11. Hope In A Bottle
By Ewan
- 659 reads
Halfdan's Battle Song : Manuscript B00000014b Oslo Catalogue
Recovered in Bergen in a shallow grave next to a runestaff carved with a galdr: the parchment is written in the ancient language. It is believed to be many centuries old. Certainly it predates the Euhemeristic Age. A transcript of the spell precedes that of the song.
I carve cursing runes, I carve savaging runes, once against the elves, twice against the trolls, thrice against the thurs.
Halfdan's Battle Song
None so lucky as we,
in our northern stronghold
the names of heroes, we pass by mouth.
The fates decree,
in the cold of the Baltic,
there is our sentinel, there guards the South.
Know we are saved,
Knut and Elric,
when the sky falls earthward at twilight:
perhaps in the sand,
unless it is a trick,
the green glass of the bottle shines bright.
And who would be king
must keep the Christian fools
at longsword's length from Asgard's door,
employing magic tools,
words hidden plainly:
'Land is far!' which unknown warriors swore.
The whispered names
of those who came before
Frithiof and Baldur, Thorsten and Siegfried
the sagas more
spoken than written
legend's hope called in time of need.
And if they come
with candle and bell
and book, they must bring tempered steel,
brave hearts and souls
well filled with hate
to think to bring the Norse to heel.
For we are men:
we are the Norse.
The bottle holds the secret of death
and we will curse
the Christians foully,
as our longswords steal their very breath.
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