you build for your mild boy
A beacon on a plain
Will bring to you such little joy
There at the end – of gain...
At Asgard in Valhalla there
A place awaits for him
He'll leave behind a glassy stare
Amid a scene so grim..."
The pacing husband had a fit
His mouth was wet with froth
He dribbled out much drool and spit
Upon his cloak's green cloth
The Noki kneeled in awe of him
Touched by Verthandi's sight
She knew his vision was quite grim
For Norns they have such might
"Verthandi, Verthandi I pray to you
For the guidance to help those who you choose
Verthandi, Verthandi I obey you
The Norns we all know may never lose
If Loki's to bring us much mischief and change
In adapting then, we'll do as you will
And if Fri is to keep us from all that is strange
To Norns and the Gods we stay constant still"
The air about them bore a scent
An odour sweet and mild
And both of them were tired and spent
They heard a crying child
Next day the midwife told a tale
The child she said was sweet
"The husband looked all drawn and pale
The mother calm and neat
The old Noki was ashen grey
She called on Thor and Tyr
It seemed to all a special day
A warrior bairn lay here"
That Noki lived to great old age
On Ulva's fertile land
She lived close to the landing stage,
Was always there at hand
She taught the children all those tales
That children love to hear
She walked the shores in fearsome gales
He voice was shrill but clear
She prayed to Odhinn and to Fri
To Thor and Tyr as well
She sang to Norns that bye and bye
She'd meet dark lady Hel
And 'though the Norns are everywhere
They do not meddle much
But sometimes in her windswept hair
She felt Verthandi's touch
A whisp of mist upon the sea
Can mean so many things
A portent of what well might be
The rise and fall of kings
Now Ulva's seas were wrapped in mist
The Noki's vision keen
And Urth revealed some trick and twist
In much of what had been
She saw the Half-Dane child would grow
And die in serving Tyr
And Loki sleeps and will not cause
This child to shed one tear
There’s flowers in the fields
There’s flowers in the hedge
And down in the meadow
Is the wond’rous Sedge
Some weeds in the stream
Will flower Oh so bright
On top of the water
Quite dainty and white
With Fleabane at the edge
A bright yellow hue
All seems in its place
All adds to the view
"Loki would wake when this child died
Events that flowed would ebb"
No Norn we know has ever lied
But spiders weave a web
All know Odhinn and Loki are to clash
As order and disorder are at odds
When each will cause the other one to crash
And bring about the twilight of the gods
Then Lady Hel will open up her realm
And Balder and Blind Hoth resume their fight
And each in turn will seize and hold the helm
As Balder rules all day and Hoth at night
Then Fri will fall into a restless sleep
And all the Earth will face a sad decline
Great monsters will sink back into the deep
With russet sunsets days will end so fine
The Cosmos came from Chaos at its birth
And in the time to come all find their worth
This weed at the tide line
The flies are swarming here
The flotsam and the grime
The stink that brings no cheer
The beach above the line
There’s pebbles damp with rain
They glisten in the sunshine
Around each little stain
Below the dirty beach
The shore is washed more clean
The cleansing waves here reach,
At low tide there’s a sheen
Below each rock or stone
Shrimps hide at low tide
Worms heap up each sand cone
Sand flats are wet and wide
And when you lift a rock
The shrimps will dart away
They flee the sudden shock
Exposed to light of day
The shore’s a varied place
Some of its full of mess
But it’s so touched with Grace
There’s more here than you'd guess
Around weeds at the tide line
The flies are swarming still
Beneath clouds there's a sign
In weather warm and chill
"While Haldane lives then Loki sleeps
So there will be no change"
This secret though the Noki keeps
To her this was not strange
Though Norns reveal, she need not tell
Haldane could live quite long
She knew at much he would excel
In war he would be strong
The bigger things that she had seen
Did not mean much right here
And though she knew, within this scene
There was not much to fear
The life was good on this fine isle
The wind the wave the tide
For such long hours she'd sit and smile
True joy you cannot hide
They dined on fowl they dined on fish
This place was good for them
At sea they could do as they wish
Yes, Ulva was a gem
And here the young could safely play
And roam along the shore
Young Haldane could play everyday
Like children there before
The cup is filled to half way up
Or emptied halfway down
The happy and the sad both sup
With laughter or a frown
All pagan children were taught things
Of troubles long ago
Of all of this each minstrel sings
Those dreadful times of woe
"A man from Wessex long ago
Worked with a Frankish king
As on his missions he would go
He killed most every thing
Boniface was the Gryphon's Child
And Wessex was that beast
Some men from there must be quite wild
That's why our cult's increased"
"The Gryphon had a deadly child
That caused a lot of woe
Treachery and murder followed
Wherever he might go
On the outside Oh, so mild
Some fools made him a saint
But Oh, this awful Gryphon child
Would leave a nasty taint
The Gryphon's child betrayed a king
Helped traitors to a throne
And then he did a wicked thing
And hunted down each crone
The Gryphon's child went to each glade
To desecrate each shrine
This zeal became his stock in trade
He herded men like swine
One day deep in a Friesian wood
He sought to kill a witch
It seems he was well understood
They killed him in a ditch
One day his parent too must die
Because of this wild child
And all that land must sob and sigh
No vengeance can be mild"
They tried to take on Wessex from the sea
But wind and tide they seemed not on their side
From landing on the North shore they would flee
The ocean there had such ferocious tide
After each raid there they had tried with zest
To get away along their ocean road
But wind and current both came from the west
And all the best laid plans may soon corrode
Raids straight into old Wessex meant defeat
With Ingvar a new leader was at hand
And it was he who planned a mighty feat
He started the long conquest of each land
The Northlands and the Midlands were to fall
Then Wessex was to fear the Raven's call
So Wilfrith is now dead and gone
And dwells by Satan's throne
He left the lands all sad and wan
But he'll not be alone
The years will see him joined by more
Who would enforce their creed
Resisting them is such a chore
All must root up this weed
There can be no short cuts to faith
No bludgeonings to belief
Ambitions fade into a wraith
And all just ends in grief
This may be said of every faith
Belief won't change with force
In hell there is a doleful wraith
That is Wilfrith – of course!
"A Serpent grieved beside his nest
His young and mate lay dead
His tender love there failed this test
Cold rage burned in his head
He rode the wave on that cold sea
Found monks on its far shore
There seemed a sad pre-destiny
To pains that their Church bore"
"The rage, the wrath, the foam, the froth
The Serpent stormed to sea
His Love was fragile as a Moth
And now had ceased to be
It seemed his fate to seethe with hate
Strike shore of other lands
He changed then from his natural state
So blood now soaks the sands
Through wrath and rage he wrote a page
Of blood soaked history
Why he should fade from off the stage
Might seem a mystery
But rage and woe will make a foe
Retaliate or die
Their ebb may then return to flow
Events then sweep all by"
The Serpent's rage did not abate
With him grew fat the Raven
A love that's twisted into hate
Could well at end turn craven
And plunder that true vengeance brings
Would turn need into greed
There's some things may come with such stings
At end the Serpent bleeds
Vengeance may start momentum up
Great mischief has begun
Like drinking from a poison cup
All hope in life is done
"Great acts may seek to change the Fate
Of those who have done wrong
There's great depth in the pools of Hate
Wherein will drown the strong
The beaten Serpent fled to sea
To find some solace there
Then he found some new destiny
New land his kin could share"
As Rituals, rights and reverence
All form part of "The Way"
There's no place for irrelevance
All rules they must obey
The young men who pursue this creed
Through rigor and through faith
Will follow Tyr and they will heed
And honour every wraith
Haldane dreamed that a god one day
Could well soon talk to him
Some times he prayed whole nights away
Those silences were grim
He prayed to Tyr he prayed to Fri
He prayed in field and glade
But silence was the sure reply
But through faith he obeyed
Some boys had visions, some saw ghosts
Heard voices in the mind
And while some saw Valhalla's host
To these Haldane was blind
No prayer was answered with a word
No visions came at all
Though godly sounds, he never heard
His faith would never fall
He worked at everything they taught
And grew so big and strong
In all mock battles that he fought
He rarely did go wrong
He trained with axe, he trained with sword
The hammer he loved most
He dreamed of cutting through a horde
Of all the foe men host
His father had a hammer wrought
Far bigger than the rest
And with it his huge lad was taught
To fight with fire and zest
Things were simple to Lord Tyr
Things were right or things were wrong
And to him no man should fear
All may win if they grow strong
Though he did not love the weak
He would never start a fight
But for those who act the sneak
They would feel his wrath and might
He so loved to drink and feast
All to him was white or black
Part a friend and part a beast
Cross him and he would attack
Though he made the widows grieve
Some feared just his wrathful look
He was easy to deceive
Loki read him like a book
Through sacrifice of warrior men
A balance is redressed
And folk can live contented when
By Tyr they have been blessed
Haldane and every other boy
In their faith were well taught
It was in Fri they felt much joy
For Odhinn that they fought
Those who died with a sword in hand
Who slaughtered foes of Fri
Would see all Asgard close at hand
No boy there questioned "Why?"
For what they learned was obvious
To Earth we owe our all
Those who to Fri are impious
Will bring about the fall
Pagans lacked not faith and zeal
In faith they were so true
Through passion they knew how to feel
There's was a sensual view
Fri was the Mother of us all
Our Mother had been hurt
Berserks now answer Odhinn's call
And crush foes in the dirt
The Norns are strangest most by far
Men knew the names of three
Some say there's one for every star
Or each grain by the sea
They come to those that they have chose
Some times they cause a fit
They bring sweet scents into the nose
They guide each new prophet
Some die who cannot cope with sight
That Norns give them to see
They helped prepare for this long fight
Teach us what was to be
"The fjord was now left behind
The serpent prow rode high
With good trade on their Leader's mind
He gazed upon the sky
It seemed the sea salt scent was gone
And nothing seemed to matter
His eyes glazed bright as if they shone
His teeth began to chatter
There seemed a sweet scent on the gale
The oars men froze with fear
The strong wind seemed to leave the sail
A Norn had met them here
Their Leader's arched back on the brace
He writhed there in a fit
And all there saw with fear filled face
As he seeped piss and shit
A Norn was in him in that ship
The seas came calm and still
With blood flecks on his bitten lip
He quivered and went still
The salt scent came back on the breeze
The waves crashed as before
The bravest there was ill at ease
The prow ploughed on once more
But some scents hang about the nose
Long after they are spent
It seemed then that the waves all froze
The flow of time was spent
And in that Limbo they were held
The waves about moved by
A Crewman up aloft then yelled
"Sir, look there in the sky"
It seemed as though the clouds were stilled
A gull was froze in flight
The strong hearts in that ship were chilled
Yet none would show their fright
The Leader stood up in the stern
His eyes seemed not to see
Some things some men wish not to learn
Nor see what is to be
He called out to the Norn right there
'Why did you show me this?'
He had a raging frenzied stare
And then he felt a kiss
He reached there for his large mail vest
Crouched down and put it on
It stretched across his burley chest
His eyes now sad and wan
'Skuld why did you choose me to show
The future's awful stink?'
His eyes now had an empty stare
He stepped out in the drink
A man in mail sinks like a rock
Their Leader now was dead
While all there felt both fear and shock
Another there turned red
There seemed that scent about them still
This man crashed in a fit
As air about them lost its chill
Another lip got bit
This red-haired man lay in a sleep
The gale returned once more
The waves became raging and steep
Far worse than those before
The red-haired man slept for two days
His face was soft and mild
He woke but all seemed like a haze
And he seemed as a child
'Oh, Skuld', he said, 'if it must be
Then do let it be so
'Why did you show these sights to me
Why did I need to know?'
He started playing childish games
He romped around, about
He had forgot his dear friends names
Then took to sulk and pout
'I want my Mam' he said at last
I need to go to bed
He slumped into a sleep at last
Then slept like he was dead
And as he slept the ship went on
Those scents guided them West
For ten long days all sad and wan
Those men bore their long test
The red-haired man then woke at last
He yawned and rubbed his eyes
They propped him up against the mast
His words came like sweet sighs:
'I travelled from the Realm of Dead
Into a sunlit glade
I heard some words that Leif there said
When this sweet world's remade
The Norn forbids me to tell all
But this I say to you
In time we'll hear Valkyries call
For now there's much to do
Those who plundered our Mother Fri
Have done a mighty wrong
The Norns dictate when each may die
And now they say "Be Strong!"
So come about and head for home
This voyage here is done
It 's not yet time to sail to West
Head for the rising Sun'
The red-haired man was man again
He'd ceased to be a boy
The crew rejoiced but not 'til when
He spoke to them of joy
'The Norn she told me of a time
When much will then seem odd
Our land will have a warmer clime
None will then feel the rod
I cannot tell you much of this
Because I made a vow
But our kin will achieve much bliss
But not all happens now
For now we must turn more to war
We must attack this foe
Through times ahead we are secure
Yes – Skuld has told me so!'
That ship returned, the tales were told
A few years then passed by
Then ships went out and plundered gold
- The Norns they never lie!"
The faith they had was strong and true
They worshipped at each shrine
There was so much that wise men knew
Those who could read each sign
Training was for the body and the soul
Haldane was taught and learned the true belief
To save this faith the warrior had a role
The pillage of our Mother just brought grief
In this world men were trained for Ragnorok
Odhinn would need great heroes on his side
The twilight of the gods would be a shock
In that clash there would be nowhere to hide
At end the scales must balance and be true
With giants and with monsters held at bay
A world to come would rise where all was new
Great heroes would be needed for that day
Before then men must train and fight and die
"We fight for Odhinn" is our battle cry
Certainty and doubt will be delusion
As Order and Disorder clash head on
Chaos and Cosmos will seem delusion
Both Odhinn and Lord Loki will be gone
War will be waged against by War itself
And Selfishness and Charity will fight
The 'stolen-from' will seek to seize all pelf
Both Wrong and Right will perish in the fight
The Giants and the Monsters and the Gods
Are summoned by the crowing of three Cocks
The balance then will even up the odds
Yet softest water wears away all rocks
At Ragnorok all that was will be gone
The age to come will see no one made wan
There's nine realms that make up the universe
Midgard is now the realm of mortal men
Clashes between the realms has been a curse
Fire Elves and Giants have much harm in them
Though equal are most opposites in force
The gods in Asgard need great heroes' aid
A balance in all things must be, of course
A new world for new men can then be made
The Norns were there before the realms arose
They'll guide the acts of most of Asgard's gods
The Norns reveal all that each prophet knows
Then end will come to all that are at odds
When there's an end to all the flow of time
Hel's realm will open up – all is sublime!
The pagans loved each joyous one
With an enquiring mind
They loved the rising of the sun
Who sought to be most kind
Upon the top of Ulva's Isle
The sunrise was so sweet
The dawning sun it seems to smile
Where night and day both meet
Where ever you can see sunrise
Or lay beneath the sun
There Balder brings light to the eyes
There may be joy and fun
All joy it flows from dear Balder
The god of joy and light
His tree it is the green alder
And he brings all delight
Hoth would have him dead and gone
But he comes back again
So none remain forever wan
And that gave Hoth more pain
The pagans had some joyless ones
Those with a narrow mind
The berserks called them bitches sons
Who worshipped Hoth the blind
"At Escafeld there was a shrine
To Lord Hoth the Dark
In the Winter's clear sunshine
Was heard a gay skylark
It chatted high up in the air
It sang loud of its Love
It lived its life without a care
It chirped so loud above
Men there with their minds so narrow
Hated all sounds so cute
Killed that skylark with an arrow
Who had taught them to shoot?
They threw the skylark in a mire
And then made this decree
There will be no joy in this shire
No souls may here soar free
For Lord Hoth holds sway in this realm
Where joy and hope fade out
With rot inside like an old elm
All love will face a rout
At Escafeld there was a shrine
To Lord Hoth the Dark
Where Berserks learn of life's decline
When all turns chill and stark
For it was in this special place
Just by a poisoned well
A place deprived of Holy Grace
A little piece of hell
Southeast of the crossroad there
Good men are smeared with grime
Just for a while so they can share
The Knowledge of Hoth's crime
Hoth sought to kill all hope and Joy
Sought to put out all light
All Berserks learn this as a boy
So they'll not share his plight
Berserks are taught Balder will rise
When Ragnorok is done
Then sun will rise on clearer skies
And sadness will be done
Now where the warming sun may shine
Lord Balder will be there
And on a day that's clear and fine
He could be everywhere
Dear god of joy and warmth and light
You help hearts be content
Hoth Lord of Dark may rule at night
At Dawn his reign is spent
Upon the heights of higher hills
Or in the open glade
Lord Balder take away our chills
For love and joy we're made
At Dark some have a heavy heart
As Dark kills off the light
Then Hoth with Loki's help will start
The dreaded things of night
But Daytime can't be held at bay
So Balder must return
He does this every Dawn of day
Then Hoth's gone in his turn
For joy and light seek Balder out
Lord Balder will be true
When all about is fear and doubt
Let him bring Love to you
The Norse gods varied in their form
Some raged and some would not
They did not follow just one norm
This should not be forgot
Hoth though blind, dark and unkind
May give us oblivion
And few will weep deep in their sleep
'Til rising of the sun
While Balder tries to bring great joy
He brings bright light as well
So men may see sad sights that cloy
And make one day a Hell
Now people are not all the same
Each one is quite unique
To ignore this would be a shame
Could make the future bleak
In running with the herd some are secure
Yet others feel much safer when alone
To each a different state will hold allure
For we're not all derived from just one clone
As music will enchant a phonic soul
So views may stimulate a visual mind
The sense of smell is what helps some feel whole
A gentle touch to many is most kind
This sensual world is different to each one
Our senses and our ways all vary so
Some come awake at night some love the sun
Each in that own way seek that inner glow
Each of us can tell a different story
In variation is the true glory
The skylarks were the berserks' birds
At core they sought this joy
They memorised each saga's words
This started as a boy
"Celebrate your manhood now
Sing your own sweet song
Through Bragi you will find out how
Sweet words prove you are strong
With Bragi we may weave our words
Into a rhythmic flow
Though none may sing as sweet as birds
Good songs confound a foe
Each Berserk who would be a man
Must try Lord Bragi's art
And sing a verse as best they can
Songs prove we have a heart"
Haldane had sung his soft refrain
Sang of his maiden's touch
Sang how his yearnings could bring pain
For he loved her so much
He sang about this ladies lips
About her raven hair
He loved the swaying of her hips
When she passed him by there
He sang the words he could not speak
He showed his tender soul
This big lad's song so soft and weak
Could make the sad feel whole
Now other faiths had other tales
With messages as true
But few can see behind the veils
And know what's right to do
Lord Jesus taught by parable
A message good and kind
Likewise Pagans taught through fable
Sought to improve the mind
Now reverence is no bad thing
Where it guides to good deeds
In bigotry it has a sting
And there pure hatred breeds
The training of young men was long
They learned to sing and fight
They learned the words of many a song
To tell good tales at night
They learned to fight with fire and rage
They trained 'til they were strong
They learned much wisdom from each sage
And to avenge each wrong
Vengeance it had its own clear creed
A balance must be made
It filled a primal human need
A blood-debt barter trade
Their training told of all old wrong
They learned them off by rote
They carried them in word of song
Vengeance at each high note
There was a skirmish by the ships
Upon a small quick raid
But sometimes on these shorter trips
"A traitor had been paid"
Their raid then fell into a trap
And they got in a fight
Haldane had hungered for a scrap
Those Angles soon took flight
His mighty hammer dripped so red
His friends gave him that name
"Haldane Blood Hammer" they had said
"One day would have great fame"
He felt no qualms for fallen foe
He had no room for doubt
His faith taught him all he need know
That is what Faith's about!
Then Gudrum raided for to West
To capture Crediton
On the where he faced a test
Where foe were on the run
At heart the big man was all mild
Inside he felt real pain
And when he found a new dead child
His soul it bore a stain
The dead girl lay there in the road
Those Saxons rode her down
Her arms they bore the stain of wode
This made young Haldane frown
Haldane had seen that man ride on
Briefly their eyes had met
The sweet poor child was dead and gone
Part of her gown was wet
Tears of that man had wet her gown
He'd stopped there in his flight
She was so soft and warm like down
Tears blocked out Haldane's sight
It seemed to him she was a Briton
From out the far off West
Now his soft soul was deeply smitten
He seemed beside the blessed
Both the Saxon and the Dane's salt tears
Moistened the dead girl's gown
It seemed the burdens of the years
Bore poor Haldane right down
Nettles drooped there beside the road so sad
A child now dead was lifted tenderly
With mourning for so short a life she had
In those big hands she hung so slenderly
Two strangers wept and both of them felt wan
Good men who in their hearts were still quite mild
Felt disbelief and grief that she was gone
For few are not touched deep by one dead child
Though alien and from some strange far off place
The little fresh dead form arouses grief
And those glazed eyes in that small slender face
May test all men who claim to have belief
Most cry and sigh each time a child may die
And then in vain all seek to ask "Oh, Why?"
He did what he felt right to do
And so he built a pyre
Then he intoned the gods he knew
Before he lit the fire
He added prayers to gods unknown
For he had known her not
He prayed that her soul would be known
No child ought be forgot
It all seemed a sad mischance
The death of this small child
Remembering that Saxon's glance
His heart was calm and mild
A Cornish tinker and his wife
Were camped not far away
This was the worst day of their life
They searched for her all day
They hid in trees below the Combe
As feuding men sped by
The next few years were filled with gloom
And both were prone to cry
They never found their little love
That girl who liked to roam
It seemed she flown off like a dove
She never did come home
They'd seem some Dane perform some rights
Afar before a pyre
They saw white smoke rise to the heights
Their souls sank in a mire
Ten years from then the Tinker dreamed
He met his sweetest one
Her face it glowed, her face it gleamed
All radiant like the sun
"A horse killed me it rode me down
Two strangers cried for me
And each was sad and wore a frown
Both prayed, now I am free
Those sweet young men are both now dead
I had touched each one's heart
It seems that where a child bled
Perhaps redemption starts
Your deep grief ought now fade just some
I've joined eternity
When yours and Mother's time is done
Then you'll be here with me"
That Tinker woke and told his wife
They cried for several days
So who can understand this life
And all its mystic ways
Haldane he went and sat alone
Three days he chose to fast
He hoped her spirit had now flown
And found some Grace at last
To Exeter Gudrum advanced
They fought so hard that day
Positions there were not enhanced
And they could not hold sway
The Wessex king then sprung a trap
He cut off their retreat
They bought their way from this mishap
That salient was some feat
The town of Wilfrith was so near
And yet beyond their grip
But they'd be back another year
So with blood it might drip
For Crediton must be the goal
For wrongs done to sweet Fri
Wilfrith they saw as some foul troll
And all his kin must die
"Life for a life Death for a Death
To our vows we are true
And so until our final breath
Odhinn we're pledged to you"
Haldane had helped to take the town
He'd helped to break the line
His hammer battered down big shields
In this there seemed a sign
They'd cut Old Wessex near in two
But they were stretched too thin
Crediton was near to view
But that year they'd not win
He seemed to be quite charmed by now
He fought but was not hurt
He never did get harmed some how
And smashed foes in the dirt
Danes called his hammer "Son of Thor"
In their tongue that's "Thorsun"
It always smashed there to the fore
Until each fight was done
But Haldane only killed in heat
Within each dire affray
And once the foe was clearly beat
He put his rage away
He did not bully nor act cruel
He killed no wounded man
He saw in this the coward ghoul
And not in their gods' plan
Perhaps dark Hoth could murder men
Who fought a heroes fight
But Hoth is doomed to perish when
A good day brings sweet light
Haldane would take his share of gain
Would help to plunder kings
And Thorsun bore a spreading stain
For that's what victory brings
From Exeter they'd got away
Crediton did not fall
They swore to come another day
They felt that Fate would call
"With serpents on the sea
And Ravens on the land
We pray the Norns let be
The things Lord Odhinn planned"
Verthandi turned away
This was not what she'd weave
For on a certain day
Dane widows were to grieve
As winter is the harshest time
War is then put aside
But for great warriors in their prime
From it's cold they'd not hide
In a swift move straight to the west
Gudrum took Chippenham
And all of Wessex faced a test
Some folk felt dazed and numb
The town was took without a fight
The Danes had true surprise
They walked in at the dead of night
It was theirs by sunrise
The Wessex army rallied there
And tried to storm the town
Each berserk with their furious stare
Cut most poor Saxons down
Haldane then saw his uncle fall
Before the Wessex King
He heard his uncle's battle call
Then saw the strangest thing
It seemed to him there in that place
Before his uncle's blade
All gazed upon an empty space
As if they were afraid
The Wessex King looked on the ground
As if he gazed at gore
And then resumed the battles sound
And war's wrath raged once more
But Haldane did not see the Norn
Who stopped his uncle's blade
The promise made when he was born
Meant visions were forbade
The others there all saw a slave
Stop that brave Dane's great blow
And as his uncle had been brave
It was his time to go
There was a faint scent on the air
Haldane smelt not a thing
The Saxon dead lay everywhere
But they had saved their king
After it was all done Dane dead were burned
Haldane placed kin and friend within the pyres
A place for all great heroes had been earned
For two long days they stood and fed the fires
His uncle was amongst those who had gone
And joy was on the face of all his kin
In each brave death there's no need to feel wan
It mattered not that they should lose or win
From what he'd heard his uncle killed a slave
And was cut down by Saxons round their king
It seemed now he had gone to join the brave
But poor Haldane had never seen a thing
How come there was no dead slave on the ground
Amongst the heaps of dead that lay around?
Around the town the victors all got drunk
Some captives thanes were put up for display
It seemed their cause was now all done and sunk
Gudrum blood-eagled each at one a day
He let all captured men watch their thanes die
Some Saxon warriors he put to the sword
And some in local ash trees he hung high
As foemen Gudrum called to his lord
"Odhinn we kill these foes and so avenge
The long gone wrongs that have been done to you
It is with you that we have sought revenge
Odhinn pray guide me now in what we do
In Asgard though Odhinn had left his throne
So Gudrum and his Danes were on their own!
They harried Saxons in their flight
Towards the setting sun
They skirmished on into the night
That king was on the run
A local smith sold them some nails
For one thane they had caught
Yet all around were empty trails
They found few whom they sought
Now that blood-eagled thane died slow
He cursed all Danes as mad
Most hung about to watch him go
For this, his side were glad!
The harried Saxons even more
Towards each setting sun
They hunted as they did before
That king who's on the run
After long days they'd divide
To search through a large wood
Two of there number there had died
How – none there understood
There was now time to get more men
To harry every Dane
A small delay is helpful when
Defeats may bring great pain
That rearguard was a costly thing
For Saxon and their foe
But Wessex kept its canny king
Defeats had brought great pain
But then the Danes were harried there
This foe would hit and run
While raging men might tear their hair
This once was what they'd done
That land then seemed to fade in reeds
The mists hid much from sight
There was no scope for mighty deeds
One Dane now felt some fright
"The ebb and flow of wrath and woe
Events they turn about
It seemed some lost their victor's glow
Could victory turn to rout?"
Haldane remained secure and true
Had faith in Asgard's gods
He did not know he was to rue
- The Norns were now at odds
For now Gudrum had gone too far
They'd stop him soon one day
They saw the setting of his star
Cruel vengeance must not pay
Gudrum ignored the Harper's song
As he laid out his plan
His army now had grown quite strong
Or so his thoughts now ran!
He told all there what he would do
To lay all Wessex low
This he did in that Harper's view
A spy for his old foe
Next day the Harper met a thane
Relayed to him the plan
Then went back to Gudrum again
Like any 'loyal' man
Surprise was gone so from now on
The Saxons laid their traps
Some Danes still thought their glory shone
Despite a few mishaps
The Skald recited sagas there
At Gudrum's "victory" feast
As plunder's here for all to share
The good times would not cease
Their mead and ale filled every pale
Most men would drink their fill
As Haldane listened to each tale
They left him cold and chill
"Upon a road so long ago
A man was robbed and left for dead
This is a story Christians know
A Good Samaritan, it's said,
Helped where a priest and scribe would not
And saved that man in times of old
This story should not be forgot
And should forever be retold
A foreigner like this good man
Is able to do good or bad
Though each ought do good when they can
The acts of some may leave us sad"
"Four monks were set on by six knaves
Six outlaws from Sedgefield
Three monks were sent straight to their graves
The fourth one lay concealed
A good Dane travelled by that way
He dealt in scales and weights
This was to be his final day
Decreed by all the Fates
The monk was lying by the stream
His wound were so severe
As all about seemed like a dream
The Pagan Dane came near
This strange man stanched the monk's blood flow
And bandaged him with care
Why he should do this we should know,
There's goodness everywhere
That monk was carried to a town
By this strong robust Dane
Where he laid him gently down
And never sought to gain
The Dane threw him a stuffed full purse
The monk grasped at the gold
Reward for this deed was a curse
Where minds are closed and cold
The monk then spat and cursed at him
The Good Dane did not stay
When faced with hatred ,oh, so grim
It's best to walk away
But crowds of Angles gathered round
One got a flaying knife
As they skinned him he made no sound
His good deed cost his life"
"The ranting of the raging men
Will not respond to you
There is no point in reason when
You come into their view
In killing you they seek escape
From phobia and fear
You have no soul you're just a shape
Beware should they come near
It matters not you've done good deeds
Or helped one of their kind
Well reasoned words none of them heeds
Who have now lost their mind
It's best to stay away from those
Whose souls have been so marred
They're like a thorn that has no rose
Their hearts turn cold and hard
And hardened hearts may like to kill
And anyone will do
So they may get a special thrill
As you come into view"
"His flayed skin flapped there in the wind
His whole soul racked with pain
These Christians told him how he'd sinned
And they cursed him in vain
His heart was set on other things
His heart was set on Fri
It felt as if his soul took wings
The pain ends as you die
His lidless eyes showed small surprise
The gods he knew were true
And there beneath a stormy sky
Said 'Mother is that you?'
G'na was there before him now
Fri's messenger to men
Though it was hard to make a bow
Flayed by these Christian men
'I am the Mother's messenger
She knows your faith is true
So I am no sad harbinger
Come here to torment you
You will sleep now in her embrace
For from the earth you came
There's peace beyond this bloody place
Rest now free from all blame'
So in that deep and dreamless sleep
That men misname as 'Death'
His battered body ceased to seep
As he breathed his last breath
The sleep descended on him then
A slumber sure and sweet
Though pissed on by those Christian men
Who mocked him as dead meat
His corpse was pecked at by a crow
The wolf cubs ate their fill
His soul asleep was not to know
He was at peace and still
Jesus would weep at what was done
By foul men in his name
The winners there they never won
They roast now in hell's flame
At time of change there's much mischance
An ebb and flow of tide
And most are led a dismal dance
Where there's no place to hide
These time may well be interesting
For some to write about
But when dire foes are contesting
They cause each other's rout
The ebb and flow of wrath and woe
It rampages through time
'Til each may know how low men go
To plumb the depths of crime
The storm clouds drift across the sky
Above the hill and plain
They wet the ground where corpses lie
They wash away the stain
All flesh and blood comes from the earth
The cycle has long spun
As all on earth have equal worth
The cycle's never done"
"The pretty little wading bird
Paced on the lily leaves
She never heard a single word
So deep inside she grieves
That woman lived besides a mere
Her trading man's long gone
Eternities she waited here
Not hearing left her wan
She sat there by that water's edge
Those days pass long and slow
She saw the fading of the sedge
She saw the winter's snow
She waited there for near a year
She saw that bird once more
With silence there's a growth of fear
Sadness came to the fore
That bird it strutted Oh, so slow
It seemed that time slowed down
And no one was back then to know
Why she should choose to drown
That wading bird fed on the flies
Near where she rots away
The spark of life it never dies
That bird's replete today"
One saga told of a Dane child
Adopted by the foe
And how she turned out big and wild
As this sad tale would show:-
"Trauma for long may echo down
From parent down to child
Or echo round a big large town
And make sad men go wild
A rational mind may reason out
The best thing they ought do
The traumatised career about
Through folly all may rue
Debate it is a wond'rous thing
And logic may be grand
But neither will old terrors bring
Within a ravaged land
The terrors rage about the mind
Of those who have been hurt
And they themselves become unkind
They're down there in the dirt
The trauma and the aftermath
May well drive some men wild
It is a broad and well-trod path
Not for the good and mild
The good and mild are but a few
They should not feel secure
In all of this there's nothing new
Vengeance has much allure"
"A barren woman saw right there
A Dane babe – she was thrilled
She grabbed the babe and hid her where
They would not have her killed
She took her home and raised her up
A dear sweet only child
The girl got badly beaten up
And raped by Danes so wild
This made her hate Danes all her life
And she learned how to flay
She kept with her the sharpest knife
As captured Danes she'd slay
She liked to mock Danes with no skin
She loved to see men cry
Sometime she sliced them 'neath the chin
There's pleasure when they die
Now nature can be taken from
Those who have been deformed
There are some qweens would be the tom
Who may not be reformed
She sought every Dane defeat
Her vengeance lumbered on
Her lust to kill was incomplete
Her mother sad and wan
One day her mother in her pain
Told this foul girl of how
She saved a little baby Dane
And this led to a row
The daughter skinned her mother there
Then fell upon her knife
Now this shows how some tender care
May cost the good their life"
That Skald had told a long sad tale
About a trading Dane
How doing good may sometimes fail
And bring about great pain
Haldane was hard in any fight
At core his heart was good
Why stories caused him so much plight
He never understood
Outside the feasting hall
A big man knelt and wept
He heard a distant owls call
So he lay down and slept
A just war was what he fought for
Vengeance for Wilfrith's Wrong
Dark tales made him feel insecure
He liked a happy song
The lowest lying land all turned to mud
An Island that is hidden in the reeds
A Killing ground for shedding much Dane blood
These foemen will astonish with their deeds
A Lone Dane will break through the wall of shields
Beyond that point the Danes cease to advance
The hammer soaked in blood no longer wields
A broken-backed young man will take his chance
A foot upon his chest will hold him firm
So his left hand can thrust up with his sword
Like poison from the venom of the worm
Both end up dead and rigid as a board
Two fathers locked within an ancient hate
Will find their lovely sons – but its too late.
Alfred's canny and Gudrum's bold
One knows his foe and one does not
Retreat and let the Raven in the fold
Then let him come and die upon this spot!
"Saint Martin soldier of our lord
Help keep this foe at bay
Saint Peter welcome in our dead
Pray be with us this day
Dear Jesus welcome up each soul
If it's your will we die
Pray our names be upon your scroll
Show mercy from on high"
And many men who heard this then
Softly whispered their "Amen"
As arrows fly up in the air
Trajectories are neat
Sometimes they take away all care
From beating hearts they meet
An arrow's head deep in the heart
Ensures its beating stops
The time has come then to depart
As to the ground ha drops
When through the skin deep in the chest
The flight comes to an end
The dead soul goes there with the rest
And to the light ascends
The Berserks dance then they advance
They knew that they would win
But where so much is down to chance
This pride would prove a sin
His foot stood on that foeman's shield
The boy was down and done
Was confident that all would yield
But that downed boy had won
Beneath great feet you should be beat
When you are trodden on
But fate can be a fickle cheat
Too soon you're dead and gone
Through brave advance to sad mischance
All learning turned to dust
And then by some sad circumstance
Was felled by one sword thrust
The fire of pain raged through his brain
He knew that he was done
As down his legs there spread that stain
Yes, this felled foe had won!
In confidence some naïve men
May not give foes their due
And all that follows on from then
Results from what they do...
A great Ash tree fell to the ground
That crash resounded so
With Valkyries there all around
They saw the fatal blow
The radiating agony
Those Valkyries then felt
A Bard who sang his elegy
Could make a cold heart melt
So confident so young and bold
That breaker of great shields
So loved by gods he'd not grow old
One sword thrust and he yields
The currents flowed so long
And they have flowed one way
The week had now grown strong
Now they would have their way
Some confidence had gone
The bold now felt some doubt
The boastful were now wan
Events had turned about
The long years of success are past
And much has turned awry
They knew the good times could not last
And each vain hope must die
A single sword thrust can change things
And alter great events
Lead to the rise and fall of kings
And to such sad laments
The sword between the legs
The manhood torn apart
Dragged down to the dregs
The dying process starts
That filthy wound gave monstrous pain
It held him there on the ground
It oozed a great big spreading stain
Brave Haldane made no sound
He'd felled a foe who'd cut him down
Whilst there beneath his feet
That Saxon showed such great renown
His counter thrust so neat
The irony here in his death
Where he died in a war
Would stay with him past his last breath
Perhaps for ever more
The Wolf had taken Tyr's right hand
Left their war god bereft
Yet he fought well on sea and land
And killed foes with his left
A Saxon "Tyr" had cut him down
Left hand had thrust that blade
Despite the pain he lost his frown
His hero's dues were paid
To die as if by Try's own hand
A portent there maybe
All must be as the Norns had planned
It was his destiny
And now that Saxon lay by him
Companions in Death
His spirit soared he was not grim
He yearned for his last breath
That young Saxon he seemed to dream
And muttered in his sleep
The Norns the wove each dreadful scheme
But men were not their sheep
The Saxon mumbled Mary's name
He wondered "Who was she?"
He did not rage he did not blame
He waited to be free
He hoped the Valkyries might come
Choose him for Odhinn's hall
Through that long night his legs went numb
But saw no sights at all
He'd trained so hard to fight this foe
Who'd swept Gudrum aside
There was so much he did not know
Yet now he felt great pride
He'd done what he'd been asked to do
He'd do it all again
The dawn's sweet glimmer came in view
He lay there racked in pain
His pain he'd earned and death is sweet
When men die – sword in hand
The Valkyries he had to greet
Here on the foeman's land
Haldane Blood Hammer drew his sword
And prayed to Mother Fri
"Please let the gods speak just one word
Before I fade and die"
His groin oozed filth upon the earth
Sad Fri she wept a tear
She knew all things do have their worth
She said "My child, I'm here"
Haldane through pain sought to explain
Fri said "Peace child, I know"
There on that plain he'd not complain
Inside he felt aglow
Haldane reached out his arm at last
His sword he held up high
"Odhinn I see my life ebbs fast
And I know how to die"
Haldane then died but none there cried
One Saxon felt some loss
As sunrise cast a shadow wide
That sword seemed like the Cross
Raging and roaring Thor opened the door
A mute skivvy laboured in the great hall
"Now cease your labours you may speak once more
Verthandi it is who started our fall
The ways of the Norn I was not to know
Norns are the slyest at setting a trap
They take any form up here or below
And even the boldest may have a mishap"
Haldane's Uncle spoke his rage was quite clear
"You did not know a Norn was on that field
Well, heroes midst the gods will show no fear
MY anger at YOU Thor is not concealed
You punish men when you have failed their kind
YOU fail to show respect for honoured dead
You silence me lest I might speak my mind
I know Thor that you have a secret dread
In future Lord put tight reigns on your spite
And never rage at those who've fought for you
At Ragnorok you'll die in that last fight
As I have done so that is what you'll do"
And thunder roared across the sky's all night
He laughed approving this great hero here
For Thor admired this dead man and HIS Might
The two became good friends and drank some cheer
The wrath of Thor is so well known to all
And few are honoured guests in his great hall
Defeats may sometimes turn to rout
A few will flee in fear
And then consumed be dreadful doubt
Shed a sad doleful tear
Beside the brook beneath the trees
Upon a sunny slope
A young man knelt upon his knees
Abandoning all hope
His sword hilt he put on the ground
The point beneath his shirt
He lurched and made a wheezing sounding
Then toppled in the dirt
A pool of crimson blood spread there
As he let out a sigh
There was a sweet scent on the air
He took some time to die
His mind went back to happy days
He thought of his old home
Before his eyes began to glaze
His mind began to roam
He wished his kinfolk were not dead
He sobbed at what he'd seen
The visions raged about his head
The grass about was green
He saw a beetle scurry by
Where he lay on that slope
Why did it take so long to die?
Why should he have to cope?
He gave his sword hilt one swift turn
The pain seemed quite unreal
There was no more that he could learn
For Death had set his seal
A friend found him there on the ground
And burned him on a pyre
With crackling flames there all around
He vanished in the fire
Dark Lady Hel she welcomed him
Into her calm cool clime
Her servants then they beckoned him
To where he'd spend much time
There's nine realms in the universe
One is the realm of dead
Souls there do not scream nor curse
They just rest there instead
Some may be dull, some feel a shock
Some may feel it's a plight
That they'll not be at Ragnorok
To face the final fight
The realm of Hel will open up
When all of that is done
Then sleeping souls are woken up
To join with those who won
That Dane who died and faced the flame
Lay himself down to sleep
Though all have long forgot his name
He feels no need to weep
He sleeps within that mystic place
That men misname as death
His sleeping soul has found some grace
One day he'll take new breath
When Leif inhabits that new earth
In that far future age
Then all will have a proper worth
The timid and the sage
With order and disorder gone
It will be a new place
None will be made too sad nor wan
And all will dwell in Grace
On Ulva's Isle a Noki felt
Haldane's deep mortal pain
Then down to the Norns she knelt
As thoughts raced in her brain
There's deep and dark and awful rage
That grows from out of grief
All future's lost within its grip
As it takes centre stage
But every hate it will abate
For all need some belief
And there is only so much blood
That can be shed by hate
And light and warm they may return
When rage has burned right out
Then blind faith fades to healthy doubt
And mayhap some may learn
But here she had a great heartache
It seemed Haldane was there
She knew that Loki would awake
Great change was in the air
"A pivotal fight in a war
A pivotal place on the field
The great tide now has turned for sure
So much of Fate is sealed
That final wedge was halted
The leading man brought low
How can that be exalted?
That painful way to go"
The sword between the legs
The manhood torn apart
Dragged down to the dregs
The dying process starts
Both of them were to excel
And both of them lay dead
And it was easy to foretell
Their kings would die in bed
All young men who die in war
Who die for realm and king
Do what has been done here before
Too young they feel Death's sting
Brotherhoods of warriors know
Just how the world may be
And they expect that they will go
So others will live free
The flames licked high from Haldane's pyre
And Odhinn heard them pray
A father stood there by that fire
To see his son away
His son's sword was still in his hand
Where he lay in that gore
He knew now what that Norn had planned
Those twenty years before
He'd thought it might take more years though
To see the Norn's will done
Yet what this led to who could know
Uncertainty had won
For Loki was awaking now
So mischief would arise
It did not matter anyhow
The old can cope with lies
He wished he could be at that feast
There in Valhalla's hall
For he despised each Christian priest
That pyre smoke cast a pall
The mead must flow now for his boy
For heroes at his feast
So for his son he felt such joy
Valhalla's host increased
Haldane would fight at Ragnorok
The twilight of the gods
And with his hammer run amok
And even up the odds
Perhaps the Norns might spare him there
To live on that new land
Where gods and men would both then share
That paradise so grand
True peace is found there in the space between
What's right and wrong and all that's good and bad
It pays the best to be not weak nor strong
And neither be too happy nor too sad
In voids between the powers there's a place
Where souls perfect and merge back into all
True balance is the only way to Grace
As powers that oppose all meet and fall
From out the chasm that will rift in time
New universes will rise up once more
All folk will be forever in their prime
As all things should have been now here before
One day there'll be an end to fickle fate
And all's at balance in a stable state
Those simpering Christians weep at death
Put bodies in a hole
To talk to them's a waste of breath
For they can't have a soul
They have so much now to atone
For all of their foul crimes
This sad old father felt alone
And yearned for better times
There's listlessness and no direction
All drifts upon some breeze
With listlessness there's no correction
None shifts but none's at ease
To hang about can be a chore
There's no release from haze
Each flows slower than before
The moments seem like days
The aimlessness without correction
The drift that brings no ease
All's listlessness without direction
The drift that brings no ease
All's listlessness without direction
Hope's gone upon the breeze
On high there glowed a comet in the sky
And storm clouds towered there far in the West
The waning Moon looked sad and seemed to cry
The watchman in the cold felt past his best
The white crests on the waves far out at sea
Now beckoned like some portent in a storm
A ship was driven on rocks to the lea
And all about things seemed to change their form
The sea turned from a highroad to a grave
And in the grove the wind tore down the ash
The brave became all meek, the meek turned brave
The branches of the oak tree seemed to thrash
Confirming all the words that prophet spoke
Right there within his lair – Loki awoke.
Who would follow Gudrum now?
It leads to certain death
Though he speaks well it seems somehow
It's all a waste of breath
For Gudrum has turned to the Cross
The gods he now betrays
The Danes have suffered such a loss
It left some in a daze
Haldane's Uncle had harmed a Norn
Verthandi though had her own charms
The humbled Tyr was all forlorn
And ceased from all his loud alarms
Vengeance ought be in equal shares
Before Verthandi gods now stop
They leave men to their own affairs
This was to be a bitter crop
Bull rushes and rhynes by the track
A fortress hid deep in the reeds
A base for a counter-attack
Where vengeance is sowing its seeds
Long ebbs will return to a flow
As confident men went too far
When crushed by each bold counter-blow
They're wasting their wish on a star
New Faith will replace the old faiths
The cross will control every mind
The slain will drift by as dead wraiths
And much will be cold and unkind
Could crosses get split clean in two
Could two halves yet wage some new war
Old hatreds could well then renew
And horrors will be here once more
So Alfred sought for good gleemen
To make the feast go well
He hoped there would be laughter when
He'd saved heathens from Hell
Upon a hillside in the sun
The Gleeman lay at rest
This season's work was nearly done
And life had seemed a test
There's risk within this troubled land
It's hard to spread true glee
With all this strife and woe at hand
Amid each killing spree
But there should not be grief alone
There must be joy as well
Are all condemned to howl and moan
Should all life be in hell?
The years ahead could well be grim
But Gleemen had their trades
So it fell to the likes of him
To bring light to those shades
To comedy he turned his mind
Laughter can ease some pain
Without it life is too unkind
All toil would be a strain
"Those happy hours around the fire
The pork, the bread, the ale
The silly tales told by each liar
Each one a taller tale
This room is smoky and quite warm
These walls had once been white
About our food the house flies swarm
Here in the dim fire light
Some tell of giants in the land
Some tell a fairy tale
Some tell of judgement here at hand
But most just down the ale
Each tale gets taller than the last
The laughter gets more loud
This way a happy eve is passed
So who cares what's at hand"
"So trust a liar to tell lies
A deceiver to deceive
I know that when a dear friend dies
That my sad heart will grieve
I trust a flame to burn my hand
Bright light to dazzle me
But what some don't understand
Is that most must have glee"
"The lilies of the field they grew
Upon the meadows good
The lilies of the vale all knew
Grew in the sweet green wood
The barley in the field grew tall
And then the sickle came
The rise it comes before the fall
And all of life's a game
The rain it falls upon the earth
Then flows down to the sea
All water has such wond'rous worth
Yet drains away from me
My purse it has a likewise flow
Though more flows out than in
There's more to this than all can know
You get more gold from sin
For sin it's said is oh, so wrong
Especially the weak
This does not hold true for the strong
And so life can be bleak
Now plagues are just and plagues are true
And give equal measure
They take those who are good right through
And those who love pleasure
Life's all a chance, life's all a dance
So dance your way through life
Then in this dance improve your chance
And stay away from strife
'Though shalt not sin nor have true glee'
May be a way for some
Why is all sin such fun for me
And goodness leave me numb"
A woman with an ample breast
May keep you warm at night
But those are best who'd be caressed
Who revel in delight
If you've a need to sow your seed
A willing woman's fine
But you must heed or you may bleed
If that fine woman's mine
So do your best to face the test
Hard work can give delight
So with your lady get undressed
And work hard through the night
The wench she went into the wood
He back was to a tree
The lad he did the best he could
But he wore out each knee
The wench she went into the field
She lay upon the ground
The lad and her were well concealed
Save for that grunting sound
The wench she went up on the hill
She lay upon the slope
The lad and her enjoyed the thrill
Why did her husband mope?
Now laughing in adversity
Has been with us a while
It helps a troubled soul feel free
When you can learn to smile
There's bawdiness and silliness
And songs to cheer you up
They take away the dreariness
They help to perk you up
Haldane was welcomed at the feast,
The feast where dead men dine
The boar they ate, a might beast
Had flesh so sweet and fine
Odhinn he wanted men of rage
Without soft hearts within
Haldane had passed on from that stage
He'd lost much urge to win
He hunted each new long day through
About Valhalla's hall
His soul though sought for something new
He knew these gods would fall
He knew that he must go and fight
And die at Ragnorok
One time a Norn there caught his eye
It seemed she seemed to mock
"Be my companion hero bold
Accompany me about
So you may hear new wonders told
And take away all doubt"
Then Mother Fri said "Go with her
Verthandi needs an aid
You may see much that may occur
Beneath the Ash tree's shade
Haldane sometimes is with this Norn
When she appears to men
He's witnessed many kings new born
Watched them in their play pen
He has been seen by Noki's who
Have that strange special sight
And dance beneath a moon when new
Deep in the dead of night
He does not speak he is just there
A sign from one on high
A big ghost with long matted hair
With blood stains on each thigh
He's always got a friendly face
He's no portent of harm
He mainly likes a happy place
And Noki's like his charm
A good man may be taught great wrath
And all the ways of war
But if his spirit's like a moth
He'll flutter on for sure
So Haldane spirit was fulfilled
Each time Noki's felt joy
And he in side is deeply thrilled
At heart he is a boy.
The stag stood in the forest glade
A truly noble beast
His mate stood in the dappled shade
The hounding now had ceased
The pack of hound were tethered now
Tied up there in the east
But thing seemed insecure some how
So vigilance increased
And in the distance far away
They heard some fresh bloodhounds
But dogs by then had had their day
All heard sad yelping sounds
The dead hound fed the hungry crow
Their bones bleached in the sun
That is the way that things go now
Their dog's day is now done
The stag was weary now and old
He died there in his glade
And all his stories have been told
And he's gone to the shade
Is all life illusion
Are all thing as we see
Is it all delusion
Is each a fantasy?
Gudrum's salient was as far
As Danes in his time got
But theirs was not a luckless star
They were not misbegot
And older Dane went Westward then
He traveled with a friend
His pilgrimage was ended when
They got to journey's end
He'd go the where the Gryphon's child
Was raised and had been born
He knew now Gryphon folk were mild
Past wrong made him forlorn
They'd suffered at foul Wilfrith's hand
Their groves and oaks cut down
All now seems as the Norns had planned
Yet still he wore a frown
He puzzled at all he had seen
Gudrum turned to the Cross
Accepting what had been, had been
He felt but little loss
His Faith now drove him to complete
This journey they'd been on
He smelt a smell just slightly sweet
And entered Crediton
The misty air now swirled about
Ahead a stone cross stood
His Pagan Faith now lost all doubt
And he pulled back his hood
Two Ravens sat upon that Cross
In misty Crediton
And neither suffered gain nor loss
For what is done is done
Each Raven skinned and ate a toad
Toad skins were all about
They lay beside that rugged road
Their poison oozing out
Both Ravens they could eat their fill
There was no need to feud
The morning air now lost its chill
This land provides much food
Those Ravens have a dark allure
Their feathers have a sheen
But neither felt all that secure
Because of what had been
Near by that Cross at Crediton
Lay long-gone in the ground
The parents of a wild Gryphon
In Death they slept so sound
These parents' hands had all been clean
Their Child had done the crime
On this spot here Wilfrith had been
'Twas smeared now with toad slime
The skin of toads is poison so
The ground paid for old wrong
The wise Dane turned around to go
His Pagan Faith now strong
Verthandi was before him there
And yet he could not see
Her soft scent was upon the air
In side he now felt free
This ground of Wilfrith bore the cost
Of wrong that he had done
And though their Pagan army lost
Their Pagan faith had won
Then with his friend he traveled back
'Til they met with more Danes
They traveled that familiar track
And left behind all pains
"Life for a Life, Death for a Death
Toad skins are the omen"
He knew now 'til his final breath
They had beat their foemen
Is belief delusion
Are all things as we think
Is our faith illusion
Or like a poison drink?
Now Lady Fri she saw that slime
It seemed to make her glad
She knew all things they had their time
And vengeance left her sad
But Odhinn had eclipsed her here
With Thor and Tyr as well
And warriors as they spread great fear
Sought through war to excel
But Ragnorok was not for Fri
The seasons turn about
That many gods were doomed to die
She knew without a doubt
But poison slime upon the ground
Was better than child's blood
Let rage and chaos swirl around
A patch of poisoned mud
For warriors though their wrath and rage
May well turn things about
Dear Fri prefers the Mystic Sage
Who does not roar and shout
She bore two boys by Odhinn's seed
Bright Balder and Dark Hoth
That way she could fulfil much need
Her ways are not through wrath
Odhinn she knew would have his time
And then he would be gone
And though he would be past his prime
She'd miss him when he's gone
But Mother Earth renews all things
As aeons pass along
A new bird in a new tree sings
A new and finer song
The ebb and flow of wrath and woe
Could only make Fri sad
But through those aeons of times flow
At end she would be glad
Yet Haldane's father broke the peace
Then died in Alfred's war
Valhalla's host was to increase
With more and more and more.
Though heroes may be needed by
Odhinn and his great band
It seems a shame good man should die
To help Odhinn's last stand
High upon the moorland
Above the flooded plain
He washed the blood from off his hand
Bu washed not off its stain
He stayed there on the moorland
Did not come back again
He lived quite good from off the land
But did not lose the pain
But up there on the moorland
Life was not such a strain
The sky above was wide and grand
It eased his troubled brain
Now down there on the lowland
There's been a lot more pain
There's now new blood upon his hand
So he'll get no new stain
A Norn made Loki feel a need for rest
The ebb and flow of constant change was vast
Those monks and priests who thought their creed was "blessed
Established their hegemony at last
An order came to "spiritual" affairs
Its influence was all across the land
The bishops of the church claimed souls as theirs
These followers of a poor man lived quite grand
Their all-pervading order was set loose
Each bishop felt his flock belonged to him
Then all free thought attracted fire or noose
For all-pervading order is quite grim
A "witch" before her burning softly wept
And all of this because Lord Loki slept
The all-pervading order of the church
The need to seek control of every mind
Meant human hope had been left in the lurch
And that for most the world, life was a grind
Forbidden now to contradict a fool
Forbidden now to think just what you will
The craftsman now himself becomes a tool
And life for most can never be a thrill
Where just a thought can be a heresy
And those who don't conform die in a fire
And none may dare to think they ought be free
As all minds wallow in this bloody mire
Loki was heard to weep there in his sleep
As human souls were herded up like sheep
As some become confused and muse
Or put faith in a creed
Then some may win and some may lose
And some may pray and plead
Confusion and contrariness
Is everywhere around
And doubt can lead to such distress
That sadness may abound
A stultifying ordered state
Imposing rigid rules
Could well create far too much hate
Especially run by fools
As order and disorder vie
Each in their turn may gain
Though one may fade and nearly die
It will return again
So things that are may well have been
And may well be once more
Though none may know what all may mean
In some things there's allure
To know a little's not enough
Though there's not much at hand
For with the smooth there comes the rough
Though never quite as planned
The Witun of the nation met
Foul bigots in debate
Demanding more dark deeds than yet
They had required of late
Our land is England not Danlaw
All Danes should be wiped out
Their hatred was so mean and raw
They had no room for doubt
The wrongs Dane did in times gone past
When Ingvar led them here
Has left a stain that's unsurpassed
Time to avenge is here
If we could strike them all as one
On the same time and day
This simple task would soon be done
And we would have our way
The great crime that they talked about
Seemed righteousness to all
And none there had the faintest doubt -
Pride comes before the fall
And Ethelred known as unreed
Did as the Witun bid
When thousands of good Danes lay dead
There were a few who hid
Now witnesses are awkward things
If many should survive
They contradict the lies of kings
When they remain alive
Those freemen Danes who were all felled
And died at Saxon hands
Made Danish Kings demand Dane-geld
And raid all English lands
There is a seesaw in events
Things tumble to and fro
The Saxons felt the consequence
From an avenging foe
Each Danish serpent raised their head
And glowered to the West
As so much of their spawn lay dead
They were now too distressed
And spawning beasts produced a host
That rampaged from the sea
Their promise, not and idle boast
To hang foes from each tree
There were more than in Ingvar's time
They came to right great wrong
They justified each brand new crime
They could do – they were strong!
The Serpent's rage did not abate
With him grew fat one Raven
A love that's twisted into hate
Could well at end turn craven
And plunder that true vengeance brings
Would turn need into greed
There's some things may come with such stings
At end the Serpent bleeds
Vengeance may start momentum up
Great mischief has begun
Like drinking from a poison cup
All hope in life is done
Great acts may seek to change the Fate
Of those who have done wrong
There's great depth in the pools of Hate
Wherein will drown the strong
The beaten Serpent fled to sea
To find some solace there
Then he found some new destiny
New land his kin could share
"Why should gods help you in a thing you ask
Not even if there be some gain in it
Will I do anything for anyone
I hate the world and all that are in it
And anything I do now seems a task
The filth that has been heaped upon my name
Has turned me so against all of mankind
I'll not forgive all those foul wrongs long done
An urge for vengeance whirls around my mind
And there's some fury none may ever name
The raging fury that's an icy blast
So cold my hatred's bound in solid ice
And there's no warmth not even from the sun
I'd kill and not feel murder is a vice
Who can forgive great wrongs done in the past?
All darkness is the place where I must dwell
No light of hope now glimmers in my soul
Dark hatreds have a course that must be run
Cold seething mean my life's one long hell hole
At vengeance am I now sworn to excel
And as I do may all men live to rue
Imagined wrongs that I may now dream up
And be accused by some false tale I've spun
So let men drink from every poison cup
This is my way this is what I must do
For all is foul and loathsome that I've done
I lived and dwelled eternally in hate
And though I be the misbegotten son
Good men may only know this far too late
With justice lost then I lord Hoth have WON!"
"For evil to succeed, Good Men – do nought!
Just watch and let the wicked have their way
If you do nothing then crimes can be done
And in much suffering all are made to pay
Remember this one lesson that's been taught
Your safety can be bought through vigilance
Eternally all must be on their guard
Through that way then true freedom can be won
And though all know that road is long and hard
There is no substitute for diligence
Weak minds who have been wronged may turn out bad
In this alas there is so little new
All good men have a task and it's this one
And at all times it gives all much to do
All weak wronged men at heart are truly sad
To be locked in the dark of darkest thought
To rage eternally about past wrong
Is to exist yet never to have fun
And never to enjoy a joyful song
And have a heart that is all sad and fraught
So know we do not live by bread alone
And hatred will not put a past wrong right
Accept what's past is past, what's done is done
And live in warmth and in the sweet sunlight
And never let a warm heart turn to stone
Let all be good and wholesome that you do
And live and dwell eternally at ease
Through vigilance the wicked have not won
When evil men may not do as they please
Then truth and justice may at last pull through"
"Far to the West upon the sea
The big ship gently rolls
The gulls above are gliding free
About all those lost souls
They'd not seen land for many a day
As they sailed to the West
Sometimes they'd see the dolphins play
But few were now impressed
Their water now was running low
All eyes strained to see land
Some feared great monsters from below
Could now be close at hand
On Brendon's road they sought that place
That they had heard about
But they'd not seen a single trace
And some began to doubt
A young man then climbed up the mast
An able agile hand
And then it was they heard at last
A loud voic