The Saga of the Heart of the Ice

[ellyssian]

IV. Battle on the Ice

Early light, warriors	wander across fields
snow-mirrors blinding	with frost-winds whirling,
Treacherous crevasse	hungry-ice yielding
heroes cross with great	North-lands skill safely;
Thor, Thor, the voices cry;	Thor, in hall on high;
Into ice bolt-hole	escaping mighty
storm-wrath brewing,	snow upon snow-fall,
burying heroes in	icy-cold warm burrow,
waiting blizzard-blown	Storm-God's scouring snow;
Bjorn Axe-Frother bursts	snow-drift gates, emerging
from storm-slumber, the	warriors rise, bring warmth
to the frost-touched world.	Walking the snow, quickly
discern white blight-wolves	stalking their trail, led
by frost-folk masters;	Cleverness in the
cold-hearts of their foes	cut to the quick with
wise Elven-sight and	shrewd Viking prowess;
Foe-men behind and	more lie ahead in
wait on rock-strewn cliffs	to catch by surprise
too-wary heroes	with hands to their steel.
Thor, Thor, the voices cry;	Thor, in hall on high;
the warriors roar in	full war-wrath, whirling,
turning, and charging	surprised foe-followers!
Winter-wolves twain,	a mated couple,
would be sundered that day,	sang Tungur Knivur,
snow-flying fleet-footed	heroes run into battle;
Hjolvar Bear-Walker tastes	wolf-flesh, tearing, rending,
as friend Snow-Leopard	rakes snow-fur bright red;
Grey-Elven maji	roars words of power
fire-burst lays low two	frost-runners, scorching
frost-rager, making	him howl in fire-fright;
Bear-wrath hard-pressed	under ravening wolf-teeth;
Snow-cat battered by	wild white-furred foe;
Fire rages once again	as Elven words chant
screaming ice-hearts melt	flesh-fire extinguishing
maddened frost-frother;	Mighty Bjorn bellows,
berserker-battle	crumbles; axe-biter howls
slays lone snow-wild foe;	Magicks whirl lights bright
piercing bear-taster,	slaying white-wolf;
Tung Kniv heals healer,	Hjolvar rises once more;
Bjorn Thor-rager's steel	divides last foe-beast;
In silence warriors	fall, listening for
those lurking in wait,	in silence they remain.

Comments

[patrixa.livejournal.com]

One wonders how close to life scenes like this are -- after all, people had to (just as they do now) find reasons for these happenings as they struggled mightily for existence.