Sing of The White Lady, and her wicked schemes against the boy who did not fear her.

Transcription

1 Lily Eppes Dr. Sue Fisher Muse on the Loose: Introduction to Greek Literature 14 September, 2017 The Crushing Sing to me O great warrior Lugh, who wields the great sword Fragarach, God of the sky and the powerful storms it carries on its horizons. Sing through me the old tale of that lass with a selfless heart. Sing of The White Lady, and her wicked schemes against the boy who did not fear her. Tell the bravery of the girl who did not hesitate to take the pain that goddess intended to place upon her brother s back. Of this deed, tell us, Lugh, so that those near and far may be inflicted with a want to be like the girl with the ringlets, and that no man, even he dwelling in the darkest, dustiest corner of the earth, may live without hearing this tale. That boy, no more than a boy, far from a man, yelled out foolishly and tested the gods, Why should one fear death? Why should we all cower in our homes when the darkness comes, fearing The White Lady, that wretched goddess of death. She rejoices when she is feared. Tell me, brothers and sisters, when did this fear start? Why are we continuously terrified by the mention of her name? If I stumbled upon her in the woods or by the seashore, I would not fall

2 over my heels to kiss her toes and spill timid praises into her ears, just to stay on earth one more day. Not at all! With my nimble feet, I would dart between the aspen and pines, and escape her grasp. I have heard the tales of throngs of men who have tried but failed to evade her iron-like grasp. They ran as fast as majestic stallions that we observe galloping in stampedes, running over fields and trampling everything in their path. Alas! She still managed to clutch her sickly pale hands around their necks and squeeze the life out of their chests. For I know their fault. They only could flee her as fast as a stallion. Nay, that is not quick enough to evade death. A man must be as quick as the wind! And I, Rhys, son of John and Sarah, am faster than any man, any horse, and any gust of wind in the world! When Annabel, sister of Rhys, heard her brother s words, she dismayed. O, younger brother, do not speak such words! The gods who watch us from the heavens surely heard every syllable! Have you heard a tale of a man who challenged The White Lady and lived another day? Nay! For every time she has been provoked by a fool, she has not hesitated to swipe him off the earth in one single motion of her hand! My brother, do not be so foolish as those men before you! Indeed, in her cold and unwelcoming dwelling in the heavens, The White Lady heard the mocking cries of Rhys, son of John and Sarah. The White Lady is the goddess that every man in the world is taught to fear from the day he emerges from the womb. She has skin pale as moonlight, and teeth black as tar. When she heard the words from Rhys, this fearsome goddess pounded her fist against the floor in fury, I will not have this, a mere boy mocking my name! Does he not know of the tenfolds of men that I have killed? Does he not realize the damage I

3 could do to him? Does he know how quickly I could squeeze the breath out of his lungs? As I have done to all the men before him who dared not fear me, I will venture down to earth and strike into his heart the fear he should have had for me. The moment after terror has riddled every fiber in his bones, I will topple a great stone on top of his legs and chest, so that his swift legs he speaks of so highly will be broken into shards. Life will seep out of his chest while he regrets all of those wretched words he uttered from his lips. Thus the Goddess changed her wretched form into a dryad with beauty great enough to rival that of Branwen, the most beautiful goddess in the heavens. With nothing but pure hate in her heart and lust for retribution, The White Lady crept down into the forest where Rhys the Fearless and his brothers and sisters played. As Liesl the Blue-Eyed purchased cheese and mead in the market, Rhys the Fearless, and his two kinfolk, Great-Voiced Sullivan and Golden-Haired Annabel darted in and out of the vast boulders in the forest like field mice. They were having such great fun that no one noticed The White Lady in her beautiful disguise. She crept behind them and watched Rhys the Fearless with bloodlust. The Goddess calculated the precise moment to reveal her true form. Just as Rhys ran in front of the largest boulder in the clearing, she shifted into the terrible woman that she is and started to topple the great weight upon him. But alas! Annabel the Golden-Haired was quick like a fox and saw the boulder as it toppled towards her beloved younger brother. Crying out, she rushed forward towards him. Pushing him out of the way, the stone crushed her instead of Rhys the Fearless. Seeing Annabel and the damage that had been done, the brothers dismayed. They rushed to their sister s side and tried with all their strength to lift the boulder from her body -- for it had already done great damage. But woe! The lads did not possess the strength to do so.

4 Rhys the fearless was now so consumed with terror for his sister that he called out to the heavens, Oh, Tapio, great god of the forest, who watches over men and beast alike, help me in this time of adversity! Oh, how foolish was I to test The White Lady! But my sister, Annabel the Golden-Haired, warned me and took my place of suffering. Bequeath unto me, O Tapio, the strength to lift this colossal stone off of her! So that I may relieve some of her suffering as she did mine. Thus Tapio, god of the forests, had pity upon this lad s cries. He stirred the forest where they were standing and delivered the great strength and power of the trees unto Rhys the Fearless and Sullivan the Great-Voiced. Therefore, the two brave boys linked their arms under the vast boulder, and lifted it from their beloved sister s body. As she wriggled out, it was evident that the life had left her legs, and she was fated to be a cripple. Seeing this, The White Lady raged with fury that her plan had collapsed. I will not have this! she screamed. For, today not only one soul, but two have evaded my grasp! For this - this utter treachery, I will make you suffer, Rhys the Fearless. Now I know that you love your kith and kin so greatly that, to make you suffer, I will make them suffer. I will make sure of it that Annabel the Golden-Haired never takes another step in her remaining days! That will torture you more than you know! The goddess vanished in a burst of cold air, leaving the three young children alone. The brothers wept over their sister, and the damage that had been done. But she did not dismay. Dear brothers, on this great day, I know that I freed my precious brother from the clutches of death. I would gladly die twice over again to save you. My legs are nothing but limbs. Rejoice, I am still alive!

5 Tapio, hearing what this lass was saying, was moved with compassion. For her great act of heroism, he stirred the forest once again, and dryads appeared from the trees. They placed their nimble fingers on her legs, and imposed the healing powers of the forest into her bones. Her crippled legs wove themselves back together and became newly strong. On that day, the very same day that she had been nearly killed, Annabel the Golden-Haired walked once again. Summary of the real story: Last year, my siblings were going to our church s tearoom. While Liesl was waiting in the long line, Annabel, Sullivan and Rhys were playing in the graveyard. A 1,500 pound gravestone fell on Annabel from the waist down and broke her pelvis in two places. Sullivan and Rhys did manage to lift it enough off of her so that no major damage was done to her. But they could not lift it all the way. - Assistance was needed to fully get Annabel out from underneath the stone. After a week in the hospital, major surgery, and nine weeks of recovery time, Annabel was fully healed. This event was deemed and is referred to by my family as The Crushing.