“Dear Womba, friend; this thread is short.
When I am gone and can speak no more,
and eat dust, whilst worm-chewed, gnawed,
and Niðmund nibbles at my breast,
and can neither walk nor dance nor sing
for all my joints have been far-stretched,
bones scattered, throat torn, ravaged
by the rats and worms of deepest earth
to feast on bloody heart and guts of mine;
when great Greed, the king of gnawers, comes;
the grinding one, who shreds all flesh
to drill my eyes out from this skull –
sing songs of me, my dearest friend,
and dance, as if I still was there.”
-
Author:
Morgan B (
Offline) - Published: July 28th, 2022 18:29
- Comment from author about the poem: Short excerpt from chapter XXXII of the epic saga - in which, in the aftermath of a deadly battle with thirteen witch-queens, the main character loses her best friend and ally, Gerthild. This is Gerthild's farewell speech, influenced by the Old English text 'Body and Soul'. Niðmund, in the mythology of the 'saga', is the rat-god of cadavars, gallows, and carrion generally (as distinct from the goddess who is keeper of the souls of the deceased). The phrase 'autumn twilight' is used elsewhere in the saga to describe the hair of the slain goddess of the Ylfu, Leoma, who is somewhat paralleled here by Gerthild. The music demo is an abbreviated form of the 'poem within the poem' 'Leomaleoth'. Added here as a bit of background context. The image of the ouroboros is the first and the last element of the entire 'Saga', being printed on the frontispiece as well as the final endpaper. The serpent swallowing its own tail is of course the symbol of eternity, unified opposites, and wholeness.
- Category: Gothic
- Views: 20
Offline)
Comments1
striking imagery, thanks for sharing dear poet
Thanks again for reading, and for the add 🙂 Always happy to share.
To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.