Mighty Thor Speaks To Us

Originally titled “Heritage – Mighty Thor Speaks to Us” by Jost and Teffy (1986)

 The snow was fresh that mystic night,
 And sparkled in our fire's light.
 The scent and warmth of burning pine
 Had eased the chill of winter time.
 The moon was full and climbing higher, 
`though dimmed behind our smoking fire.
 The coyotes howled and barked and screamed,
 And water rushed through rocky streams. 
 We sat around our fire and told
 Of heroes and of days of old.
 We taught our youth here on this ridge 
 Their cherished ancient heritage.
 We spoke of music, art, and Folk,
 Within that frozen grove of oak.
 We talked of honor and of right, 
 Expounding courage, strength and might!

 But then we spoke of nowadays:
 Our long lost tribe and alien ways,
 Of governments which worship gold,
 Of leaders who are bought and sold.
 But as we spoke of death and doom,
 A northern cloud obscured the moon!
 A frightful wind began to blow
 Which caused the trees to bend and bow. 
 As thunder crashed beyond the oak,
 A form appeared in wind-strewn smoke. 
 It was a giant of a man
 Who held a hammer in his hand!
 As he approached we came to feel
 The proper act would be to kneel.
 But as we knelt, our heads low bowed, 
 His angry voice now thundered loud!

 "Enough of this groveling and cringing!" he said
 "I've no holes in my feet and no thorns on my head! 
 Why do you think that a God is a foe,
 A being who judges and brings weal or woe?
 You should understand that a God is a friend,
 Yes, someone who's like you, whom you comprehend! 
 This bowing and scraping is not what we need,
 So pick yourselves up! Take a drink of my mead!"

 Upright `fore him we stood in awe.
 A warrior tall and proud we saw,
 With fiery beard and sky-blue eyes. 
 We now began to realize,
 Before us stood the mighty Thor,
 That God of old, so famed in lore!
 The wind now ceased, `though clouds remained.
 A dreadful mystic stillness reigned.
 He poured us mead, then shook his head,
 And with a fearsome growl, he said:
 "What's natural in life is what's sacred to me!
 So very few people perceive this, you see.
 Just look at the forest and see all these stumps!
 The oceans have all become chemical dumps! 
 The beasts of the earth are all getting so rare!
 Just look all around at the state of the air!"

 He gnashed his teeth and flexed his arms,
 Then calmed himself and smiled with charm. 
 The atmosphere now changed from fear
 To one which gave us joy and cheer!

 "By living in harmony with nature, you see,
 All people can prosper as well as be free
 From all these afflictions which plague man today!
 They're one and the same: nature's laws and my way!
 The forces of nature must e'er be preserved
 For all to survive, this is truth, take my word!
 And that is why so many temples of yore
 Adorned the deep forest or graced the sea shore!"

 He grinned as he looked up and down
 At starless sky and snow-clad ground,
 then stood there staring for awhile,
 Still on his lips a gentle smile.
 His eyes were sparkling like two stars,
 His stance relaxed, his gaze afar.
 Then suddenly he stood erect,
 With muscles bulging in his neck.
 He raised his fist up in the air.
 His voice rose like a growling bear.

 "Eschew alien ways and the preachers they suit!
 And look deep within for your spiritual roots!
 Your values, your virtues, and what it compels,
 Yes, that's your religion! You need nothing else!
 Your heritage, culture! In this you should delve!
 You must understand your religion's yourselves!
 For you are the Gods and they're you, yes indeed!
 I'm just a reflection of all you should be!"

 Then Thor relaxed and gave a smile.
 He spoke again with earnest style:

 "Your purpose in life, like all creatures on earth,
 Is insuring ennoblement, virtues and worth,
 And high evolution for your kind of man!
 For this aspiration do all that you can!
 By natural selection does all nature thrive,
 Insuring the best in each species survives!
 The next generations need planning and thought:
 Intelligence, character, strength should be sought!
 One thing you should learn now before it's too late:
 To exercise care when selecting a mate!
 Besides procreation you should realize
 Your ongoing purpose is to service the tribe.
 There's no higher virtue than such sacrifice.
 Without selfless service there's no joy in life!"

 The voice of Thor now raised in pitch,
 And thundered through that forest niche.

 "Remember your heritage rests with the youth!
 So teach them these values, these virtues, this truth!
 Your kinsmen of old placed much value in strength:
 A virtue which should be considered at length!
 For weaklings are creatures which never survive,
 and that's not just muscles, but all that's inside!
 Extol self-reliance, and pull your own weight!
 Now make that your way or be slaves to the State!
 Adversity's seen as a challenge, you see,
 So meet it with zeal, an adventure indeed!
 Now fight to the death for what's deemed to be right!
 Your kinsmen of old never fled from a fight!
 Live life to the fullest! Enjoy all the best!
 And when you meet death, have a smile and a jest!"

 He paused a bit and took a drink,
 And then with sadness, said: "I think
 That these days it's Just about gone out of mode,
 But in olden times we lived by honor's code!
 We need to revive it and make it our way.
 To live life with honor is needed today.
 Aspire to this virtue,don't let yourself fail!
 It's so very simple, here's what it entails:

 First loyalty to family, to Folk and to tribe,
 In all circumstances, where'er you reside!
 Of sanctity of word, let there ne'er be a dearth;
 Don't ever forget that your word is your worth!
 Now fairness in dealings is truly admired,
 Your honesty's certainly always required!
 Another requirement's to squarely face life
 With courage, no matter the trouble or strife!
 Yes, loyalty, honesty, worth in your word,
 And courage! They're all what your honor infers!"

 We ventured now to question Thor
 About occult and mystic lore.
 He laughed aloud and slapped his side,
 His voice resounding far and wide.

 "These matters were pondered by mortals for years.
 The answers they gave produced torment and tears!
 Don't bother yourself with that hereafter lore,
 There's so much on earth to prepare yourselves for!
 Leave questions like that to the whimpering kind.
 Face death as adventure, fear not what you'll find!
 Forget all that dogma, it breeds only strife!
 Observance of nature solves mysteries in life."

 Thor drank some mead and wiped his chin,
 Then winked his eye and spoke again:

 "Yes, truth lives in nature and this I must say:
 Things only make sense when approached nature's way!
 By strength of the will and the power of mind,
 You'll understand all of the mysteries you find,
 For mysteries of death and the mysteries of fate,
 Your mind has the power. Explore and create!"

 His voice then lowered just a tad.
 His gaze seemed just a little sad.

 "Now this is no secret but ought to be said:
 Although I'm a God I may one day be dead!
 If Gods were immortal they could not inspire
 A natural life with its zest and its fire!
 If Gods were immortal they could not know fear,
 Or courage, how boring, the thought brings a tear!
 Remember: I'm just a reflection of you,
 Of all that you are and of all that you do!
 And I only live for as long as my tribe.
 As long as you're living then I shall survive!"

 But then he laughed and clenched his fist,
 His hammer raised in smokey mist.
 With beaming face, that mighty Thor
 Elaborated still some more:

 "Now each needs their own inspirational light
 To guide them all on to those spiritual heights.
 Some follow the warrior: to them life's a war.
 To others the virtue of love offer more.
 It makes little difference so long as we feel
 Inspired with joy and with spiritual zeal!"

 He raised his horn up towards an oak,
 Then shook with joy and blithely spoke:

 "For spiritual experience I must recommend
 An old universally uplifting trend!
 In feasting and dancing there's naught to annoy,
 Since these are all expressions of joy!
 For joy is a natural part of our being.
 Experiencing joy is experiencing me!
 So sing and be merry, yes, dance and have fun!
 It's natural and should be religiously done!
 But spiritual joy should not end at the fest.
 To realize joy is a spiritual quest!
 Don't ever be gloomy! Don't ever be sour!
 Be lighthearted always for spiritual power!"

 We stood there silently entranced
 And gazed at him with eyes that danced.
 His inspiration had instilled
 Determination, strength of will.
 To us, he represented all
 Our aspirations, great and small.
 We saw within his sky blue eyes,
 the joy of being strong and wise.
 He now put forth one final thought:
 The essence of those things he'd taught.

 "You should realize though I have been concise
 That all that I've said shows a great way of life!
 Religion is something that binds you this way,
 It's needed and useful and joyful each day!
 Your religion's yourself, and you know what that means:
 Your heritage! Values! The fruit of your genes!"

 He offered one last drink of mead.
 We knew 'twas time for him to leave.
 He drained his horn and wiped his mouth,
 As moonlight glimmered from the south.
 We saw the clouds begin to clear,
 The southern stars had reappeared.
 But then a wind began to blow,
 Again the trees did bend and bow,
 And, as the thunder loudly spoke,
 Thor faded back into the smoke.