The Mighty Deed

This is another of my attempts at poetry - written way back in 1990. It's very different from most everything else I've written, and some people even seem to think it's funny. Leave a comment below and tell me if you like it.
--- Glenn G. Thater

****
THE MIGHTY DEED
by Glenn G. Thater , 1990.

They say that in the past month
Eight citizens of Dyvers town were ripped asunder
By a horrid monster who wailed like thunder.

The first victim the town Doctor - old Jim Drake,
Found floating headless in a nearby lake.

The second little David Toth,
His arms and legs all ripped off.

Next was Wally the homeless beggar,
Found dead in the road by Boyd the mayor.

Five others were killed by the degenerate vile creature,
Including Kacser the mad old magic teacher.

No one lived who'd seen the evil creature,
Except for Reverend Bog the township’s preacher.

He spied the monster from the church’s tower
The night it killed old Mr. Fowler.

But since that fateful eerie night
The Reverend hasn't overcome his fright.

He’s not able to recall the terrible tale,
He can only remember the monstrous wail.

The townsfolk knew something must be done
To make these killings cease,
Somehow someone must restore the peace.

So a council meeting was called by the township’s mayor,
There they decided to hire a monster slayer.

It must be a knight of fame and renown,
Only one such as this could save the town.

So the call for aid went out far and wide,
And soon appeared a knight who’d take the township’s side.

He rode into town one morning bright,
All came out to see the wondrous sight
Of the world’s most feared and famous knight.

Announcing before him ran the town crier,
Everyone he passed bowed and called him sire.

The knight’s blue-enameled armor glistened in the morning sun,
It must have weighed as least a ton.

Around his waste hung a sword and sheath
The size of which was beyond belief.

‘Twas a broadsword of six feet in length,
What human man could possess such strength

To wield a sword the likes of which
A frost giant could not lift an inch.

But the man was huge - perhaps seven feet in height,
Truly a great and powerful knight.

At his side hung a huge silver shield,
This too into battle he would wield.

In his left hand he held a mighty silver lance,
Its magical dweomer could be seen at a glance.

As for his steed,
There was none better,
His saddle made of the finest leather,
And atop his war helm a large blue feather.

As he rode by the crowds let out a thunderous cheer
For the proud and noble Cavalier.

For in all the land there was no man greater,
Than the knight they called Lord Angle Theta.

***
If the above excerpt from the poem "The Mighty Deed" has caught your attention and you'd like to read more - please click on the comment button below and let me know. I'm considering including the full version of this poem in an upcoming collection of my stories that will be available for purchase from Amazon.com

Only Knights

Below is one of my attempts at poetry - a form in which i rarely write. This was also the first work I ever had published. It appeared in “The Phoenix Literary Magazine,” in 1985. Although it's a very short piece, the themes expressed are echoed in many of my stories.
--- Glenn G. Thater


***
ONLY KNIGHTS–

Knights are gone,
Heroes are cowards,
Brave men are fools, and
Brave heroes are only myths and legends.

Knights are days,
Monsters fall,
Beneath the shining sun.

In Battle,
Knights wield swords,
Heroes use shields,
Brave men charge,
Brave heroes wield powers unknown.

Into battle, Knights ride horses,
Brave men charge,
Brave heroes appear, and
Heroes are nowhere to be seen.

All:
Knights are gone,
Heroes are liars,
Brave men are dead,
And brave heroes never were.

Foreword to Harbinger of Doom

FOREWORD (TO HARBINGER OF DOOM)

The following stories are the first volume in a collection of the adventures of the ancient warrior-hero most commonly referred to as Angle Theta. Although the original historical manuscripts detailing the life and times of this classic warrior are still inaccessible to the general public my contacts and travels have afforded me rare opportunities to view and even duplicate some of the original manuscripts which consist of more than ten thousand documents stored in protected archives in twelve museums and universities scattered across seven countries.

Due to the inaccessibility of these documents, few modern scholars or authors are familiar with the “Thetian manuscripts”. Consequently, the general public knows little or nothing about this ancient hero who some scholars believe helped shape much of the ancient world and perhaps was the historical inspiration for the legends of Beowulf, Gilgamesh, King Arthur and others.

Until now, no scholar has attempted a detailed compilation of the entire Angle Theta saga although several notable works containing Thetian stories have been penned through the centuries. Grenville’s work “Ancient Warriors of Scandinavia” (1884) and Addleson’s “The Ancient Cities of Prehistoric Europe” (1921) both contain several stories of Theta’s exploits. The text “The Warlords” (1408) by Chuan Chien contains two tales of Theta’s adventures in ancient Asia. While there is no complete English translation of Chien’s text, the accounts contained therein serve as independent evidence of the existence of Theta as a historical figure. The essay “Forgotten Empires” by Charles Sawyer (1754) and Da Vinci’s manuscript “Of Prehistory” (1502) also contain story fragments and references to the historical Theta. The voluminous treatise “Prehistoric Cities of Europe” by Cantor (1928) presents noteworthy, though non-conclusive, evidence of the historical existence of the city of Lomion in what is now southwestern England.

Some modern scholars do not accept the historical efficacy of the Thetian manuscripts due to the relatively small quantity of corroborating archeological evidence for the ancient cities and cultures detailed therein. Thus, they relegate Theta to the realms of myth, legend and allegory. Others maintain that the scholarly texts mentioned above, coupled with the original archived manuscripts, serve as sufficient evidence to verify the historical existence of Theta the man. One can only hope that in time the archeological record will further reinforce this position.

Several years ago while researching Theta for a story that I had planned to write, I had the good fortune to meet and begin a long-standing collaboration with several leading Thetian scholars, most notably Professor Augustine DiPipcorno of the University of Padua, and Dr. Ann Lewis of The University of Indiana, who have for some years been actively translating the entire body of available original manuscripts. These professors are leading a team that is currently preparing a series of detailed scholarly texts that include all the original tales plus their commentary and thorough critique of the corroborating scholarly, historical, literary and archeological evidence.

The work you are now reading, however, represents my re-envisioning of the first volume of the Professors’ translations into modern prose with additional dialogue and descriptive language added so that these stories will be found more accessible and entertaining to the typical reader. Further, I have sometimes chosen to label certain fanciful creatures and devices described in the original manuscripts using names and words that are familiar to modern readers of fantasy and science fiction tales. The story titles are my own and are meant to be entertaining. In all cases, however, the central plots, facts, themes, and spirit of the original tales remain unchanged.

I hope you will come to enjoy the Thetian tales as much as I have. If sufficient interest exists, I will present additional Thetian stories in future volumes. Please feel free to leave any constructive comments in the comments section of my website http://www.angletheta.blogspot.com/ and/or in this work’s listing on createspace.com and amazon.com. Happy reading.



-- Glenn G. Thater
January 1, 2008
New York

Purpose

On this blog I post short stories, poems, and excerpts from my books, many of which feature a character called The Lord Angle Theta. Each story and portion thereof is copyrighted.

My books can be purchased from Amazon.com. My Amazon.com profile page, which includes a complete listing of my books can be accessed here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AJWXN33RB5VA1

If you're outside the United States and can't purchase from Amazon.com or if you just don't want to purchase from Amazon, you can purchase my Trade Paperback books directly from the Publisher using these links:

Harbinger of Doom (1st Edition):
http://www.createspace.com/3334712

Harbinger of Doom (2nd Edition):
https://www.createspace.com/3342167

Please feel free to leave feedback or story reviews by clicking on the 'comment' button below each post. Any constructive comments are welcome; compliments and rave reviews are even more welcome - nasty remarks will be deleted.

My stories generally fall within the category of Heroic Fantasy or Sword & Sorcery, along the lines of Robert E. Howard's Conan, Kull, or Solomon Kane, and Moorcock's Elric. If you like their stories, you may also like mine.

--- Glenn G. Thater