Acherad, "To Fear Helios, To Be Helios" and The Perpetual Katabasis!
The funny thing about me as a writer is that, while I have a huge amount of faith in my work, I still get hit by shock whenever I see its impact or how far it travels. When Rex approached me about using some of my poetry for his new band, Acherad, I was very excited. Seeing someone bring life to and interpret my poetry was a fascinating experience. It was almost witnessing metamorphosis - I saw the most difficult winter of my life evolve.
Horrible experiences which ate at me, and still do, became stanzas and poems. Those poems and works, in the hands of Acherad, became music and song. And now, while those experiences still feel like a dagger in the gut, I feel we reached into that wound together and pulled out something profound.
It was awe inspiring for me to hear it. From there on, we collaborated on the rest of the tracks. Our work together explored a bunch of topics from a variety of places. I am perhaps most proud of our expeditions into Hittite mythology, it was a trip and a half to delve into it and the lyrics we pulled out ( "Illuyanka" and "On Spears Engraved") are some of my favorites on the whole album.
So, to summarize, I'm extremely proud to have been (and still be!) part of The Eternal Katabasis and I hope you all enjoy.
https://youtu.be/rZQkaJ3em-I?si=KzqfaBji5j_ZubO0
The poem "To Fear Helios, To Be Helios":
To Fear Helios, To Be Helios
We float in coffins
Dead but awake
All the burdens of pseudo life
For us to shoulder and take
-----
There came a time that never left
There was a beauty shown in jest
There came killers to wrest
And Solon said it best
-------
The journey is long,
The sun burns the brittle coffin wood
Cruel cosmos draws in
Our ashes become so much refuse
--------
There came a time that never left
The few, the proud were left bereft
There's no climbing back from these depths
And Wilde said it best
--------
If time won't leave then I must
To where you, the others, couldn't
And if it were in my power to save you all
Rest assured, my fellows, I wouldn't
---------
Despair, sadness, heartbreak, lies
(Rest assured, my fellows, I wouldn't )
Pain, blood, spit, gauged eyes
(Rest assured, my fellows, I wouldn't )
Beg, plead, barter, bargain
Rest assured, I won't
A Leper to Lepers
The chains embedded in my flesh
They creak and drag upon the skin
My limbs have not been my own for so long
Mine are not the words I sing
And though I am Fenrir, you are the chain
And though I am Prometheus, I plead in vain
The gods would keep me no longer
A leper to lepers!
The world grows suddenly still
Who will be the first to draw?
Spit at my vanity
I contain more than you'll ever know
And though I am Judas, you are my field
And though I am Typhon, I'm struck by your will
The gods would keep me no longer
A leper to lepers!
I know the worth of my vanity
I know the worth of my enmity
I know you fear me
A leper to lepers!
Leper to lepers to lepers to lepers to lepers
Explanation of cover -
In ancient times, lepers were typically marked by different items beyond their distinctive appearance. One I could not convey was a type of tunic that would hide their torso and put an extra layer between them and you. But in the picture there are three others-
A rattler (left) and a bell (right) were used to inform people a leper is passing by. These were some of the earliest means of avoiding communicable disease.
a mask - many lepers chose to wear a mask to hide their disfigurement. While traditionally they wore a leather or cloth mask, the richer the leper the fancier the mask would be.
The Hebrew word is for leper. Interestingly the etymology in Hebrew for leper is “he in whom evil is found” or he who is struck by evil".”
Herakles Δ - Apotheosis
In the last part of my Herakles series, I decided to make a piece exploring apotheosis. For those that don't know, following his death, Herakles was elevated by Zeus from a demigod to a god. The process of becoming a god is rendered apotheosis* in both English and Ancient Greek.
The reason why I chose to zero in on this in the last part, even though our Theban friend's story was not at an end, is to discern whether this was a boon or a burden. Here was a creature who, for all his heroism, suffered greatly in life psychologically. He toiled and accomplished amazing things, but Herakles' scars were many and accumulating. The question then becomes - does apotheosis cure him of these concerns or is he, in a way, cursed to forever carry this burden with him?
As the venom eats at my chest,
The Hydra's venom carries me to my rest
I look beyond the flame of my pyre
To Zeus' behest
Am I damned or blessed?
For my immortality I go not sleep
And though many kneel before me,
The price of apotheosis is steep
My shoulders held heavens, east to west
But will this labor be one I can wrest?
"It's hard to tell sometime" I think, in jest,
Whom the gods adore and whom they detest
Am I damned or am I blessed?
For my apotheosis I go not sleep
And in darkness I find myself asking
Who does the keeper keep?
The future is eternal here
For the first time I feel fear
But the morrow, ruthless, it comes
And I greet it in fighting spirit and good cheer
Herakles Γ: What Wrath Hath Wrought
In the penultimate entrance in the Herakles series, we go to another lesser known story about our Theban friend. This one centers around his relationship to Troy.
Very basically, between his labors, Herakles travelled the ancient world when he came to Troy. King Laomedon, then regent, asked of Herakles to help rescue his daughter, Hesione. She was about to be eaten by a sea monster (descriptions vary but I typically hear of it being described as a dragon) and it was up to Herakles to save her. He struck a deal with Laomedon whereby he would save his daughter and in return he would receive magical horses. Why did Laomedon have magical horses? Why was Troy being beset by a large sea dragon? These are stories for another day. *
Anyway, Herakles went on his merry way, as he often did, and rescued the beautiful Hesione from a very ugly fate. Laomedon however, not being the sharpest tool in the shed, decided that this gigantic demigod was the perfect target for some impromptu shiftiness. So after having his daughter back, the man reneged on his previous arrangement and told Herakles he cannot have his horses. Herakles, in anger but due back in the court of Eurystheus, vowed revenge upon the king and his people.
A few years later, Herakles made good on his vow. He returned to Troy accompanied by an army and laid siege to the city. In said siege he slayed Laomedon and all his male heirs but one - Podarces. Podarces, who you might know as King Priam, is a story for another day as well.+
What Wrath Hath Wrought
With one hand I lifted Hesione to salvation
With the other I brought the dragon to ruin
And yet you deny me,
And yet you deny me!
Your shining city will shine no more
I will tear down houses wall by wall
My fury shall be the fodder of fables
All will know that which my wrath hath wrought
The shrieks of a city on fire are deafening
Tears fall and dry in the flame
Not every man is king
But they will suffer for Laomedon's shame
Your shining city will shine no more
Bowed and bleeding on the floor
My fury shall be the fodder of fables
All will know that which my wrath hath wrought
And in the wake of my wrath,
As the blood leaves my eyes clean,
Your spread ashes will know what you didn't
What stealing from Herakles means
*The story of the magical horses is a part of the abduction of Ganymede. The dragon arrived in Troy as a result of a previous deal Laomedon reneged on with Poseidon and Apollo.
+ Podarces' survival was bartered for by Hesione. She ransomed her little brother for a veil given to her for Aphrodite. Herakles' friend and general Telamon took Hesione as his wife following this siege. Their son, Teucer (Teucros) would go on to fight for the Greeks in the Trojan War.