A Viking's Oath.

A shield maiden's sorrow

  

There once was a viking who made an oath; to a shield maiden he did swear, that by her side he would fight, no matter what foes be there.

But the Norseman broke his oath; the shield maiden he did betray. When the winter came & battle became bloody, he did run away.

Now it was the shield maiden's right to call down the gods to incur a curse against his sword, but instead she chose to forgive him, because of an oath she once swore.

She swore one fateful day to love him with no end; so now the shield maiden weeps on the bloody battlefield; lost is her companion & friend.

Now she raises her sword one last time into the air; one day she will learn to fight again

Author's Note

In Norse culture, if a Viking took an oath and went back on his word, it was said that his sword would turn against him in battle and incur the wrath of the gods.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

Ahhh, now I understand. I was confused about the ending until I read your note. I like this, and some of my fellow LOTR fans would flip over it. (The females who fancy themselves to be shield maidens, like Eowyn, who slayed the Necromancer.)

[thundershine]

I like to think of myself as a Valkyrie :p

[Bare trees]

Interesting poem. I learned something today. I've always found the stories of vikings to be worth reading so I'm glad I read this almost musical poem. Bravo.

[thundershine]

Thank you. The Viking culture is my favorite. The men were huge, the women were badass, and they were very advanced for their time!