The Song of Ohbrid (Part 1)

In order to create an immersive imaginary world to serve as the context for my next book, I've begun to create a body of literature representative of Toxandrian culture. This includes poetry, prose, prayers, popular aphorisms and extracts from historical writings. Below is a section from the Song of Ohbrid, part of the creation legend of Erenor, which explains how the heavens came to marry the earth with that further manifestation of God, Tio as their offspring. In this story, appearing in the archaic style, Ria, lady of the earth is successively wooed by Tamarin, lord of the underworld, Tetheos lord of the oceans and Arion, lord of war before succumbing to the blandishments of Ra,lord of sun and sky.

Amid star burnished reeds by heavens limned

The Mother bows her heavy tressed head

Her eyes deep sunken and with sorrow rimmed

With backward glance she walks the halls of dread

Deep shadowed where Tamarin’s sceptre looms

O’er all the echoed vaults, high columned deeps

Death’s massy legions dreaming in their tombs

She stands before the dark lord and she weeps,

Her voice rings out, entreating to that ear

Her earnest reservations to his suit

That she might make her protestations clear.

Tamarin now inclines his pond’rous brow

And turns his leaden gaze upon her face

‘Our two worlds do adjoin, you must allow,’

He then declares. “I urge you to embrace

The darkness and the depth that lies beneath

The tangled roots and waters of this earth

For mountain, moor and forest, pool and heath

Oppress my soul with anguish at my dearth

And if you were to place your hand in mine

I’d walk the earth beside you as my wife

Turn countenance upon the stars divine

And draw into my lungs the breath of life.’

‘And taint the wells and stain the rivers broad,

O’er reach your shadow on my verdant land,’

She sayest then. ‘My great and noble lord.

Dark is the world when you extend your hand

And dark the chambers that are your domain

The dryads and the naiads in their streams

Do tremble at the mention of your name

And word of your soft wooing haunts their dreams.’