Soldiers Flaming Demons Meet

The photo is for a visual of just HOW spooky a goats eyes can be when the light hits them at night.

Demons are afoot tonight
Oh what a terrifying sight
Glowing eyes quick to show
Hells demented fiery glow

Run from this witches lair
Return to our homeland fair
Never more do we roam
So far away from our home

Hear the demons snort and stamp
As madly they charge through our camp
Cloven hooves and horns are bright
Shining with a eerie light

Goblins laughter trails down
Circling us round and round
Cursing and knocked to the ground
Never more to be found

Author's Note

http://www.oldandsold.com/articles04/europe13.shtml

These women of Gruyeres appear to have always been a resourceful lot. Once when all the men were with the cattle on the mountains, or at war with their neighbors, and only the women and children remained within the town, the hostile army of Berne sat down before the walls. But the women did not despair. When night came on they gathered together several hundred goats and, fastening flaming torches between their horns, opened the gates and drove them down upon the enemy. Now, in those days witches still dwelt in the forest and goblins yet lived in the mountains, so when the Bernese saw this army of flaming demons charging their camp, they fled incontinently, and the town was saved.

Author's note: My dad's mom's people were Bowman from Switzerland. In doing some research I ran across this story. I found it hilarious. Goats are bad to shake their heads if you have something tied to their horns. I would imagine they were a ghastly sight to superstitious folk. Charging down from the mountain forest shaking their heads and baaing. I know what they are, but I would run from a sight like that lol.

Reviews

[lawrence bear]

awesome, thanks for sharing

[Marion Finnerty]

The flow of this poem is wonderful. The picture is incredibly creepy - I can easily see how that would inspire such fear and superstition. Like you say, even I would run from such a sight probably screaming! :)

[SpitfireGrrrl]

I love this! I'm really fond of folktales, myths, etc - and it's always interesting to me to see how some of the scary superstitious things came to be. Like your goats! Thanks so much for sharing!!

[Another Relic]

Great poem with a good meter and authors note. I enjoyed imensely. 100 from me.

[emmajoy]

What a great marriage of imagination and once upon a time myth .. and, what's more there's a real sense of humour in your words, the use of certain words make a sort of clitter-clatter that adds the sound of goats' movements.

There must be something odd here, i love goats, toads, frogs and owls .. and black cats :))

[OT]

this was really good!! you have a strong 4 beat going through it which makes it very easily readable!! and a very natural read!! I liked it a lot! I agree with G.K below! I'd run too! haha

[Tony]

Goats are peculiar and weird me out.
And this is an excellent poem.
I really like it when I can learn something historical, and the authors note was great writing as well.
Knowing how scary the woods are at night under certain circumstances, I really got a great image of this tale..
Good Stuff, Norma.

[G. K. Bostic]

I just LOVE this! :) And I would run too....as fast as an older broad like me can run!!! ;) Thoroughly enjoyed this one Norma!

[Samuel Dickens]

Norma, what a hoot! Demon-eyed goats. The additional story about the goats with torches is great, too.

[Tony]

The women cleverly defending the town that's cool-- and I dig that picture too!-- and I enjoyed the authors note as well.