A God Thing

Fairhair’s youngest son the good, for peace trickery repaid, by hawk upon the knee Norse blood raised an English king, hid from the bloody axe until his reign A Christian in a pagan scene A God Thing in a Frost Thing old ways die hard drunken jarls twelve leaping things hot yule-beer, boiling horse flesh He signs the cup a cross to bear in heathen affair Raven-feast a king tries to bring his people the Hope of the New Living Thing Pushing back the fires of bloody axe, he fought Eric’s sons blue-toothed Danes Annihilator of all other Skalds recounts Haakon's Song his good night Outnumber six to one by Danes all weapons pointed, at the golden helmet though mocking refrains now hidden by poet's hat thrust on through you shall find Quernbiter, cutting runes and the Norse king, putting to flight the Danish plight whirling recoil of the fleeing Erikson a lonely arrow finds Haakon's heart upon the flat rock lay slain though the Dark-wolf again eats the land a Christian king has the hope of a God thing * * Notes -Hákonarmál is a skaldic poem,EARLY KINGS OF NORWAY by Thomas Carlyle,THE THING SMALL LOCAL COUNTRYSIDE THING --Thing (assembly)