VIKING LONGSHIPS!
"Longships! Sails! Oarsmen, ready!"
Ofegh's voice blasts the shore;
"Three abreast through the eddy"
Into the ocean's roar!"
The runes favor this trek
A quest for the dragon's bed!
Fear not the Valkyries beck
On water they won't tread!
Treasure for a King's Lair!
We'll skirt the thunderstone.
Leave behind the horn's blare;
We quest for gold alone!
Norland spears raise them high;
O'er depths where monsters lurk.
"Odin we need your watchful eye!
There are terrors in the murk!"
Northumbria we'll plunder;
Slaughter all bloody and black!
Take care, make no blunder
Weld your axe and hack!
Purge the pagan altars!
Take all that you find;
Look for the magic psalter
Encased in the secret shrine!
The path is hidden in the chime!
Follow the toll of the bell
Ancient tune's in the rhyme
Will reveal the hag's spell!
Launch the ships valiant men!
The Norns do spin our fate!
Think not on your woman or kin;
Set course through this narrow strait!
To Lindisfarne and the church
Saxon heathens one and all!
Draw your swords and search
Down to their very cauls!
"Confess now or give your life
Make plain the way to the prize;
Your throat well greet my knife
Priest, I care not for your cries!"
Ah, here it is the whale's road
Flowing under the sanctuary floor
Under ambered water, a golden load!
Thanks be to the Hammer Thor!
Longships! Sail! Our victory is won!
We'll celebrate with sweet mead.
Boasting how the deed was done
And how the Saxons bleed!
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Comments
Wow this was so real, i felt like i was on the actual ship, a lot of imagery and a lot of historical references, i comment because i liked the execution even if i didn't fully understand every reference, the nostalgic feeling kept to its value my vote as well
Curioa poetic friend Â
CO!  Thanks so much for your comments. I am so glad that you were able to "witness" the journey to the coast of the English shores where the Vikings pillaged the villages and churches.Â
I did a little research before I wrote this so that I'd have an idea what mythology the Vikings believed in…there prowess as hunters…their code of ethics…their magic…their boats… and their dislike of Christians.  They raided churches for gold and artifacts.  Oftentimes, the churches hide their most precious treasures under the floor boards or in wells. They threw the runes to discern if they would be favored in a particular endeavor, the Norns controlled their fates, hags were witches and spell casters.
val
The Scandinavians didn't just plunder they founded the Trading town of Dublin (now the capital of Ireland) Kiev and many more. they did a lot of trading and exploring.
AP....Thank you for your comment. Â I am aware that the Vikings were explorers and there is evidence that they established towns during their explorations further afield of their homes. Â I also am aware that they might have made it to the Americas as well. Â Vikings are a fascinating study and I was specifically looking at the rituals, language and their excursions to the English coast and monasteries when this poem was written. Â
Val
Â
D'Wolf!  So glad you liked this one.  I studied Viking lore, culture and their gods in school and developed an interest.  I see you have an avid interest in Viking history too!  The movie called "Longships" inspired this write.  It's an old movie with Sidney Poitier and Kirk Douglas.
val