Angelsonggd

  Gods(greek god), War, humans

  Το τραγο?δι του Σκαμ?νδρο?

  Scamander’s Song

  Πρ?λογο?

  Prologue

  Greece had always been a very interesting place

  as soon as they were born, the gods were caught up in the race

  Gaia did her best to keep her family in line

  but Gaia was the happiest to meet the god of wine

  The world became a busy place, and all the more so Greece

  the gods of war seemed busier by far than gods of peace

  some were more creative though, and tinkered here and there

  Prometheus was one titan who did more than his share

  Some were quick to criticize his work, but it caught on

  his golden statues decorated even Zeus’s lawn

  he must have been a better craftsman than he realized

  for one day all the statues sprung to life and looked surprised

  They called themselves the human race, and now they’re everywhere

  and gods found them more fun to watch than any bird or bear

  soon whatever humans filled their time with was their muse

  And humans were an entertainment any god could use

  But this is not the story of the grandest gods of old

  their stories are as epic as they are often retold

  compared to Zeus and Hera, our new friend might seem quite odd

  but you may come to understand the limping river god

  Πρ?το? Στ?χο?

  First Verse

  Scamander was the humble son of titans of the sea

  but he was not a god as great as other gods could be

  he wasn’t like Simoeis, known for torrents fast and strong

  nor like his old friend Nilus, who was fertile, loved, and long

  Almost every river’s reputation made him sad

  especially when he was thinking of the life he had

  Scamander didn’t run like any river would have planned

  he was known to limp and wander through a certain land

  As bitter as Scamander was about the life he led

  he took his time enjoying all the lives his river fed

  he watched the poets write, the artists paint, the lovers swim

  and of the gods, no one had heard as many songs as him

  One day as he limped along the river he was on

  in a worse mood than the river god called Acheron

  he came across a man who played a Hermes-crafted lyre

  and though it sounded beautiful, he smelled of smoke and fire

  “Who are you, your songs are like no music I have heard

  you could rival any song performed by any bird”

  the song he played was sad but sweet, a song of love and loss

  as melancholy as the river he now looked across

  “Orpheus is what I’m called, but please just leave me be

  I could do without another river’s company”

  Orpheus stood up and started wandering away

  but then Scamander called to him, requesting that he stay

  “Please just sit a while, I promise not to bother you

  I’ll make sure you can play your songs in peace, so play a few”

  Orpheus was taken with the earnest river’s pleas

  Scamander knelt and begged the man, despite his aching knees

  “Very well, I’ll pay you back for your sincerity

  I’ll play as long as I can sit with you here peacefully”

  and so began the friendship of the river and the lyre

  both accommodating of the other one’s desire

  A place to play the music of an aching, lonely soul

  and music that could make a melancholy river whole

  in time the lyre’s remorseful music showed a hint of cheer

  the two would sing together, sharing more than just a tear

  “I’m thankful for your company, your river brings me peace

  your friendship is more treasure to me, than this golden fleece

  there is nowhere better in this world where I could be

  here there is no heartbreak, yes I finally feel free”

  Orpheus explained the reason for his endless woe

  of how he lost his love beside a river long ago

  but now he was at peace beside the river with his friend

  though peace was not an easy thing for someone to defend

  Δε?τερο? Στ?χο?

  Second Verse

  Humans were the natural inhabitants of earth

  and they were known to tip the scales of war to measure worth

  Scamander didn’t care for war, but even he had tried

  and when he did, it always left him quite unsatisfied

  In the end, Scamander was no god of war at all

  even human warriors could best him in a brawl

  and even when he had the upper hand it always seemed

  he couldn’t understand the way that other rivers schemed

  Once he had a man they called Achilles on the run

  trying to rebuke him for the way he warred for fun

  but he escaped and somehow fell into the river Styx

  becoming much too big a problem for the god to fix

  The mess Achilles made took many years for him to clean

  the dead that clogged his rivers were the worst he’d ever seen

  but as he limped along he did eventually succeed

  and once again Scamander’s limping rivers were all freed

  But things were not so peaceful even when Achilles died

  the humans couldn’t keep the peace for two days if they tried

  for now the gods were using them as if they were a game

  indulging in vicarious attempts at fun and fame

  As Scamander sang along with Orpheus one day

  the humans celebrated all the people they could slay

  driven by the backing of their favoured gods of war

  every time a battle ended, they’d all start some more

  Soon no matter where Scamander’s river could be fed

  battlefields all full of corpses turned his river red

  the riverbanks were overrun by corpses’ putrid smell

  the music stopped as Orpheus began to feel unwell

  “I’m sorry dear Scamander, I’m afraid that I must go

  the smell of death reminds me of what I lost long ago

  maybe one day I’ll return, should human bloodshed cease

  I must find a place where I can play my lyre in peace”

  Τρ?το? Στ?χο?

  Third Verse

  Scamander felt as though the river in his heart had dried

  but he could never catch his friend no matter how he tried

  he limped along until he could not go on anymore

  he sat beneath a tree and cursed the humans’ endless war

  He thought perhaps that if he waited, all the blood would stop

  but all the humans seemed to want to spill every last drop

  he watched the gods above them laughing, urging them to fight

  blessing some and cursing others, every day and night

  He wondered if he’d rather all his rivers should run dry

  or find a quiet valley where no one could see him cry

  for years he watched his rivers run with blood beneath the gods

  who blessed them all with countless spears and rocks and lightning rods

  One day though, he noticed something happening beyond

  Athena had just called upon their father to respond

  an argument had broken out between two gods of war

  Ares and Athena were not playing anymore

  Scamander couldn’t hear what they were arguing about

  but when a rock struck Ares he could hear his painful shout

  Athena wounded him and Zeus said he should not return

  but still the fires that Ares started continued to burn

  Scamander knew that Ares was a fair, impartial god

  the only quality of his Scamander could applaud

  but as he watched the injured god of war run off and hide

  he noticed that a moment’s peace had come in with the tide

  That was when another river, Lethe, passed him by

  singing to himself while looking blankly at the sky

  “Look at those olympians all arguing again

  what is it they see in the affairs of mortal men”

  Τ?ταρτο? Στ?χο?

  Fourth Verse

  Lethe wasn’t often seen, nor was he hard to find

  he simply wandered through the realms with nothing in his mind

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  no one knows what he was like when he ran in Hades

  before he drank Hypnos’s waters at a few parties

  Now in sheer oblivion he met Scamander there

  flowing so forgetfully without a single care

  Scamander tried to tell him what the war had been about

  but he’d forget it anyway, of that there was no doubt

  “All you need to know is that the war has waged too long

  and thanks to them, I’m never more to hear my best friend’s song”

  Lethe looked in pity at Scamander, stained with blood

  who rested on his knees beside the river in the mud

  “Dear old friend, I understand the reason for your pain

  all the souls that flood my banks are driving me insane

  they drink and drink but never quench their thirst because they’re dead

  my rivers run as low in hades as your streams run red”

  The old forgetful god had understood Scamander’s woe

  almost able to recall that they’d met long ago

  they were once two babbling brooks who played beneath the sun

  long before their streams diverged and warring had begun

  Scamander looked up at his old forgetful friend and sighed

  as Lethe looked toward a very distant mountain side

  “isn’t he the strongest of the gods who like to fight

  how was he so wounded that he’s hiding there in fright”

  Scamander looked and noticed Ares hiding far away

  wounded very badly from the fight he’d had that day

  Lethe shook his head and then he said in somber tone

  “he should be more careful, he looks weak and all alone”

  Lethe’s words were meant to be of pity, but instead

  like a bolt of lightning, hit Scamander in the head

  he stood and turned to look at Lethe with a cheerful grin

  “Lethe, if you help me, I think that we might just win”

  Π?μπτο? Στ?χο?

  Fifth Verse

  Scamander didn’t waste another second sitting down

  but Lethe was confused and so he asked him with a frown

  “how could just the two of us win anything at war

  please remind me also of what we’d be fighting for”

  “Listen to me Lethe, for I have a cunning plan

  but we shall need to hurry just as fast as we both can

  Ares is now weakened and alone well out of sight

  finally, we have a chance to put this nonsense right”

  “Did you just say Ares, even I remember him

  even in that state he could kill thousands on a whim

  do you think a pair of rivers ever stood a chance

  he could kill a limping river god with just a glance”

  “That is true, although it hurts to hear you say it now

  I think that it’s possible though, let me tell you how

  once, I saw an army fighting with too small a force

  but they won because they hid inside a giant horse

  We’ll disguise ourselves to earn his trust and then attack

  to get some peace and quiet, we must stab him in the back”

  Scamander looked intently at his absent minded friend

  a kindred spirit on whom he was sure he could depend

  “I guess I have no choice if I’m to ever rest again

  it’s time that someone ushered peace toward the land of men

  after we kill Ares, we can finally relax

  we’ll be worshipped as the gods of cowardly attacks”

  ?κτο? Στ?χο?

  Sixth Verse

  Lethe laughed and helped Scamander climb the famous hill

  Mount Olympus hosted one who they both planned to kill

  both were dressed as goddesses, in robes that reached the ground

  hiding both their faces under helmets they had found

  “Lethe, you’ll be Aphrodite, his old secret flame

  I shall be Athena, please just don’t forget that name

  you’ll confess your love for Ares, but don’t show your face

  I’ll sneak round and stab him while he’s locked in your embrace”

  Lethe heard Scamander’s plan at least a dozen times

  Scamander even tried to help it stick by using rhymes

  eventually he settled on the very simplest plan

  in the worst case they could still escape him if they ran

  On the way they looked back down upon the land of men

  who, without the help of Ares, settled down again

  but they knew that he’d return before much time had passed

  then a war would wage until old Kronos breathed his last

  Both were very thankful that his injury was great

  for Ares was to die, but first he’d have to sit and wait

  rivers rarely run up hills, and that was half of it

  one’s old memory was shot and one was hardly fit

  After several days they made the climb to meet their foe

  exhausted and confused but both still ready for the show

  they found the god of war in tears upon a big tree stump

  on his leg a cut and on a head a nasty bump

  When he heard the rattle of their helmets he was scared

  he was in no mood for fighting, nor was he prepared

  “who goes there, now show yourself, you cannot hide from me

  if you have no wish to die then I suggest you flee”

  ?βδομο? Στ?χο?

  Seventh Verse

  Luckily the pair arrived one cloudy summer night

  and it was difficult to see them both by candle light

  “it is I, Athena, and I come here bearing news

  a friend requests an audience, and you should not refuse”

  “Athena, your voice sounds so strange, what happened to your speech”

  apparently, her voice had been beyond Scamander’s reach

  “It is nothing, brother, I have simply caught a cold

  do not waste my time again, when did you grow so bold”

  “Apologies, my honoured sister, please do get well soon”

  Ares bowed in fear as clouds revealed the glowing moon

  when he looked back up he saw Scamander’s strange attire

  confused about the helmet, he continued to inquire

  “Why do you adorn yourself in such a human thing

  to a goddess like yourself, what safety could it bring”

  “I shall call our father here, if you don’t watch your tone

  how I choose to dress is no one’s business but my own”

  Scamander’s honest rage began to seep into his voice

  when Ares shrank in fear he knew he’d made the perfect choice

  “I know we’ve had our differences, but that’s not why I’m here

  I have brought a guest to whom you ought to lend an ear”

  Ares looked around Scamander to his other guest

  “who are you and why are you so odd, I mean, well dressed”

  Scamander nudged his friend to say his lines as they’d rehearsed

  but if the Dionysus was nearby he would have cursed

  “I am Aphrodite, I am here to, do something

  oh, that’s right, it is a lover’s message that I bring

  I desire to be with you, wait, who are you again

  anyways, I cannot be with any other men”

  Ares started weeping tears of joy at what he heard

  Scamander thought he’d never witnessed something so absurd

  “I guess love makes fools of all” he said under his breath

  when, while Ares held Lethe, he stabbed Ares to death

  ?γδοο? Στ?χο?

  Eighth Verse

  As if Thanatos had snapped his fingers, he was gone

  for the first time in so long, they met a peaceful dawn

  Lethe shook Scamander’s hand and said “nice to meet you”

  Scamander smiled and replied “yes, it’s nice to meet you too”

  Lethe wandered back to Hades, feeling quite confused

  while Scamander thanked him for the friendship he’d abused

  he limped back down the mountain through a village now at peace

  several gods were disappointed that the war should cease

  In frustration many gods began to whine and shout

  but it made Scamander happy when he saw them pout

  he found somewhere quiet by the riverside to rest

  satisfied but tired out from his overwhelming quest

  He watched with trepidation at the water by his feet

  and soon there was no trace of rotten blood or flesh and meat

  fish were swimming through the river’s water so serene

  the sky was blue, the water clear, and all the grass was green

  Just as he began to hum a tune he longed to hear

  he began to notice several footsteps drawing near

  anxious that some vengeful spirit may be haunting him

  he prepared to run but thought he’d rather try and swim

  Just before he jumped into the river though, he saw

  two gods who had not arrived to enforce any law

  Orpheus and Lethe walking slowly side by side

  one looked happy but the other looked dissatisfied

  “I see you’ve cleaned the river up, I missed you very much

  I tried to sing alone, but without you I’d lost my touch

  by the way, I ran into this river here last night

  if he sat together with us, would that be alright”

  “Of course, the two of you are both quite welcome by my side

  though he lacks a memory, without him I’d have died”

  Orpheus began to play a joyful melody

  but Lethe seemed quite anxious as he sat beneath a tree

  “You must be Scamander, I believe we might have met

  do forgive me sir, there are some things that I forget

  recently in Hades war has broken out, so please

  let me sit and sing with you both, far from that Ares”

  Scamander laughed and limped toward his absent minded friend

  welcoming him to a celebration without end

  the trio and the world around were peaceful and content

  then Orpheus remembered he had two gifts to present

  “I have a golden fleece for each of you to match my own

  now the perfect blanket won’t be mine and mine alone

  the golden ram who fled the world to live among the stars

  gifted me his winter coat once when we met on mars”

  And so Scamander’s journey story ends with nothing out of place

  joyful music in his ears, a smile upon his face

  Lethe wandered off once he’d forgotten how to sing

  and Orpheus could play his lyre, not bothered by a thing

  ~

  Scamander, , , , ,

  Aphrodite, , , ,

  Zeus, , , , ,

  Hypnos, , ,