The Saga of Nightwing & Flamebird [Abridged]
*coughs* A few people have asked if the Sagas I kept referring to in the latest arc were of my own making. Blasphemy, I say! The Saga of Nightwing & Flamebird is known to all Kryptonian and Kandorian children! And while waiting in line at grocery stores or in doctor's waiting rooms, I studied them very carefully in the original Kryptonian to use as source material for the arc.
So just in case you want to know how totally insane I am (you probably already know, so this will merely be confirmation), I have transcribed just a few key stanzas (fifteen, to be precise) from the original 240-stanza epic.
Coincidentally, the Sagas happen to match up nicely with the form of old Norse alliterative verse found in Beowulf and other Anglo-Saxon poems. Go figure.
In the days before the darkness
When the brave and bold still flourished,
In the golden-gated city,
Lor Shah Mal, the ever-shining
Rose a lord of lightless cruelty,
Bin-Alon of bitter memory.
With his sword and spells he slew them,
The true kings of that fair country.
All the land in fear then foundered;
Hope was lost in deepest horror.
[Stanzas 2-13 detail the despair and suffering of the land]
Then rose up the noble Nightwing,
Worthiest of Krypton's warriors,
To counter all the dark king's cruelty,
To bring pure peace back to the people.
Violet eyes alight with valor,
Black his armor, burnished brightly.
His beauty bright shone through the darkness--
Nightwing, Krypton's greatest captain!
Also then arose the Flamebird,
Nightwing's friend, his fairest comrade.
Golden wings all gilt in glory;
Son of the sun, a soul of passion.
Shield of scarlet always ready
To protect and guard the people.
Steadfast by the side of Nightwing--
Flamebird, lord of light and love!
[Stanzas 16-40 are a detailed description of the lineage, history, appearance and personality of each hero. Highly tedious, I'm doing you a favor by trimming them]
Bin-Alon, the vain and boastful,
Looked upon the land he lorded;
Lor Shah Mal, the shining city
Humbled now beneath his heel.
On the gates of gold he saw them,
Words of righteousness and rage:
"Coward king and pale pretender,
Face us, fight us, craven foe!"
[Stanzas 42-66 are the first appearances of the heroes, their first clashes with the armies and minions of Bin-Alon.
Stanzas 67-77 detail their early defeat and resolution to seek the gods for succor.]
Through the country torn, they traveled
Robed in rags, their forms disguised.
Searching always for salvation
For the help of hallowed hands.
Their goodly garb they set aside
To walk the world as common wights,
But all who saw them stopped to wonder--
Naught could mask their noble mien.
[Stanzas 79-130 tell of those early quests and the friends and enemies they made. The usual cast of helpful characters and archetypes, of course.
Stanzas 131-170 detail the Time of Separation, where each hero struggles alone, climaxing with the Great Trials.
Flamebird is sent a vision by Bin-Alon to try and crush his spirit.]
In the glass a vision glimmered:
A shining city crushed and cowed.
Desolate, destroyed, abandoned,
Failed by Flamebird, lost forever!
Then a voice of vile intentions,
Scornful, serpent-like, and sly,
Spoke to Flamebird as he faltered,
Trapped in terror, gaze aghast.
"Too late to save the ones you love--
Their foolish faith in you betrayed!
Your hubris led them to this horror:
Blame and blight are yours alone!"
Sank he then in shame and sorrow,
Vision blurred by veils of tears.
Dark despair assailed his soul,
And from his heart the hope departed.
Flamebird knelt upon the flagstones,
Cold and cruel against his palms;
Lone and lost in lamentation,
Mazed in mists of shattered joy.
But a sound came through the silence,
Through the haze of hopelessness:
"Dear companion, destined comrade,
Hear me now and hearken well!
Never shall this nightmare vision
Come to pass while we have power!
Leave behind these lightless lies--
Trust in truth, believe your brother!"
[Meanwhile, Nightwing is trapped in his own nightmare vision]
Then his heart was gripped by horror,
By a phantasm of fear:
A thicket of the cruelest thorns
Growing round him, grim and strong.
None could draw near, none defeat them;
Poniard-sharp, they pierced his heart.
Then a wicked whisper found him,
Filled with poison and with pain:
"Friendless and alone your fate is;
No one near you in the darkness.
Perish now by thorns of pride
In the cage that you have crafted!"
Sharp and sure the thorns entrapped him,
In his throat they cut his cries.
And his confidence did quail then,
Passion lost in pain and grief.
But through agony and anguish,
Then came words of warmth and comfort:
"Dearest friend and heart's desire,
Listen to your lover's voice!
This dark image shall not daunt you;
I am here to hold you always.
Break the bonds of these vain visions,
From your jail return to joy!"
[Stanzas 176-180 detail their reunion and travels together to the Great Volcano to meet with Rao and Yuda]
In the maw of deepest mountains
In the pit of passion's flame,
Flamebird bowed before the Father,
Rao the Kindler, King of all.
Begged he then a boon, a favor,
From the Father, the Flame-Bringer:
"Give to me a blade to brandish,
One to brighten heavy hearts."
On the peak so pure and frozen,
Cold and clear beneath the stars,
Nightwing knelt before the Mother,
Wise and wondrous, gentle Yuda.
Begged he then a boon, a favor,
From the Mother, the Moon-maker:
"Give to me a staff of shadows,
One to daunt the souls of darkness."
[Stanzas 183-201 show their renewed fighting against Bin-Alon.
Stanzas 202-228 are the great Final Battle, ending with the apparent self-sacrifice of the heroes]
Then the mountain cracked and crumbled
Flame burst forth in deadly fountains;
And the wizard's spells were shattered
Darkness lifted, light returning.
But the heroes--holy, dauntless--
Came not back from that dark chasm.
The city fair and free now flourished--
Its price was high, and paid in full!
Then, above the chants and cheering,
Clear above the wails and weeping,
Came a call: "Oh folk of Krypton,
Have now hope! Look to the heavens!"
In the sky there came a shining,
Clearest azure, brightest crimson;
Spreading wings above the world--
The spirits pure of our protectors.
Twined together in their glory,
Wonderful and vast, this vision!
Came there then the voice of valor,
From the phoenix soul of Flamebird:
"Evildoers shall not enter
Through these gates while we do guard them."
Also spoke the shade of Nightwing,
Infinite and indigo:
"Let the wicked ones be warned now
Or face great wrath on our returning!"
[232-240 are denouement and rebuilding, concluding with the closing half-stanza]
So my tale is told and ended,
So I charge you now, my children:
Forget not Nightwing and Flamebird,
Fair and kingly, Krypton's finest!
So just in case you want to know how totally insane I am (you probably already know, so this will merely be confirmation), I have transcribed just a few key stanzas (fifteen, to be precise) from the original 240-stanza epic.
Coincidentally, the Sagas happen to match up nicely with the form of old Norse alliterative verse found in Beowulf and other Anglo-Saxon poems. Go figure.
In the days before the darkness
When the brave and bold still flourished,
In the golden-gated city,
Lor Shah Mal, the ever-shining
Rose a lord of lightless cruelty,
Bin-Alon of bitter memory.
With his sword and spells he slew them,
The true kings of that fair country.
All the land in fear then foundered;
Hope was lost in deepest horror.
[Stanzas 2-13 detail the despair and suffering of the land]
Then rose up the noble Nightwing,
Worthiest of Krypton's warriors,
To counter all the dark king's cruelty,
To bring pure peace back to the people.
Violet eyes alight with valor,
Black his armor, burnished brightly.
His beauty bright shone through the darkness--
Nightwing, Krypton's greatest captain!
Also then arose the Flamebird,
Nightwing's friend, his fairest comrade.
Golden wings all gilt in glory;
Son of the sun, a soul of passion.
Shield of scarlet always ready
To protect and guard the people.
Steadfast by the side of Nightwing--
Flamebird, lord of light and love!
[Stanzas 16-40 are a detailed description of the lineage, history, appearance and personality of each hero. Highly tedious, I'm doing you a favor by trimming them]
Bin-Alon, the vain and boastful,
Looked upon the land he lorded;
Lor Shah Mal, the shining city
Humbled now beneath his heel.
On the gates of gold he saw them,
Words of righteousness and rage:
"Coward king and pale pretender,
Face us, fight us, craven foe!"
[Stanzas 42-66 are the first appearances of the heroes, their first clashes with the armies and minions of Bin-Alon.
Stanzas 67-77 detail their early defeat and resolution to seek the gods for succor.]
Through the country torn, they traveled
Robed in rags, their forms disguised.
Searching always for salvation
For the help of hallowed hands.
Their goodly garb they set aside
To walk the world as common wights,
But all who saw them stopped to wonder--
Naught could mask their noble mien.
[Stanzas 79-130 tell of those early quests and the friends and enemies they made. The usual cast of helpful characters and archetypes, of course.
Stanzas 131-170 detail the Time of Separation, where each hero struggles alone, climaxing with the Great Trials.
Flamebird is sent a vision by Bin-Alon to try and crush his spirit.]
In the glass a vision glimmered:
A shining city crushed and cowed.
Desolate, destroyed, abandoned,
Failed by Flamebird, lost forever!
Then a voice of vile intentions,
Scornful, serpent-like, and sly,
Spoke to Flamebird as he faltered,
Trapped in terror, gaze aghast.
"Too late to save the ones you love--
Their foolish faith in you betrayed!
Your hubris led them to this horror:
Blame and blight are yours alone!"
Sank he then in shame and sorrow,
Vision blurred by veils of tears.
Dark despair assailed his soul,
And from his heart the hope departed.
Flamebird knelt upon the flagstones,
Cold and cruel against his palms;
Lone and lost in lamentation,
Mazed in mists of shattered joy.
But a sound came through the silence,
Through the haze of hopelessness:
"Dear companion, destined comrade,
Hear me now and hearken well!
Never shall this nightmare vision
Come to pass while we have power!
Leave behind these lightless lies--
Trust in truth, believe your brother!"
[Meanwhile, Nightwing is trapped in his own nightmare vision]
Then his heart was gripped by horror,
By a phantasm of fear:
A thicket of the cruelest thorns
Growing round him, grim and strong.
None could draw near, none defeat them;
Poniard-sharp, they pierced his heart.
Then a wicked whisper found him,
Filled with poison and with pain:
"Friendless and alone your fate is;
No one near you in the darkness.
Perish now by thorns of pride
In the cage that you have crafted!"
Sharp and sure the thorns entrapped him,
In his throat they cut his cries.
And his confidence did quail then,
Passion lost in pain and grief.
But through agony and anguish,
Then came words of warmth and comfort:
"Dearest friend and heart's desire,
Listen to your lover's voice!
This dark image shall not daunt you;
I am here to hold you always.
Break the bonds of these vain visions,
From your jail return to joy!"
[Stanzas 176-180 detail their reunion and travels together to the Great Volcano to meet with Rao and Yuda]
In the maw of deepest mountains
In the pit of passion's flame,
Flamebird bowed before the Father,
Rao the Kindler, King of all.
Begged he then a boon, a favor,
From the Father, the Flame-Bringer:
"Give to me a blade to brandish,
One to brighten heavy hearts."
On the peak so pure and frozen,
Cold and clear beneath the stars,
Nightwing knelt before the Mother,
Wise and wondrous, gentle Yuda.
Begged he then a boon, a favor,
From the Mother, the Moon-maker:
"Give to me a staff of shadows,
One to daunt the souls of darkness."
[Stanzas 183-201 show their renewed fighting against Bin-Alon.
Stanzas 202-228 are the great Final Battle, ending with the apparent self-sacrifice of the heroes]
Then the mountain cracked and crumbled
Flame burst forth in deadly fountains;
And the wizard's spells were shattered
Darkness lifted, light returning.
But the heroes--holy, dauntless--
Came not back from that dark chasm.
The city fair and free now flourished--
Its price was high, and paid in full!
Then, above the chants and cheering,
Clear above the wails and weeping,
Came a call: "Oh folk of Krypton,
Have now hope! Look to the heavens!"
In the sky there came a shining,
Clearest azure, brightest crimson;
Spreading wings above the world--
The spirits pure of our protectors.
Twined together in their glory,
Wonderful and vast, this vision!
Came there then the voice of valor,
From the phoenix soul of Flamebird:
"Evildoers shall not enter
Through these gates while we do guard them."
Also spoke the shade of Nightwing,
Infinite and indigo:
"Let the wicked ones be warned now
Or face great wrath on our returning!"
[232-240 are denouement and rebuilding, concluding with the closing half-stanza]
So my tale is told and ended,
So I charge you now, my children:
Forget not Nightwing and Flamebird,
Fair and kingly, Krypton's finest!