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FEN R I S, TH E WOLF
A TRAGEDY
PERCY MACKAYEAUTHOR OF
!THE CANTERBURYmums ”
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r, 1905 ,
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Set up and e lecuotyped. Published April, 1905 .
NORMAN H APGOOD
CRITIC AND FRIEND
AUTHOR’
S NOTE
THE invocation of Ingimund to Odin, on page 38,is adapted fromFragments of a Spe ll Song, pre serve da s an insertion in the Gre at Play of the Wolsungs,
and to be found, both original and transla tion, in theCorpus Poe tz
'
cumBorea le of Vigfusson and Powell,Ox ford, 1883 .
For dramatic reasons, various liberties have beentaken by the writer with those elements of this playwhich are drawn fromScandinavian mytho logy. For
ex ample, according to mythology, the Fenris-wolf isthe offspring, not of Odin, but of Loki ; the wolf andBa ldur are not brothers ; no mention is made of thewo lf’s Pa ck. Moreover, in the Old Icelandic utte rance s of the Pack— for purposes of soundme relya pre terite form has twice been use d for a prese ntte nse, as in Ulfr sofna t/zz
’
,
! the wo lf sle epe th .
Where authenticity, howeve r, ha s harmonised withthe dramatic ide a, it has equally be en the writer’s a im.
CORNISH, N.H March, 1905 .
CHARACTERS
PROLOGUE
ODIN
BALDURTHOR
LOKI
FENRIS
FENRIS’S PACK
FREYJA
INGIMUND, Priest of 0a?”
EGIL, a HunterARFI, a Dwa rf , lu
’
s brother
YORUL, Iiegemanof Egfl
ROLF, Iiegemanof n‘
l
ERIC, Iz‘
egemanof Egil
WULDOR, Iiegemanof ArfiA LITTLE BOY
THORDIS, da ughter of Ingx‘mand priestess
FRIDA, one of her VirgzmA LITTLE GIRL
FOLK, PRIESTS, VIRGINs, CHILDREN
SCENES
THE PROLOGUE. The cra ter of a volcano ; dawn.
ACT FIRST. SCENE I . The rune - stone of Odin, outside a
SCENE II . Egil’s lodge in the f orest ; tow
ACT SECOND. SCENE l. A pri sonchamber ; day.
SCENE I I . The same ; night.
ACT THIRD . A forest gla de ; the pool ofmorning.
ACT FOURTH The rune - stone aga in; sunset.
AND PLACE
The Age of N orthernMythology ; I celand . The incidents ofthe play a re conceived a s ta king place within the cycle of
THE PROLOGUE
Foreground— a froz en crate r
At ha ck,a ca ve rn. Overhanging this
,a t lef t and ha ck
,
snow - crusted clifi'
s, pa rtly ha red hy the winds, stand out
aga inst the sta rs.
Onone of these, ODIN se a ted ; onhis shoulde rs
,tzoo ra vens.
Bene a th him, inthe cra te r and ca vern, ha lf-disce rnible ,FENRIs and his PACK.
ODIN
He sleeps, yet restive still ; with eye lids squintThrough which his e ye s, in dreams still shifting, flashLike flame through knot- hole s. Ye t he sle eps ; beside
himH is wild pack, crouching, share his cha in .
—A lullBetwix tmoonset and sunrise, one a t lea st,One lull in that insensate harsh defiance ,The bea st-night-barking ofmywolfish son.
You sta rs ! Fenris is quiet. Now the dewsMay fall in sile nce
,now the mounta inbirds
Nest sile nt by the unawakenedmorning,The wide da rk fold its wings and dre am. Now peace
,
The infinite soliloquy of thought,Descends onOdin.
4 FENRIS, THE WOLF
[A silent pa use , during which the firstpa le signs of dawnappea r on the crags. Odinwhispers to the ra vens on
his shoulders and theyfly away. He sitsmotionless and
THE PACK
[Slnmhroa slyJUlfr ! Ulfr sofna thi
ODIN
[Ga z es aga inonFENRIS ]
That this dread should breathe !And you beast born fromoutmy loins—tome ,Tome , that fromthis forehe a d plucked an eyeTo pawn for Mimi’s knowledge —Wisdom, truth,Beauty, and law, the tranquil goals ofmind,All these had I attaine d, and I a god ;Yet onthe lank, a lluring hag of ChaosBegat this son, this living fang.
[Slnmhronsbn]Ulfr ! Ulfr sofna thi !
ODIN
O thouDumb spirit of the mind ! 0 mystery !Were there a god whomOdinmight invoke,To thee would Odin sue for pity.
—Ages,A thousand ages, anguish ;Anguish, remorse, forgiveness, ma lediction,
THE PROLOGUE
Light into darkness, horror into hope,Revolving evermore. O pain, 0 pain,Sea r notmy spirit blind ! Thou, tameless wolf,God of the vo id eternal retrograde,Prone deity of self, by that thou artIllimitable passion, joyancemadOf be ing, hate, brute- cunning, gnawing lust,Fenris, I curse thee .
[Fenris woken]
THE PACK
Ulfr Ulfr va kna thi
ODINStill that name !
FENRISFather
ODIN
Fenris, my son, forgiveme .
FENRIS
Fetch Fenris Freyj a.
ODINBastard wo lf,
Be silent.
6 FENRIS, THE WOLF
FENRIS
Ba ldur, my brother’s bride betrothed,
Freyja , fetch me .
ODIN
Still no longing but ’tis lust,No aspiration but ’
tis appetite .
FENRIS
Anarch ! anarch ! anarch ! Fa ther, free me !
ODIN
Free thee, thou poor antagonist. Knowest thouNot yet why thou art cha ined ? Re tarde d thing,Emancipate thyself ! What might it ava ilThough Odin burst these links and loosed thee ?Thou
Thyself art thine ownbondage and thy pain.
THE PACKUlfr ! Ulfr !
FENRI S
Anarch anarch Ulfr
ODIN
Yet could’st thou show some gene sis of good,Some spring of growth . Ha dst thou, in all these ages,Wax e d towa rd my stature imperceptiblyEven a s the seed, tha t germina tes in darkness,Feels towa rd the sky ; yea, hadst thou now one palePotential spark of godhood, noble r desire,Evolving intellect, one lineal trait
THE PROLOGUE 7
To prove that upward through thy brutish heartYe a rns infinite Reason, eve n now, poor son,Would I strike off these fe tte rs, set thee fre e,The e and thy pack, and put my hope intime.
THE PACK
Heil ! Heil, Othinn!FENRIS
Fenris Free him.
ODIN
But 10 ! instead, what art thou ? Ye faint stars,Before you Close your eyes in day, once moreBe hold him ! Ye icy craters and hoar caves,Thou solitary dawn, eterna l sky,Pe rennial snows you timeless presences,Be hold your consummation : this, even this,Is Odin’s elder son, creation
’s heir !
FENRIS
Anarch ! anarch ! anarch ! anarch ! anarch !
[0din, covering his f a ce , turns away and disappea rs hehind
the crag. Fenris, with his pa ck, retires into the ca ve rn,dragging his cha in Outside BALDUR is hea rd singing,
j oined, in chorus, hy the voices of na ture onwhomheca lls.]
BALDUR
Flushing peak, fainting star,Freyja
Torches in thy temple are,Freyja !
8 FENRIS, THE WOLF
Spirits of a ir,Anses and e lves,Brightens the dawn,Freyja is gone.
Come ! le t us go to her, girding ourselves.
CHORUS
Freyja, where a rt thou ?Where Where
[FREYJA enters, loohingf e a tfully a round he r .]
FREYJA
Those giant beards and backs They turn and look.
The pe aks pursueme , and the nudging clifi sThrust out great chins and stare. Where should thislead
BALDUR
Outside ]
Mortal day, man’s desires
,
Freyja !Fee d onearth thine altar-fire s,
Freyja !Spirits of earth,Wood- sprites and Wanes,Gone is our mirth,Sorrow remains.
Come ! le t us hasten and bid her beware !
CHORUS
Freyja, where art thou ?Where Where ?
IO FENRIS , THE WOLF
FREYJA
Tellme what thing of nameless woe
BALDUROh, come
And ask not. Come away to Va lha l.
[H e le a ds he r impe tuously away f romthe cra te r towa rd thesunrise .]
FREYJA
[Re sistsgently.]Baldur
BALDUR
Freyja, look down ! Spring leaps among theAnd calls his universal flocks, to drink
The love of Freyja.
The forests rush together and the groves,And the ma le oaks, like he rded e lk a t wa r
,
Tangle their budding antle rs, andmoan loudFor Freyja
’
s love .
Look down ! The silvered pastures and the lake sLift all their sacrificial clouds, to crave
The love of Freyja ;And day’s bright stallion, snorting in the east,Paws the pale streamof morning into goldAnd champs his go lden curb to burning foam
For Freyja’s love.
[He draws he r f a rthe r away.]
THE PROLOGUE I I
FREYJA
But if one yearn in vain
[7718 ra ttle of Fenris’smana cles echoes inthe cra te r .]
THE PACKUlfr ! Ulfr vakna thi !
Listen ! The y cryThe wolf awak ene th ! What wolf ? And whyThat clang of steel ?
FREYJA
[Indrea dful wonder .]
But he
BALDURA beast
Untamed and tameless . Ask notwith thine eyesFenris,my brother.
FREYJA
[Springs j oyf ully towa rd the era te rn]
Ah
BALDUR
[Stays he r .]
Where art thou going ?
FREYJA
lover’s kindred. Were it not well ?
I 2 FENRIS, THE WOLF
BALDUR
Oh, would it were ! Look not ; this kin is monstrous .
Is it not a god as we ?
BALDUR
It is a god,Freyja, but not as we . It is the wolf-god,Lord of the dumb and kithle ss wild
,that live
To breed and kill their forms of dreadful beautyA vacant sacrifice to him : the doe ,
Tha t stills all night her knocking heart, to he arThe wood-ca t’s footfall, breathes mute praye r to
Fenris ;The frothing stag, that blazons the black boarWith gules of dea th, bruits hymns to Fenris ; yetTheir pangs assuage himnot, for he himselfRemains the abject deity of lust,His rite s, the stretched claw and the stiffened mane ;His priest— a sate d fang ; his altar fear.
But whymakes he his sanctuary thusLonely in desola tion ?
BALDUR’Tis the will
Of Odin. Ask no more. This cleft he choseWherein to hide the secret woe of the world,That never thou shouldst look upon its face.
THE PROLOGUE I 3
BALDUR
Thou, O maiden! Thou art the hope of the world.
FENRIS
Freyja !FREYJA
He calls me.
FREYJAHark ! He yearns
For me !BALDUR
[Urging he r away.]’Tis Odin’s will .
FENRIS
Freyja
He criesIn pain . Hold me no longe r. Fenris !
ODIN
[Ente ring, inte rcepts he r pa th with his spea r .]
Stay !FREYJA
A llfathe r ! hark his pa in. Alas, poor wolf !
I4 FENRIS, THE WOLF
ODIN
Poorwolf ? Poorworld ! poor blind, precarious Re ason,Be neath whose sovereign throne this horror sits,Cat- crouching to usurp it. Fear him ; go !
Ai ! a i l anarch ! Freyja !
FREYJA
He yearns for me. AmI not beautiful ?Am I not ho ly ? Wherefore should I fear ?All living things love Fre yja ; gods andmen,Anses and elves and helpless animals.Whe re I walk glittering, there lovers pressAnd consecrate the ir eyes and beat the ir heartsLike moths aga inst themoon. And shall I goNor smile once kindly onhim ? Even the moonIs kinder to her loves.
ODIN
H e craves no smileFrom thee, nor ever smiled into the faceOf love since his birth-hour. He lusts for thee.
Why should he not ? Hath Odin never lusted ?What mind that knows the lust of intellectShallmock desire ? Ah ! Who that ever yearned,Yearned not in ignorance ?
BALDUR
Have pity, father !
THE PROLOGUE
ODIN
[To Frey/2L]
Child, pitie st thou this thing ?
FREYJA
Hath not its voiceCried out immortally and craved me ? Pity ?Love is a kind of pity for itselfTha t longs so endle ssly . Allfa the r, neverEre now hast thou gainsaid me .
ODIN
Yet must now !This bitterness is mine alone to bear.0 Freyj a ! O my Baldur ! You of allThe creatures ofmy will, bright lovers, youOnly are happy. Be so still. ‘Depart !Forget these wo lvish cries ; seek not to he lpEvil unsolvable.
FREYJA
What thenis evil,That lovers may not solve it ?
ODIN
[E'
s fa ce turning wisfiul with a hea utiful hght,ohstructive spea r, and stands f romthe pa th .]
Hope of the world !
FENRISFreyja
I6 FENRIS, THE WOLF
ODIN
Behold
[H e wa tches with the look of wisfi'
ulness a s Freyj a and
Ba ldur, springing to the brink of the cra te r,ga z e downuponFenris.]
BALDUR
Fenris, my brother !
0 pain ! Why dost thou look upon me so ?
FENRIS
Fair art, Freyja ; shalt Fenris fea r not ?
FREYJA
What wouldst thou ?
FENRIS
Lithe thy limbs are ; lief amto lie with thee.FREYJA
Are these snows thy dwe lling-place ?No flowers grow here. Take the se .
[F reyy'
a le tsf a ll some of he r flowers into the era te r .]
FENRIS
[Te a ring them, a s the Pa ckyells.]Anarch anarch
I8 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE PACK
Ulfr ! Ulft
FENRIS
Miles, miles,miles !
[To Ba ldur .]
He loves me, yet his looks are terrible .He saw me, yet he smiled not. F lowers I gave him,
But he destroyed them. Sorrowful he is,Ye t hath no tears in his eyes . What shall we do ?
FENRIS
Free me, Freyja ; fair art thou, frowardGo we together into greenwood glad.
Burns thine eyebeam bright a s the bitch-wolf’s,Longe th Fenris in thy lair to lie ;Longeth to chase thee.
Ulfr ! Ulfr !
FENRIS
Chafe, champ thee
THE PACK
Ulfr ! Ulfr !
FENRIS
Leave thee with child.
THE PROLOGUE 19
FREYJA
Baldur, what reeling darkness snows around usFromheaven ? The rose of dawn is stung with blight.
ODIN
[Aside .]
0 mystery ! 0 will be hind the will,How shall this end ?
BALDUR
Fromheave n no darkness falls ;It is the glamour of his woe ful eyes,That spet the night within them.
FREYJA
[H a lf wildly, whispe rs a tBa ldur’s ea r .]
I t must cease !The shy bird hath his song within the wood,The shepherd’s call is swee t along the hills,To husband and to love r are the soundsOf gracious voices inthe home places,To him, the ceaseless clanging of his Chain.
BALDUR
O Freyja,we will minister to him,
Until for himthe shy bird’s song is sweet,And sweet the shepherd’s call along the hills.Fe nris !
[Swingingf romthe brink of the cra te r, he le ts himself down.
As he descends,F enris springs towa rd himto the limit
of his cha in.]
z o FENRIS, THE WOLF
FENRIS
Hail, Baldur ! hail, brother ! Boast thy beautynow ;
Woo now and wive the e, welcome to Fea s woe .
All e lf-gifts thou asked Odin gave thee ,Sunlight, summer, song for solace,Fair face, freedom,
Fre yja to friend.
Me what gave he ? Mark Mountain-mist,mad
ness,Monstrous made me, ma rr’d, wo lf-masked,Cramped in snow- crater, frost- crusted, chained ;Numb, naked, night-winds gnawme ,Bliste re th black ice , biteth my bones.
BALDUR
Thou shalt be free.
mocketh, mocketh
brother,I bring thee freedom .
FENRIS
[Holding out his cha into Ba ldur .]
Liest ;—loose me !
BALDUR
Hush ! I know the secretHow thou mayst slip these shackle s. I have le arnedFrom Odin how he binds thee. Wilt thou hear ?
THE PROLOGUE 2 I
FENRIS
[Craf a'
ly beckoningBa ldur unde r the sha dow of a cleft ]
Tss ! Wise is the One-Eyed. Tss ! read me thyriddle now.
BALDUR
Know then, 0 Fenris, Odin of himse lfI s weak to ho ld thee. Of his kin, anotherConnive th with him.
FENRIS
Kin, sayst ?BALDUR
Thou , his son. Thou forge stCha ins stubborner than Odin’s, links of lustMightier than the se of steel, which are themselvesThe might of the se thou we a re st. O my brother,Lay off thine own, and Odin
’s shall be straw.
FENRIS
Thus readest thy riddle ?
BALDUR
Thus finde st thou freedom: do our fathe r’s will.H is law is wisdom . All the folk of he avenAnd e arth and hell obey him gladly ; thouSubmit thou also ; make thine oath to Odin .
FENRIS
Oa thle ss be Odin am I e arth’s overlord !
[Odin beckons to the ea stwa rd with his spea r . F romthe
distance comes a fla sh of fire andf a int thunde r .]
22 FENRIS, THE WOLF
BALDUR
Hush, brother, hush ! He hears ; for thypain’s sake
Remember he is Allfathe r . Bemeek.
FENRIS
Am I Asa’s heir I I I am Allfathe r !
[By a da z zling rive r of light and thunde r -pea l, the wholescene is riven. Onthe peaks a t e ithe r side appea r LOKI
and THOR. Loki holds inhis hand a se rpentine whipof many la shes, a s of glitte ring bra ss Thor , a whitehammer . The Pa ck cowe r, moaning; F enris stands
gla ring, with hea d bent ba ckwa rd a s insuddenpa in]
ODIN
Hail, Lok i ! Welcome, Thor ! inhappy time.Are ye not come to crown me Odin the WiseShake out the live scorn of thy withering laughter,Loki, over the world : Odin ha th been defie d !Hammer it, Thor, onthe Clange d doors of hell,Till their intestine thunders to ll our doomThe wolf shall sit alone, atVa lha l
’
s feast,And eat of Odin’s heart ! ”
FREYJA
Alas What words
ODIN
This is mine heir. Hath it not spoken ThisShall sit on y in Odin
’s seat. Mine heir !The heir of anthe gods. Be hold then, gods,How this, your prince, receives his tutelage.
THE PROLOGUE 23
BALDUR
Father, what wilt thou do ?
ODIN
Tame him, the tamele ss ;The e ternal goad against the eternal stone.
Yea, though I tame himnot till doomsday darken .
[To Loki ]
Loosen thy scourge.
[H eld by his cha in, Fenris fle e s wildly in circles, and seeking to hide himself, fina lly croa ches in te rror
,centre .
H e is preventedfromente ring the ca vern by Thor, whostands the re .]
FENRIS
Anarch ! Ai ! anarch ! Ana rch ! Ulfr ! Ulfr !
BALDUR AND FREYJA
Have pity !
ODIN
Pity askOf him ; this wolf must reign or I . Strike, Loki !Le t thy bright lashes scorch with all their snake sTill the live, brassy serum e ats and crawlsInto the writhing blood. Be gin!
3
BALDUR AND FREYJA
Ha ve me rcy !
24 FENR IS, THE WOLF
Loki swings his whip of fire , the Pa ck bene a th f a ll onthe ir f a ces . Amid themFenris crouches a thalf sta ture .
Ba ldur and Freyj a kneel a s f roz en, with lifted handstowa rd Odin. Thus insuddentwilight and silence ,finesilent la shes of uninte rmittent lightning uncoil and coil,a s the scourge is whirled, a round the cringing body ofthe wolf. A shudde r only revea ls his e x treme pangs.]
ODIN
Cease ! [Loki ce ases . ] Wolf, what of thine oath ?
FENRIS
Oa thle ss am I .BALDUR
Fenris, be tamed !FENRIS
I I I am Allfathe r !
ODIN
Sublime inanity ! heroic ape !This strong de fiance we re itself divine ,And thou a titan-martyr, had thy prideOne rational aim commensurate with thywoe .
But all thy suffering is purposeless.Strike, Thor ! Make of his obdurate he artanvil.
THE PACK
[Some f awning towa rd Odin,othe rs se ekingprote ction of
Fenris .]
Heil, Othinn! Ulfr, heil !
26 FEMHWS Q JWQ E HQ HUE
BALDUR
Grant himto us, 0 father !ODHY
[Going apa rt ]
0 thou unknown De stroyer and De liverer,Rape not aga infromme this nestling hope !
[H e descends into the cra te r .]
BALDUR AND FREYJA
Grant him to us, Allfathe r, to be tame d !
FENRHS
[Clutching the snow a t the irfee t,flebly.]
I I amAllfa the r !ODIN
Lovers, I grant him to you ; but not here,For this concession must be darkly hidTill you have proved its be aute ous consummation .
Not, therefore, here I gra nt, but yonder.
[Indica tes the e a rth below them.]
ThereYou shall enact a vast ex periment,Whereof the pregnant se quel none may knowSave only him, themaster magian,Whose prentices we gods and titans are,And the blind wills of men his medium.
For he, with silent face from us averte d,Ho lds in the awful ho llow of his handThe world his crucible, and plies with them
THE PROLOGUE
Ordeals of anguish and of e cstasy.
There fore the e arth must be your place of passion,And the re in slumber, even as mortals dream,
Slumb’ring, that they a re bright immortal gods,You shall bemortals, and shall walk as men,Forgetful of your immortality .
[Fa intly, a s f roma grea t distance , the re rises a sound ofmany voices crying, Odin Asa Odin and the
rumour of bea sts inpa in]Hark, now ! fromfar below us, the deep moanAnd lowing of amortal sacrifice.Speak, Thor ! What seest thou at Odin
’s altar ?
THOR
A mighty hunter and a twisted dwarfMake sacrifice ; rivals the y seem, in feud,And claim the hand of Thordis, thy priest
’s daughter,And the priest cries onOdin for a porte ntTo choose which of the brothers shall be bridegroom .
ODIN
Lo, then, my portent ! We ourselves, we four,Shall be those rival brothers, priest and bride ;Loki and Thor shall ravish themwith deathThat we , in resurrection, may take onTheir bodies as ourmortal vestiture .For I will act with you this mystery,Dreamingmyself the prie st ofmine own shrine ;And Freyja, child, thy goddess he art shall beatWithin the he art of Thordis,mortal maid ;Thy boundless spirit, Baldur, sha ll be pinched
28 FENRIS, THE WOLF
Within the gnarled limbs of the stunted dwarf,
Twiste d with pain, a s now thy brother is ;Thou
,envious wo lf, j e a lous of Baldur
’s j oys !Thy feverish being shall invest the powerAnd glorious stature of the hunter. SoShalt thou have scope and license measurelessTo woo the heart of Freyja. So shall ye ,Lovers, make proof of your conjoined loveAnd trothéd meekness, whethe r these be strongTo tame this wo lf, and from his blinding lustsEvolve a noble r consciousness, or weakTo let themse lve s be blasted, and the worldItself eclipsed in universa l chaos .
If we be strong ?ODIN
The wolf-
god shall tame d.
FENRIS
[Inrage , ha lf rising]Oathle ss unto Odin ever !
[H e sinks ba ck, f a int ]
BALDUR
And tamed ?ODIN
He shall go free.
Even in such freedomAs ours ?
THE PROLOGUE 29
ODIN
O Freyja, larger libertyThe mightier peace which mortals only knowEve n death .
FENRIS
Freedom ! Anarch anarch ! Freedom !
LOKI
Hail, Odin ; smoke th thine altar afar.Burneth to thee the clove n bullock’s heart ;The sacrifice rs watch and wait thy sign .
ODIN
Let them behold it ! Thou and Thor, stretch outYour wings in storm,
and ravish up their soulsWith night and death .
[To Ba ldur and F reyj a ]
Come, youmy children ! Now
Shall our immortal fires be mix ed with clayIn the great crucible , and the se our spiritsNO more shall know themse lves for gods, untilThe shadowy Master shows the great so lution .
[Infa int lightning and thunde r, Loki and Thor disappe a r .
Odina scends the cra te r,followed byBa ldur and F reyj a .
Climbing togethe r the ste ep slope , these two look ba ckwa rd uponthe prostra te wolf who,following themwithhis eyes,moves not until they rea ch the summit. The re
,
aga inst a sky of sunlit storm,Freyj a pa uses and
stretche s forth he r a rmto him
30 FENRIS , THE WOLF
Dear wolf
FENRIS
[Sta rts upmadly]Freyja ! death freedom ! fre edom! death ! Now
—now !
[As F reyj a and the gods pa ss f romsight beyond the
F enris gnaws a t his cha ininina rtz'
cula te fury ]
34 FENRIS, THE WOLF
F romthe right ba ckground, bene a th the pine , ente rs, singing,a procession of the folk, escorting an a rk on whe els
,
drawnby ox en, whoseflanks a re wrea thed withflowe rs,and whose horns a re a dorned with gold Following the
a rk, which pa sses on into the temple , horses and she epa re led to the sa crifice . These , a s theypa ss bef ore him,Ingimundma rks with the signof a spe a r, while the a lta r
priests sprinkle themwith bloodf romthe silve r bowl.
At the entrance of the temple stand THORDIS and he r VIRGINS, who ta ke f romthe be a sts the ir ga rlands and ha ngthemon the doors and oute r wa lls. The men a nd
women of the throng, chanting to a ba rba ric ca dence,
lift up the ir a rms andfa ces to the sky.
THE FOLK
Wanderer of earth and air,Walker on the giant flood,Odin ! Asa Odin !Pilgrim of the storm !
Lye r in the Sybil’s lair,
Reader of the runes of blood,Thou who he arkene st all prayerWorld- Spirit and worm,
Odin ! Asa Odin !Hear us, Allfa the r !
[D istant thunder .]
FRIDAThordis, he hears.
THE VIRGINS
He hears !
FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE FOLK
He hears !YORUL
[To Rolf ]Behold
The dwarf, where he sits shrive lled by his harp .
Ho, Arfi ! hear’st thou Odin ? Ha st invitedThe trolls, thy cousins, to the bridal ?
WULDORSIlence
He listens to the stars be hind the storm .
YORUL
The tree- frogs, Wuldor. H e , thymaster, isTheir fathe r.
WULDOR
So thymaster is their uncle .
YORUL
My master shall be bride groom, never fea r !Hath Arfi slain his boar ?
WULDOR
Hath Egil sungThe slaying of his boar ?
YORUL
Hath Arfi leashedThe wild stag by the horns and led him home ?
WULDOR
Hath Egil read the runes onOdin’s stone ?
35
36 FENR IS, THE WOLF
YORUL
Weaklings and wome n ye !WULDOR
Thou liest, Yorul.
YOKUL
[Strikes Wa ldor .]
Ho, Egil, hereWULDOR
Ho, Arfi
[The followe rs, f rome ithe r side,springfor wa rd and fight
fie rcely. Ingimund strikes among themwith his spe a r .]
INGIMUNDFools of anger !
This ground is Odin’s ; he alonemay j udgeWhich of yourmasters shall betroth his priestess.Back ! and await his sign . Come, Thordis.
FRIDA
[Pa rtingwith Thordis by the temple .]
And love be thine, dear lady.
[Lea ving he rma idens, Thordis comes quie tlyf romthe templeand sta nds before the rune - stone and Ingimund, who,with his spea r, beckons a lso Egil and Arfi As these
j oin Thordis,the a lta r priests, with a he a vy cha in of
gold, enclose the four ina circula r spa ce , while the folkchant a s before .]
FENRIS, THE WOLF 37
THE FOLK
Save us, Lord, from lovers’ hate ,
Shelter us from brothers’ feud !Odin ! Asa Odin !Only thou a rt wise.
Choose unto thismaid a mateHa llowe d by thy sanctitude ,Se nd thine omenwhile we wait,Making sa crifice .
Odin ! A sa Odin !Save us, Allfa the r !
[Thunde r stormga thers and the scene grows a s
bigge r clouds of smoke roll upwa rd f rombehind the
rune -stone .]INGIMUND
[Removing the gold circle tf romhis wrist ]Here,
Your right hands here all three onOdin’s ring.
[To Egil, thenArfi.]
Press deeper in the sand thy foot, now thine.
[To the Priests]
F ill up the footprints with the sacred blood.
Brother in brothe r’s footstep, hark your oathYour oath to abide by Asa Odin’s will.
[As Egil and Arfi gra sp the ring, lightning begins to playove r the scene
,and thunde r deepens the voices of the
38 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE FOLK
Odin ! Odin! Asa Odin !Send upon thy folk a portent !
INGIMUND
[Lifting hisf a ce and spea r towa rd the sky, intones.]
By thy runes forever writOn Allwa k e r’s e a r and Allswift’s hoof,OnSle ipni
’
s teeth and the sle dge-bands,On the Wo lf’s claw and the eagle’s beak,On the bloody wings and the bridge’s end !
THE FOLK
Odin! Odin ! Asa Odin !Send upon thy folk a portent !
INGIMUND
By thy runes forever writOn Brage’s tongue and the bear
’s paw,
On the midwife’s palmand the amber god,On Norna’s nail and the owl’s neb,On wine and wort and the Sibyl’s seat !
THE FOLK
Odin ! Odin ! Asa OdinSend thy portent, O Allfathe r !
FRIDA
Look ! look ! himse lf doth come.
THE FOLK
Fly! fly ! Oh, fly !
FENRIS, THE WOLF 39
FRIDA
Himself doth come, and with him a ll the gods !
[Amid supe rna tura l da rkness and thunde r -pea t! Ingimund,Thordis
,Egil, and Arfi a re struck to the ea rth, and a ll
the people fle e , ex cept Yorul and Frida who crouchbeside the temple .]
THE FOLK
[Inthe distance ]
down ! bow down !
[Pa use the pa ssing of the stormsilence .]
FRIDA
Yorul You donot speak .
YornlYORUL
O Frida, hush !
FRIDA
And did you see them?Four were they all together, and they passedLike fire , and four returned, in robes of flame,But paler.
YORUL
May be so ; I saw them not.
FRIDA
Two others stood on Odin’s stone, and oneLaughe d loud, and whirled a whip of blazing brass,And one thrust through his he ard a smoking hammer.
4o FENRIS, THE WOLF
YORUL
May be may be. What did you say ? Speak[Embra cingher .]
O heart ofmine, thou beatest ye t. We live.The sun how still it is ! What’s that ?
FRIDAA bird
Singing under the temple’s eaves.
YORUL
And allAre fled. What be those four tha t lie so still ?
[Togethe r they approa ch the bodies .]
FRIDAAlas ! O lady dear !
YORUL
De ad ! they are dead.
Egil,mymaster ! Odin’s voice hath slainhim.
Cursed be Odin !FRIDA
Yornl— take them back,Those words ! Their sacrilege shall work us woe .
YORUL
What matter ? He is dead.
FRIDA
Oh, do not think it !Perhaps they sleep . Look how the ir brows still we arH igh thoughts . I think they dream. Go ! fetch aleech .
42 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDIS
[Bends ove r F rida .]
The child is stricken.
ARFI
Le tme lift her, Thordis.
YORUL
Amiracle ! O Frida , spe ak tome !
THE LEECH
[To the folk .]
Stand ofi ! Give air !
WULDOR
[To the folk .]
Hath Yorul then deceived us ?
ROLF
Be hold, they live
FRIDA
[Rising f a intly.]
Thanks ; lead me to the temple.
INGIMUND
What hath befallen ?
WULDOR
Hail, Ingimund ! The portentOf Odin hath befallen.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 43
INGIMUND
Saw ye, or what ?
[Wa ldor and the folk whispe r among themselves . Yorul
supports F rida towa rd the temple .]
YORUL
But how ? What chance d ?
FRIDA
The ir eye s ! their burning eyes !Oh , I have see n the ir souls : they a re not the irs.Four bright ones came, four pale ones went away.
YORUL
Clean reft of wit !
FRIDA
Oh, shutme in the dark ![Ta king F rida fromYorul, the temple virgins lea d her into
INGIMUND
[To Wulde r .]
Saw ye, I say, or wha t ?
WULDOR
Ask Yornl, father.
INGIMUND
Spe ak thou ! What hath befalle n ?
44 FENRIS, THE WOLF
YORUL
[Returningda zedf romthe temple .]
Odinis wise ;Ye that were dead a re risen fromthe de ad,And Frida,my betrothed, is reft of re a son .
She said it would be, for I cursed him. Egil !Master and lord, we lcome to life !
[Egil who, with fix ed ga ze , ha s been eye ing Thordis, sta rts
wildly,pa ces ba ck andforth dragging the a lta r cha ina shemoves]
EGILA verdict !
A verdict, priest and earls ! Thordis is mine.
EOIL’S MENThordis for Egil !
ARFI’S MEN
Thordis for Arfi !
INGIMUNDPeace
Heaven’s omen still is dark, and Odin’s sign
Ambiguous. Not one , but four of us,H is hand hath stricken. Wherefore thus I readH is riddle : Thordis shall herself decide.
THORDISFather, not I
INGIMUND
This ancient feudmust end.
These two have swornto abide by Odin’s will ;
FENRIS, THE WOLF 45
H is will it is that thou make Choice of them.
Hearken their ple as, and choose .
THORDISTo one must I
Give p a in?INGIMUND
To one give joy. Speak, Arfi.
ARFI
That those who love are blind I pray be so
Tha t, loving, so youmay be holdme notWhat thing I se em, but only he ar my voiceWhat truth I am. Thordis, e vennow I dre ame dA dreammore high and awful thanthe cloudsAnd brea thless pe aks afire of poe sie :We stood togethe r onthe morning’s brink ;Cra ter and froz enClifl and snowy scarHung, avalanche on ava lanche , be low,
Be low themstill, the world ! Yo u spoke tome ;Swe eter thanmea sure s of imagine d songBe fore the harp is struck, your voice ! Listen !
you said ;And echoing from scar and crater roseThe clanging of a Chain . You clung tome ;You clung tome and spoke not. I have done.
E.
1
INGIMUNDg]
[Springing forwa rd, Egil se iz es Thordis’s hand, which he
ra ises to his lips .]
46 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
I love—I love thee !
her hand . Screaming, she draws awayf romhimand clings to the dwa rf ]
THORDISArfi
ARFI
[F a cingEgil ]Brother
WULDOR
Blood ! He hath hit he r hand . HO, sacrilege !
EGILThe maid Is mine.
ARFI
The maid is Odin’s.
ROLF
[Se iz ing Yorul’s a rm,points a t Egil ]
See !His eyes grow small and blaze !
YORUL
He Is possessed ;Some god afflicts him .
[Wi th a gesture of fury, Egil rushes uponArfi ]
FENR IS, THE WOLF 47
INGIMUND
[Stays him.]The maid is Arfi
’
s,
For she herself hath chosen him .
A clout,To sta nch the blood.
WULDOR
[As Arfi binds he r hand, ga z es onThordis, whose eyes ha veclosed ]
0 fa ir beyond this world !
EGIL
[Olutching the a ir, inpa ssionfor coherencc.]
A rape ! a rape ! Thordis for Egil !
ThordisFor Egil, here !
ARFI ’S MEN
Thordis for Arfi !
EGIL’S MEN
INGIMUND
Beware ! Put back your weapons all, on pa inOf Odin’s wrath.
48 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE FOLK
[Murmur .]
Remember Odin’s wrath.
EGIL
Egil recks not for Odin’s wrath nor will.Who fights for Thordis ?
INGIMUND
This is bla sphemy.
EGIL
Who fights with Egil for th e maiden ?
YORUL
And all of us.EGIL’S MEN
Till death .
INGIMUND
Enough, mine earls !The pa tience of the lord of peace hath end.
Egil, thywords and de e d have viola tedThe sacred pla ce of Odin . Thou a rt banne d !The lord hath put thee from his high place . Go !I cast thee forth, and all who fo llow thee .
THE FOLK
[Fa lling ba ck.]Accurst ! accurst
so FENRIS, THE WOLF
SCENE I I : The inte rior of Egil’
s lodge in the
fore st ; towa rd twilight.
The roomis roughly built of logs, long cross be ams ove rhe a d.
F romthe se ! in the right corner , ba ck! hang suspendedthe bodies and skins of antelope , be a r , and wild gameand bene a th these piled upona bench aga inst the wa ll
a heap of furs and hides. Centre,ba ck
, a door .
Lef t, inthe ea rthenfloor , a he a rth with a shes a bove it,a hole in the roof . Beyond this he a rth, left, sitting a t
the openwindow,FRIDA
,a lone . She looks out dre amily
W a rd the forest,f romwhich horns echo and answe r .
Suddenly she sta rts up, ga z es intenfly, gives a low cry,
and,dodging down a s she pa sses the window, springs
a cross to the he ap of hides, among which she concea lshe rself. Afte r a pa use , the door opens EGIL ente rs,
panting evidently pursued. H is brow is ble eding,and he limps . Turning to ba r the door, he le tsf a ll a
bloodied wolf’s skin. Immedia tely he sna tches it up
ca ressingly ga z es a round, listens enraged to the horns,limps swiftly to the he a rth, he sita tes then
,a s a sudden
horn- bla st resounds close by,f a lls onhis kne es, digsfi ro
ciously inthe a shes with his two hands like an anima l,thrusts the wolf
’s skininthe ca vity, and cove rs it ove r
with the a she s, ca refully repla cing the cha rred brandsontop. Swiftly, then, binding up his ble eding brow and
thigh, he unba rs the door, se iz es a whip f roma corne r,
and springs stea lthily out of the window. At the samemoment, horses a re hea rd to ga llop up to the lodge the
door bursts open YORUL and ROLF appea r onthe sill.
FENRIS , THE WOLF 5 1
YORUL
He came this way. Look here, Rolf, inthe sandAnd here : are not these paw-prints ?
ROLFMay be so.
I saw him last back yonde r in the forest.
YOKUL
I saw himslinking hither across the open.
Look, here again ; here’s blood.
ROLF
Wha t ! wa s he wounded ?
YORUL
D id not you see ?ROLF
You know I did not ; tell me.
YORUL
Twice ; once across the eye , once in the shank .
’Twas Ingimund struck both wounds .ROLF
IngimundYORUL
Yes, when we left you,Egil rode ahead,
I and the others after . We had riddenA half-mile, when I heard ourmaste r shoutHere comes our brother with his bride ahunting.
And sure , the re burst into our narrow glenHorse , bound, and horn, the whole bright cavalcade ;
52 FENRIS, THE WOLF
And Thordis rode ahead, and Arh nex t,Last, Ingimund. We reined our horses back
ROLF
Not to po llute the lady with the sightOf your accursed faces, eh ?
YORUL
Say ratherTo keep our scanty numbers hid.
ROLFWell well
YORUL
Well, I had hardly reine d back inthe woodAnd Thordis passe dme by Man, it wa s awful !Under the ve ry hoofs of the dwarf’s horseOut of the ea rth, it seemed— there sprang a wo lfAnd bit the stallion’s loin . The horse rolled overA wolf a giant wo lf
ROLF
What then ?
YOKULI say
I t stood as high as that, Ro lf, ye t I swea rIf it were not a wo lf, yet what
ROLFWhat happened ?
YORUL
There rang a great shout and the riders allLeapt to the ground where, in th e midst of them,
FENRIS, THE WOLF 53
Tangle d togethe r with the kicking steed,Rolle d the huge wolf and Arfi ; h imth e be astH e ld by the gorge betwe en his grinning jaws,Throttling himlike a whelp . But Ingimund
ROLF
Hel have him ! Did he save the dwarf
YORUL
H e draggedThe wolf away, and struck himwith his spea rTwice, as I told you . But the beast escaped.
ROLFAnd A rfi lives ?
YORUL
I know not. Imade ~
afte r
The wolf, andme t you as I tracked himhere.ROLF
But what sa id Egil ?YORUL
I wa s too amazedTo look for him.
ROLF
There winds his horn in the wood,And yonder he comes riding with the othe rs.Come ; we’ll gomeet them.
[E x it.]
[As Yorul isfollowingRolf , F rida stepsforw a rd ]
FRIDA
[Spea ks low.]Yorul
54 FENRIS, THE WOLF
YOKUL
H e r voice ! Frida ! Frida !
FRIDAKeepme
YOKUL
Stand farther off. 0 girl, what brings you here ?How found you out this solitary pla ce ?
FRIDA
I le ftmymistress’ side a t dawn, and searchedAll day the forest.
YORUL
Little Frida, thou !
FRIDACome with me !
YORUL
Stand away ! You have forgotI amaccurst. This place is Egil
’
s lodge ,And all who dwell here banned and castaway .
FRIDA
Where you are must I fear to be ?
YORUL
Yes, Fu da,For Ingimund has cursedme withmymaster .
FRIDALeave him.
YOKULWhom
FENR IS , THE WOLF 5 5
FRIDA
Leave him, Yorul.
YOKULLeave whom, child ?
FRIDAEgil, yourmaster.
YOKUL
[Inama z ement ]Frida
FRIDA
Hush
[She goes to the hea rth]
DesertMy lord ! H is liegeman, I a traitor !
FRIDALook.
[She brushes ba ck the a shes, revea ling the bea st’s he a d ]
YOKUL
The wolf By heaven , dead ! What—you killedhim
FRIDA
YOKUL
And flayed, the very brute ! Here are the marksOf Ingimund, his spear. Saw you the beastAlive
56 FENRIS, THE WOLF
FRIDA
YORUL
HereFRIDA
I wa tched it limping here,Wounded, from out the forest.
YORUL
Ha ! I said so .
Here to the very door- sill
FRIDA
Yes ; it pushedThe door aj ar.
YORUL
But
FRIDA
Egil entered.
YORUL
FRIDA
His brow was bleeding and he limped. H e buriedThat thing be neath the ashe s, and sprang forthOut a t the window.
YORUL
Buried this
FRIDA
Bury their secrets, claw and nozzle .
58 FENRIS, THE WOLF
Oh, since then, Yorul, they have changed, my mistress
Even as your master, save that she has grownLovelier than herse lf, and seems to be a rAbout with her the loadstone of desire ,For the poor b inds and churls that wait upon herSe rve he r with souls e namoured . If I thoughtYou would believemy vision, I could te llBut come, Yorul. Yorul ! you will not come ?
YORUL
Ne ver ! Stop, Frida ; do not name the thingHe is. I tma tters not tome ; formeHe is my lord, my master ; that is all.
FRIDABut if
YORUL
If he were that eternal be astWhom Odinchains until the dawn of doom,Fenris, the wolf
FRIDA
No, say not that !
YORUL
I sayStill it should matter not ; I am his liegeman,His vassal, and his bondslave. I will serve him .
[Ente r, with hisfollowers, Egil, cra cking his whip]
EGIL
The wolf ! Where is your wolf ?
FENRIS, THE WOLF 59
ROLFWe tracked him here.
EGIL
Lies ! lies ! He lurks yet inthe forest.
ERIC
[Pointing a t Yornl, who holds up the skin]
LookTHE MEN
The wolf !EGIL
[Le aping uponYorul,flings himto the ground ]Traitor
YORUL
Hold, master
FRIDA
Comingforwa rd ]Save him
ThouROLF
Thou, maiden, here ?FRIDA
Oh, help him !
ERIC
[With the othe rs’ help, sepa ra te s the two]
Egil ! off !EGIL
A ferret, ho ! a ferret, earls ; hath scentAnd sight and hearing—what, for rats ? No, no,For wolves !
60 FEIVRI S, THE WOLF
ROLF
[Aside u E rie ]
Maste r, ’
tis the wolf.
I killed him.
EGIL
Killed him? Thou ?[Crafbb -J
The be ast
That bit the dwa rf.
Dea d ; so’
tis de ad. Le t se e !
[Taking the peltf romYorul, he drops it onthe he a rth]I t should, methinks, be buried too . Thy kill ?
YORUL
Mine, Egil.
EGIL
[With his foot, covering the pelt with the a shes]
Killed and flayed . Huzza, mine earls,For Yornl and his kill.
THE MEN
[Ga the r round Forul.]
Huzz a
FENRIS, THE WOLF 6!
EGIL’Tis buried.
[Aside ]
He knows,he knows ; I will avenge me .
[Looks ke enly a t Rolf ]
Wha t art thou gaz ing on?
ROLF
On nothing.
EGILLie st,
Lie st ; a rt ga z ing onmy brow . What, what ?’Tis bandaged, ah ! What then ? What then, I say ?
ERIC
Why, he is wounded .
EGIL
Traitors ! traitors a ll !Aha , by Loki, but you lie . I fellYou lie My horse wa s dike d. I fe ll and ga shedme ,My brow,
my thigh . Whynot my brow and thighMaynot a huntsman fall from’
s saddle ? Liars !I limp, but not for tha t. I will limp !
[Suddenly changing]Hark
[H e springs to the window]
YORUL
What dost thou hear ?
62 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
They smell the blood. They comeTo dig it up . Their nozzles scour the gorse.Yornl ! Yorul !
YORUL
[To whomEgil clings]’Tis nothing.
EGILThey have found
The scent. You ca nnotmake them lose it, Yorul.You loop and loop formiles, plunge in the lake,Swimover, double through the thickets, springA ll- feet fromrock to rock in the ravine,Crouch in the fern and listen : still you hear themBelling behind you, all their big chests panting,Their red tongues lolled, the great hot breathing,bloodhounds
BloodhoundsROLF
[At the window]
By Odin, see, yonder the dogsOf Ingimund ; he hath themin the leash ;Behind him, on a litter, they are bringingArfi, the dwarf.
EGIL
Yorul ! Keep back the bounds !Thou art no kin of theirs . They haveof blood with thee. Keep back the hounds !
FENRIS, THE WOLF 63
ERIC
[Aside tomen]Stillmadder !
ROLF
They are twoscoremen,And we a handful ; shall we fight ?
EGILFight,madme n ?
Ha ve ye not heard the hounds ? Ke e p back the
hounds .Go forth and bind their lea shes to the trees.Bind them, and guard them, e very slave of you !Go ! Go !
ROLF
Wha t ! fea r their dogs
ERICYorul, hlS eyes
They burnYOKUL
Be patient, master !
EGILTreachery
You’ve lured ’
emon. They come to dig it out ;They smell the wounds. Ye have betrayedme .
YORUL
Come forth and let us bind the hounds.
64 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
[Swinging his whip]
Slaves ! cowards !Traitors ! the lash shall teach you.
Bind the hounds !
This goes too far.
EGIL
Mercy ! Ah ! their fangs !Their fangs ! Devils, go forth and bind the hounds.
[Follows themen, la shing them.]
ERICBy Loki
YORUL
Humour him.
mengoforth, whipped wildly by EQIL, who sinksex ha usted by the closed door ]
EGIL
Keep back the houndsTheir fangs !
YORUL
[Outside ]
Fear nothing ; we will bind them.
66 FENRIS, THE WOLF
ROLF
O Egil ! Ingimund demands to enterAnd rest here for the night. Thy brother’s woundGrows worse ; they doubt his life . Shall we re sistthem,
Or welcome They are armed. Egil Not here
[E x it, ch sing the door . Anothe rpa use the roomgrowsdimme r Egil slowly reinters, lef t]
EGIL
Now will I sleep .—The time is strangely sweet,
Blank, and untrouble d . Soon it will be starlight.My limbs are fi lled with pea ce, mine ears with soundsOf brooks and bree z y leafage murmurous,Mine eyes with slumber. Well, I will lie downAnd sleep .
[As Egil goes to the hea rth, ente r INGIMUND, THORDIS,WULDOR, and a numbe r of Arfi
’smen, ca rrying a litte r,
onwhich lies ARFI ; these a ccompanied by Yorul, Rolf,E ric, and Egil
’smen]
INGIMUND
Slow ; he ar himsoftly, Wuldor. LetThe others stay without, and place ourmenMost carefully on guard. For this one night,Yorul, thy master
’s bann shall be suspended.
The need is great.THORDIS
[By the litte r]
Father, he hath grownpa ler.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 67
INGIMUNDHere set himdown.
EGIL
[Ga z ing a t Thordis .]
Dre amingTHORDIS
Gently ! his side.WULDOR
Lady, whatmore to doARFI ’S MEN
some kiss he r robe a ll give to
and he a rts unconsciously]
Whatmore ?THORDIS
Bring water.YORUL
[Aside ]
Ma ste r, the hounds a re te the re d. Where is Frida ?
EGIL
Dreaming ! still dreaming !YORUL
Frida
EGILWakeme not.
THORDIS
Arfi ! o gentle earl, look up ! LetnotYour ea rs be a s the turf to our gre at sorrow.
A rfi ! I love you ; live !
68 FENRIS, THE WOLF
YORUL
[To Rolf ]
Hast thou seen Frida ?
ROLF
Egil approa ches Arfi’s litte r]
EGILWill he die ?
INGIMUND
The virus of the wolfCorrupts his blood ; yet he may live.
EGILMay live.
WULDOR
O God ! I could take heart to bear this woeBut that the damnéd be ast that hitmymasterStill breathe s.
INGIMUND
I wounded him .
WULDORYet he escaped us.
ROLF
You, Wuldor, but not us . The wolf is de ad ;Be hold his skin !
[Reente r Yorul. He staggers forwa rd ]
FENRIS, THE WOLF 69
INGIMUND
Who kille d him
ERICEgll
’
s manYorul.
INGIMUND
Hail, Yorul ! This deed shall atoneFor much of thy defiance and thy master
’s.Well done !
YOKUL
A lie ! a lie ! the wolf still lives.
Lives
YORUL
There
EGIL
[Crouching ba ck]
Ai ! anarch
YORUL
[GrapplingEgil, te a rs of his bandages]
Look ! Look, Ingimund !wounds : you struck them with your huntingspea r.
INGIMUNDForehead and thigh
70 FENRIS, THE WOLF
YORUL
He sprang onArfi’
s horse,And hit his brother’s throa t hismurde rer.There lies his Changeling skin. He buried itHe re in the ashes.
THE MEN
[Fa lling away.]
We rewolf Werewolf !
INGIMUND
Thou art accused of sin unname able .
Spe ak : art thou guilty ?
EGIL
[Gla res a bout himinf ea r and rage ]
Ai Ai ! anarch
INGIMUNDDemon !
YORUL
Ah, Frida ! Master Frida !
ROLFWhat of he r ?
Not dead ?YORUL
No, no ; would God she were, and IFrida !
[E x it, left]
INGIMUND
Destroy the wolf.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 71
THORDIS
[To Wa ldor, who is a bout to a tta ck Egilwith a spea r .]
Stop, earl ! Your master ;He ha s heard all.
ARFI
[Ra ises his bodypa infully onthe litte r]
My brothe r Egil spare him .
WULDORBut ’tis a werewolf !
INGIMUND
He has sought your life.
ARFI
The lif e he sought to take I give to him.
My strength is little ; if you loveme , spare him.
WULDOR’Tismadness !
THORDIS
Nay,’
tis me rcy, but to youReason is vengeance. Father, look ; he sinksAgain. Will you deny the prayer of him
[Lowe ring he r voice ]
Perchance who dies.ARFI
72 FENRIS, THE WOLF
INGIMUND
Egil shall live ;Somuch I grant thee, Arfi, but nomore .
Hence forth thy brother shall be cast in cha ins,Until the demon-be ast that plagues his bodyIs ex orcised and tamed. Lay onthe chains.
[As the menapproa ch with fetters, Egil se izes a cha infromone
, and,springing fea rfully to Thordis
’s
crouches and lif ts it to he r .]
EGIL
Not those but thou
[Thordisputs the cha in
ACT I I
SCENE I :A prisonchambe r, dim, built of stone
Onthe r ight stands a high,f ramed tapestry, the designpa rtlyworked ; beside it, on a ta ble
,seve ra l ha rps and instru
ments ofmusic. Onthe lef t, e x tending centre , the ha fcomple tedmodel of a structure resembling the temple inAct I , Scene I ; beside it, wooden blocks and minia turebeams infront of it a stone ta ble t
,uponwhich EGIL
stooped,with aninstrument inhis hand is la bori ouslyca rving runes. Behind himstands ARFI, a t times guiding the hand of his brothe r , who is evidently be ingove rcome by we a riness, aga inst which he struggle s forconcentra tion. F ina lly Egil
’s he ad droops, his hand
fa lls, and his body sinks prone . At the door, THORDISente rs.
THORDISAsle ep
ARFI
Q uite, quite outworn .
THORDISThe task is done ?
The runes ?ARFI
He has mastered them .
75
76 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDIS
[Sighs unconsciously]
How swift he learns !
ARFI
Ye s, hourly he ha th grown through the strangemonths
Since Ingimund entrusted himto usTo dispossess the beast that plagues him.
THORDIS
Now where he lies and dre ams .
ARFI
There lies a blockOf chaos, for our wills to fuse and kindleInto a world, glowing with vital formsOf law and loveliness. Yea, Thordis, weWe are his being’s seasons, you and I ;The sun andmoon, the sta rshine and the dew,
Of this stark heath and bree dingmoor of passion,And the large jurisdiction of our loveMust ripen the re the temperate growths of reason,And stablish the mind’s palaces .
THORDISYou speak
In sadness.ARFI
Nay, inawe. The thought grows vastAnd awful.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 77
THORDIS
So ? I do not feel it, II feel as elemental as the air,
That holds se cure within its crystal veinsAsmanythousand summers and their bloomsAs the earth may yearn for.
ARFI’Tis because you are
Bounteous as the air, that fromyour presence allTake breath and power. Since you elected meBe side the altar stone, even I, that wasA wa rped and ailing mannikin of woe,Prickling with sensibilities and pangs,Have feltmyself e x alted and a t peaceWith this poor twisted mask of torse and limb,So simple it seems, so sane, so actual,That wha t I amwas your immortal friendElsewhere .
THORDIS
And have you felt the same ? WeHave walked ete rna l mountains hand in
‘
band,And watched the morning of our li ttle livesBreak ove r our birth- hour, and we shall standTogether at the sundown, and be holdThe passion clouds of death grow pale.
ARFIAnd then
We shall pass on together.
[Inhis sleep, Egilmoans]
78 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDIS
We forget ;We must not leave hima s we found him, love.
ARFI
The wolf torments him still in sleep .
THORDISPoor dreamer !
And have you told him ye t we are to wedTo -morrow
ARFI
No ; I dreaded to rouse upThe old, jealous hate ; for sincemywound has healed,H e seems to have forgotte n that old feud,And looks onyou and me nomore,meth inks,As keepers of his prison-house, but ratherAs his accomplices, that smuggle inSubtle devices for his liberation,To comprehe nd the use of which he ex pendsAll of his time and powers.
THORDIS
AccomplicesItmay be so ; for he, that used to hangWith looks of fire upon my merestmotion,Will gaze beyond me now with eyes that gloatBlank as a mise r’s on some buried hoard .
ARFI
The gold he hoards is knowledge, and’
tis well,For that preoccupation may assuage
FENRIS, THE WOLF 79
The pa in he else might feel, when he shall learnOur joy to-morrow .
[Egil cri es out aga in]
THORDIS
Ye arning heart ! how deepI t labours still inpain ! Le t us take ca reTo acquaint him gently with our happiness .We must divert him. Why, what
’s here ?
A temple ;We’re architects .
THORDIS
He helped you build it ?
ARFI
Amhelping him .
THORDIS
But how shall this ava ilTo tame the wolf ?
ARFI
His genius is destruction ;His bre ath and bondage— to annihilate ;And the refore Egil must be shown to buildAnd not destroy ; of mean, chaotic thingsThese blocks— tomake admired harmony,And shape , however rude , some tangibleEarnest of his constructive will.
80 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDISI see ;
Who would have thought of it but you ? Not I
[Egilmoans]Hark
EGIL
[Low, inhis sle ep]Freyja
THORDIS
Did he call ?
EGIL
Freyja
THORDISThat name !
You heard ?ARFI
The goddess Spring’s.
THORDIS
You taught him, then,To pray ?
Not I .EGIL
[Sta rting to hisfeet]
Freyja !
THORDIS
Can this be Egil ?
82 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
[D ey‘iantly]
Oathle ss am I
THORDIS
But see he suffers.
EGILI I am Allfa the r !
[Swayingwith angu ish, a s unde r the blows of a scourge , hesinks uponthefloor , overwhelmed and quiver ing]
Oa thle ss am I
THORDIS
Egil, awake ! awake !’Tis nothing.
EGIL
[Gradua llywa king, ri ses to his knees]
Freyj aTHORDIS
No goddess I , poor Egil, but your friendThordis, the maiden .
EGIL
She thou art—the sameEven now that saved me. [Sta rting] What is that ?
ARFIYour brother.
EGIL
My brother he is ta ll and beautiful,Happy and glorious
, and I hate himfor’t.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 83
ARFI
Nay, you have hate d me, but not for that.
Look onme , Egil.
THORDIS’Twas a dream.
EGIL
What’s that a dream Is it a mist that stealsBe twee n the eyelids, filling themwith shape sBegot of its ownvapour, shadows ? lie s ?If so,which shapes a re dreams your forms, or those,Those eve n now that behe ldme , whe re I crouche dAmong the crater’s hoa r crusts, numb with co ld,Ye t writhing in the brassy flames, tha t e a tAnd crawled intomyVitals ? Mine No, no !Tha t wa s not I, that nameless thing, not I !Say No .
”
ARFI
It was the wo lf. You fell asleep,Wearied, and dreame d of him.
EGILIf that be sleep,
The n le tme sleep no more . 0 friends, swe e t friends,You tha t have weaned and reare dme fromthis thing,Promise I nevermoremay droopmine eyesBut you will prod themope n .
84 FENR IS, THE WOLF
THORDISYou forge t
How you have grown. Soonyou will be oncemoreBut oh ! howmilder, mightier, tha n beforeEgil, the hunter.
EGIL
Till then, Egil the huntedO Thordis, could Ime e t a smany a timeI’
ve me t within the fore st, face to face,My qua rry, and de stroyed it could I soConfront this inwa rd be ast and grapple himTo the death- struggle , ha ! but with a dre amA spe ctra l wo lf, that lurks eve r inthe duskAnd tangle d thickets ofmy bra in and will,A wra ith invulnerable, tha tmake s his lairInmy bosom, tha t, when I would strike ,I lace ratemyse lf, draw life myselfThe be ast, the bait, the hunter and the hunted !
THORDIS
Nay, you are still the hunter, he the qua rry,Only to tra ck himha th grown harder, forHe hath grown duskier as yourmind ha th dawned,And cannomore take shape, as he was wont,Intangible horror to the eyes of all.Yet we will track him you and I .
EGILBut how ?
THORDIS
With flaming torches we will se t ablaz eHis ancient wilderne ss, till through the gap
FENRIS, THE WOLF 85
Of sundering boughs the quiet stars shall mock him,Naked and overwhelmed.
EGIL
But where ? What boughs ?What fire ?
THORDIS
[Ta king up, among the instruments, a reed-pipe ]
The way is wild ; this pipe shall lead us.Play, Arfi !
[Sitting beside the block temple , Arfi begins to play upon the
EGIL
But this pipe
THORDIS
DO you not hearHe r voice a lluring us It is a wood- sprite,The elf- ct Harmony.
EGIL
Where can she lead us ?This is a prison .
THORDIS
She can lead us forthInto the beauteous world . Hark ! eve n nowDo you not see — the walls are crumbling, brightWith ivy- dew andmorning. Don’t you hear ?The birds ! the birds Now, Egil, now your hand !
86 FENRIS, THE WOLF
Now onthe dance with me ! We’ll follow herOn—to the chase !
[Ta king hands , they dance whilst Arfi blows themellowpipe .
E ager , impetuous,Egil becomes kindled by the sound andmotion till, in the midst, dropping Thordis
’s hand, he
grapes towa rd the wa ll]
EGIL
The chase ! the chase ! the chase !Ho, torches for the chase !
ARFI
[Stops playing, and ri ses]
A metaphorTransforms him.
EGIL
Torches !
[Stumbling aga inst the blocks]
What is this ?ARFI
Our templeWe’ve left it uncompleted.
EGIL
This the chase !To sit block - building like a little child ?To ask vague questions that await strange answers ?No ! do notmock me ! Summon the great hunt.Handme a torch intomy gripping palm,
Point where to leap, and le t the whirlwinds sing
FENRIS, THE WOLF 87
And the great jungle s cra sh in conflagra tion.
The wolf ! reve a l the wolf ! that I may rendThe demon limb fromlimb.
ARFIHe rages blind
Now in your e cs.
’
yEGIL
[Controlling himself, shudde rs]Emancipate me !
ARFICome ;
Here le t us sit, as we we re boys again,And pile our blocks.
THORDIS
GO, Egil ! Build with him.
The forest- sprite has led you to her temple .
[Going to the tapestryf rame ,while Egilj oins Arfi , she beginsto work uponthe embroide ry, obse rvingf romtime to timethe ir block- building]
EGIL
A temple ! Still theymock me .
’Tis a toy.
ARFI
Why, true, a toy, and ye t a temple, ifThemind bring incense here, and the how’d heartMake sacrifice .
EGIL
We a re not pigmies, we,To creep under this gable.
88 FENRIS, THE WOLF
ARFI
Are we not ?Are we so great ? Who hath not stood beneathA sparrow’s egg- shell, speckled o
’
e r with stars,And dwindled there with wonder ? Who so smallBut ha th, to quench desire, drunk of the sunOr se t his pa rch
’
d lips to the moon’s pale rim?So gre at, so small, ne ither and both, our statureWax e s and wanes, inconstant as a shadow’Twix t night and noon and night. This temple, lad,Will be as cramped or spacious as the spiritWhich consecrates it.
EGIL
Dark ! Thou speakest darkness.
ARFI
Listen ! This house of toy-wood is the altarWhere you must supplicate the immortal godsFor freedom .
EGIL
So ; the immortal gods ! What, then,Are they that I should sue to them for freedom?
ARFI
They are the powers of the inevitableTo whom we morta ls must submit our willsOr perish
[Egil’s structure f a lls]
EGIL
Ah ! it breaks. What made it fall ?
90 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGILTeach me, Thordis .
[She sha kes her head and smiles]Alas ! who will ?
ARFI
Yourself alone .
EGILBut how ?
How may I know when I have learned to pray ?
ARFI
When, in the full sight of your goa l of yearning,Your spirit, pausing, cries out to the godsThis is my he art’s de sire— take it ’tis yours !That instant of renunciation willBe prayer and freedom both and the wolf’s passingbell.
[Enter WULDOR ; he goes to Arfland spea ks a side ]
Admit him.
WULDORBut
WULDORHis looks are wild,
His words were bitter. When he spoke of thee,He laughed and scowled .
FENRIS, THE WOLF 91
ARFI
Say we will come to him .
[E x it Wuldor ]
THORBIS
[WhomArflapproa ches, with a wa rninggesture ]
Who is it ?ARFI
[Aside ]
Yorul he has asked to speakWith Egil .
THORDIS
Ought we to admit him?
ARFIIt IS WIse ,
For so may Egilmeasure what he isBy wha t he wa s. Look ; he ha s knelt to pray .
The time is fitting ; we will leave him so .
THORDIS
[Le aving the tapestry]
How noble he looks ! Shall we not tell him nowAbout to-morrow ?
ARFI
We will tell him allWhen he has prayed
92 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
To pray to pray is simpleThis is my heart’s desire take it ’tis yours !And so emancipation . 0 you gods,If through these prison walls you may beholdThemock rites of this childish temple, hea rme !Knowledge knowledge, that is my heart
’s desire.That is the soul- inebriating cupWhich hath transforme dme half unto your imageAnd still hath drugg
’
d the other brutish halfTo lethargy and dreams. To know, to learn,And evermore to learn ! To watch new worldsKindling from out the dark of consciousness,Fresh firmaments gathering from drop to dropOf common morning dew ; to be upbomeOn the light- tra iling wings of understandingAnd scan far off the former crawling-placeAnd wolf- haunt of the spirit, to spread those wingsAt one’s ownwill andmount into the sun,Searing the mind with ecstasy—you gods !That is my heart’s desire : take it from me !Take it,
’
tis yours, for it hath come fromyou,But when of that you have bereft me, leaveFreedom instead, and innocence.
[Enter YORUL]
What’s there ?
94 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
Thou art theirmessenger ; be swift ; declareTheir grace, or doom . Shall I go free ?
YORUL
Destroy meWith blows of steel, not of remorse. None sentme .
Myself hath drive nme here , here to the cellWhere inmy treachery consigned my ma ster.Hear me !
EGIL
I hear thee, Yorul.
YORUL
Since that night,That bitter sunset when she since that nightTill now, I have not left the forest, norSpok enwith friend or foe ; but I have stoppe dMy heart in the deep silentness of treesTill it hath burst for pain . My wrong and thine,Thy wrong and mine I dared to balance them,
To le t my woe condone my tre acheryAnd prove it justified, as ifmy heartWere not itself thy vassal, and its pangsFeudal to thy desires. And so I sinnedUntil to day .
EGIL
These are enigmas. Speak !How have the gods made answer to my prayer ?
FENRIS, THE WOLF 95
YORUL
TO-day I met with peasants in the woodWho drove the ir herds of swine all garlandedWith gre e n arbutus. Hailingme , they crie d,Why come ye not with us to Odin’s stoneAgainst to -morrow’s wedding-day Who we ds ?”
Q uoth I Our prie ste ss Thordis weds the dwarfCome with us ! ” Then I hit my arm and vowedThat I would come to thee and speak my shame,And say, Destroy me, lord, or le t me serve thee.
EGIL
Peasants they were ; they said—whatsaid
YORUL
To-morrow our priestess Thordis
EGILWeds the dwa rf
Those were thy words ; thou shalt not change themnow.
YORUL
I would not change them .
EGIL
Wouldst thou not ? Well said !To morrow themaiden Thordis —nay, not so ;To -morrow our priestess Thordis weds the dwa rf.
And all their swine were garlanded.—Was it so
YORUL
Evenso, and I
96 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
Even so !
YORUL
I vowed to come
EGIL
Knowledge knowledge that wa s my heart’sdesire !
YORUL
And make confession
EGIL
Why, here have IAnd licked the crumbs of knowle dge fromAs I had bee n his beagle ; and for what ?To grow ! to be transmute d froma wolfIntomy brother’s ape ! To evolve a mindThat knows a t last the rapture it must lose.Oh, noble
YORUL
And make confession of my crimeAs ofmy love.
EGIL
[Beginning topace back andforth]
Ha
98 FENRI S, THE WOLF
YORUL
I am thy liegeman,
And what wa s mine was thine to take, unquestioned.
EGIL
Yet my soul would question, and I claimed herIn spite of thee, for that same night
[D raws nea rer and whispers]
IMine ! She is mine ! Thou canst not
now.
She lies out yonder with the virgin starsWhite and inviolable. Dead, she is mineWhom, living, ’twas thy title not to spare.Master, pity my triumph ! Leave me yetThis foible of my arrogance, for whichHenceforth I am thy loya l slave, to doOr die for thee .
EGIL
Wouldst serve me
YORUL
Say how !
EGILSeems thou canst kill.
FENRIS , THE WOLF 99
YORUL
Speak but tha t word.
[They look long a t each other]
EGIL’Tls spoken .
Go Stay !YORUL
What more ?
EGIL
Thine oath for sometimes, Yornl,The resolute grow sick with afte rthought,And hot will coo l thine oath, to shunmy sight,To speak not nor be spoken with, until’Tis done .
YORUL
[Ra ising his r ight a rm]By Frida’s cold and virginhand,
To shunmyma ster’s sight, to speak not, norBe Spoken with, until
’
tis done.
EGIL’
Tls sworn ;Go now.
[Ve rul covers h isf ace , and ex it ]
TO-morrow she sha ll we d not him.
0 dupe of lovers ! Bond- slave to a dwarfO gods, your fool ! your fool !
[Throwing himself down beside the temple of blocks, hestroys it, insensa te , and crouches, la ughing, amidruins]
loo FENRIS, THE WOLF
SCENE I I
[The curta in rises presently uponthe same a taper burnslow. THORDIS, sea ted with a ha rp, is playing ne a r
her EGIL stands amid the block ru ins . Ceasing toplay,
Thordis rises, looks a t Egil !who stands oblivious! ,passes silently to the window and looks out.
THORDISThe moon has set.
EGIL
[Stirs a sf roma trance ]
Can, the n, the eternal cease ?That perfect architecture pale in air ?You built again my temple of sweet soundsAnd pe opled it with deathle ss visitants,And shed around their forms a nameless graceMedicinal as moonlight, and as calm.
I walked with them, and they discoursed with me.Almost it seemed myse lf was one of them.
And thenyou ceased.
THORDIS’Tis beauty’s paradox
To prove itself immortal and to die.
EGIL
Die ? Must this godlike transmutation lapseInto the lurking wolf again ? Ah, no !That music died in labour, and its yearningHath home a man-child, that lives after itHere in my soul. Henceforth I nevermore
102 FENRIS , THE WOLF
EGIL
Sister Emancipate d ! Mine a t lastFreedom and innocence ! The occult beastThat crouched beside the sweet we lls of my spiritIs ex orcised at last.
—To-morrow dawnI sha ll go forth and taste the wild, spring air,And gather the hamlet Children in the woodsTo pluck arbutus for he r wedding- day,Her wedding- day
— and his . I have renounced her.Emancipated—but I have renounced he rEve n for tha t, for freedom. What were freedomWithout— his ! his ! foreve r his own! And IAm happy, rapt, triumphant ? H is ! What powerHath wrought in me this ignominy ?
[Lifting the ha rp]Thou
Wast thou, imperious instrument ! Wast thou,Delirious god !
[Fiercely he plucks out severa l strings]
Thou hast decoye dme ![Pa using]
There’s Yorul ; Yorul’
s true .
[Wrenching with both hands the ha rp’s f rame , he brea ks it
in ha lves , and ex ultant, ra ises thema bove his head,with a grea t brea th]
Emancipated
I o6 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE CHILDREN
[Ta king hands, dance a bout him, singing]Thrice, thrice,Thrice around thee !Star-wiseOur ste ps surround thee ;
Now yield thee, yield thee, proud Sir Troll !Body and soulOur spells have bound thee.
EGIL
Thrice, thrice,Thrice around me !Star-wiseYour steps surround me .
Now yield I me and paymy tollBody and soul
As ye have bound me.
[H e lies down, pretending dea th each child places his footuponhimwith a shout. A t this he spr ings up , la ughing, se iz es a little boy and girl, and, sea ting himself ona j og, pla ces themon his knees. The others clustera bout him.]
Ha, sirrah ! is this maid thy sister ?
THE LITTLE BOY
She’s mine.EGIL
What wouldst thou do if I should steal her ?
FENRIS, THE WOLF 107
THE LITTLE BOY
I ’d kill you .
EGIL
Ha ! wouldst let him ?
THE LITTLE GIRLOh, of course ;
He is my brother.EGIL
’Tis a brother’s rightTo kill, I see.
THE LITTLE GIRL
In play, you know .
EGILIn play.
THE CHILDREN
Come Come play !
EGIL
What now ?
THE CHILDREN
[Seve ra lly]Fox and wild geese !
Glass-mountain, Spinning- fairy, Cat- skin, Crows,Frog-bridegroom
THE LITTLE GIRL
I know what !
EGIL
[Ta kes both her hands, smiling]Well, what ?
I o8 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE LITTLE GIRL
Red Riding-hood, and you shall be the wolf.
[Egil drops he r hands and rises]
I ’ll be
THE LITTLE BOY
I ’m the good hunter and these are mymen.
EGIL
[Vassa l- like to the little boy]Be see ch you, sir, may I not play your part ?I’d fain be the good hunter.
THE LITTLE BOY
Granted, earl.I’d fainer be the wolf.
[To the children]
Come ! gather your flowers.
EGIL
And when you’ve filled your laps and aprons upWith wind-flowe rs and arbutus, bring themhere.Mind ! ’tis our lady Thordis’ we dding - day .
THE CHILDREN
[Runningfromthe little boy]The wolf ! the wolf !
[Pa ssing lef t into the wood, they a re seenfor some time ga the ringflowe rs and wa tching, inthe ir game , the stea lthyapproa chments of the little boy]
EGIL
0 freedom ! happy world !
1 IO FENRIS, THE WOLF
THE VOICE OF ARFI
Thy he a rt, love, give or takeOr ca st away ;
Mine shall not breakForever and a day ;
For love rs kiss the irmate s whe re thoughts are kind.
Love lives within the mind—the mind— the mind .
[Slowly ha ving ri sen to his f e e t, Egil perce ives the humansha dow and sta rts]
EGIL
Yornl
[The shadow recedes, lef t,f romthe scene ]Yorul, stay !
Come back !THE VOICE OF ARFI
The re dstart and the rose,The clear sunrise,What mortal knowsTheir grace to immortalise ?
See k themagain, whe re Death can neve r find,By love, within the mind the enamour’d mind.
EGIL
It must not be .—Yorul —What, IWas mad, who now am sane and innocent.Come back ! It shall not—Yorul!
THORDIS
[Ca lls outside ]
FENRIS, THE WOLF 1 1 1
EGIL
She
[Ente r , right, THORDIS and ARFI . They a re dressed in
white , the dwa rf being qua intly ga rlanded. They a re
followed byWULDOR . Thordis goes ga ily towa rd Egit,e x tending both he r hands]
THORDIS
De serte r ! runagate Look , A rfi, here’s
Our truant brought to bay . And will not yield !And will not even surre nder up his eyesTo his imploring gaole rs. O proud brother !Not e ve n a hand-clasp in return for allThy struck- off shackles ?
[Takinghe r hands, he still looks of lef t ]
Still no e ye sFor mortals ? Q uite enamoure d of a wood- sprite ?Ala s ! we’ve broke a tryst and she has flown !Call her : perchance she’ll hear.
EGIL
[Looking uponThordis.]
Lady
[ Q uickly turning away, speaks unde r brea thWulde r .]
A dwor
A word !
1 12 FENRIS, THE WOLF
ARFI
He’s deeplymoved.
THORDIS
He’s deeply changed.
Saw you his eyes whe n they turne d full onme,And he said, Lady The re we re te ars in them,
Te a rs, and yet through themglowed the ancient fire,Not now in wra th, but te nde rness.
EGIL
[Aside to Wuldor ]
Overtake him ;The oath he swore to Egil—te ll him EgilNow counte rmands. Bid himdo nothing ; go 
1 14 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDIS
A rfi ! The sacre d poo l ?
ARFI
The pool of Freyja— the re ! The wood- folk callH e rmirror, for they say tha t once i’ the year,Ever at May-day, the fre sh goddess come sTo sit beside it with her e lve s, whilst the yComb her bright ha ir.
THORDIS
And then she peers within it
ARFI
As you do now . Swee te st, good-bye !
THORDISGood-bye
But where are you going ?
ARFI
The wood pathway to heaven .
I’mgoing to hasten that laggard priest, your fathe r,Tomake him make youmine.
EGILStop You’re alone .
ARFIWell
EGIL
[Emba rra ssed]Will it be now ?
FENRIS, THE WOLF 1 15
ARFI
AmI not written largeWith bridal rune s ? Hang not the se ga rla nds thickAs invoca tions froman inn-house gable ?Here light ye down, fair gue sts ! Light down, lightdown,
De a r lady, at the sign of the Gre enBridegroomIFarewe ll, swe ethe a rt. This day is clothed ingre enFor joy. I will re turnwith IngimundAs swift as longing.
EGIL
Stay ; we must be wise .
Youmust not leaveme here alone with her.
ARFI
Why ? Are you not my brothe r ?
EGILI amhe
Who vowe d against you hatre d and reve nge .
ARFI
Also you are my brother.
EGIL
I amheThat with a brutish fang struck at your life.
ARFI
Good-bye , de a r brothe r.
1 16 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
Wait ! Was I not thenYour brother then Will not a brother lust ?A brother cove t ? Are not be auty, grace,Lure s to a brother’s eyes ? Are brothers’ soulsBy nature k in? Or is tha t name a spellTo rende r heart andmind innocuousTha t else might murde r, ravish Oh, be notSo rash a s put your trust in me becauseI amyour brother.
ARFI
[Returning to Egil, embra ces him.]
Lad, ke ep this with you.
I would not be so rash a s not to trustIn you a powermore august than yourselfFor all the joy and honour which this dayHolds out to me . Adie u ! This day is j oy’s.
EGIL
Now we’re alone . How is it with you sister ?
THORDIS
Strange ly,my brother ; how is it with you ?
EGIL
Howmany waking dawns and de sperateHave I , in sharp imagina tion, moanedFor this swe et hour, to stand as nowI stand—alone with you, in liberty.
1 18 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
I have renounced you.
THORDIS
But not your love forme . Surely that stillIs happine ss.
EGIL
Why, ye s, I must be happy ;For this is pain, and pa in is ve ry swe e tTo those who love ; and this is bitter swe e tTo bre a the the name of siste r ’ga inst your che ckWhe re but so late the sigh of swee theart ” sto leWa rmfrommy brothe r’s lips . O lure and vision!Do you not se e ? I have climbe d up to youOut of the rank abyss ; this is the vergeOne word, one look, fromyoumust hurl me back,Or save me .
THORDISLook.
EGIL
How have you dared to trust
THORDIS
When ever ceased to trust you ?
EGILWe
THORDIS
A rfi and I . Oh,he is very wise.
H is j udgment is a s gracious as a child’sThat in the wonde rland Of its OwnwisdomImagines nothing base r than itself.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 1 19
EGIL
But I ambaser.THORDIS
Hath it proved so ?
EGIL
[Af ter a pa use ]No
No ; thanks to you and himand my ownpa in,It sha ll not prove so . This at last is powerAnd innoce nce ; this— this a t last is free dom.
Now whe n I clasp your hand I cla sp his alsoMy saviour’s ; now bene a th your face, for shrine,I will confessmy spirit to you both,For a re you notmy gods ? You have createdMy heavenand hell, and builde dmypath heavenward .
Now fromyour eyes nothing nothing withinThis heart shall be concealed.
THORDIS
What then is your secre t ?
[On the edge of the scene , left, unobserved by them, reappea rsthe humanSHADOW]
EGIL
My se cret ?
120 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDIS
Come, sit withme onthis bank,And I will be a listening stre am, a bird,An opening flower, to ove rhe ar you .
[H e f ollows and sits beside her the Sha dow slowlymovestowa rd them.]
EGILBut
THORDIS
That thought which falte rs now behind your lips.
EGIL
I have no thought which hide s fromyou .
[The Sha dow moves between them Egil sta rts up with
Again!Again it falls uponme !
EGIL’Tis gone.
THORDISWhat’s gone ?
EGIL
I t is nomatter.
122 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
What secret can you haveFor me
THORDIS
You have been wicked ; so perhapsHave I .
EGIL
[Smib'
ag]
THORDIS
[Showing her hand ]
Look look there.
EGILA scar.
THORDISThe mark
Of fangs.
EGIL
What thing has dared to give you pa in ?
THORDISHave onfor ot ?y g
EGIL
Ah me ! I had forgot.
Cannot you, too, forget ?
THORDIS
I would not ; that’
s
My secret. Ye s, this scar is dear to me.
EGIL
That sign of blasphemy, of him the werewolf
FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDISIs dear to me.
EGIL
Thordis
THORDIS
I loved the wolf .
It was a life to nourish and protect,A being alien andmysterious,Yearning and captive . It wa s terrible ,And yet so eager, swift, and passionateIt fascinated me. It was ignoble,Cruel, yet infinite of promise ; cunning,Malicious, yet beautifully animate,Sublimely animal.
EGIL
O pain !
THORDIS
To take itIntomy bosom, foster its wild growthFromhour to hour, to watch from day to dayThe fierce light of its eyes glow dee per, milder,To nestle it only to set it free—these joysWere pangs to me.
EGIL
[Low]
Have pity !
THORDISThen it was
So lordly, so impe rious of strength,
123
124 FENRIS, THE WOLF
In grace so sinuous, in pride so arde ntWho had not beenenamoured of it ?
EGILCease
It wrought some monstrous spell to make you wanton .
THORDIS
If that be wantonness which fain would takeNo joy of loving but the giving joy.
EGIL
But for that beast you turned your thoughts fromArfi
THORDIS
You do not understand ; Arfi and IAre one ; it needs no murmured wedding vowsTomake us that. But I am beautiful,And all who look upon me love to pressNeare r and touchmy gown, and when I passI feel the ruddy mantling of their cheeksAnd the wild admirationstart ; and theseAre joys to Arfi as to me, and weReturn their love.
EGIL
Even so you loved me ?
THORDIS
More than all those , for you alone of thoseHad need of me And so you have my secret.
I fe ar indeed it is a wicked one ;
I 26 FENRIS, THE WOLF
For I have annulled it, I have cancelled it.Come here, look in my he art ; is it not cle an?Woe thou maye st se e there, yearning, pain, but notSay, canst thou see the re murder ? Answe r not,But go What will come will come ; what have ITo do with it ? Go, go, I say.
[Ex itWuldor, r ight, looking da rkly]
THORDISYou are ill,
Your gestures they are wild.
EGIL
Why should they not be ?The wild thing is not dead, but is ex alted.
Gods, why should we , your hinds, coin and deviseDre ams of emancipation ! We are quibblersAnd hypocrites, damned, every slave of us,To hug our chains in secre t. Rather thanAcknowle dge what we are, the mind outwitsThe heart, the heart hoodwinks the mind, the tongueCajoles and counte rplots themboth, while truth
[Breaks into la ughter]
THORDISTell me the truth.
EGIL
Again Another version ?Why, listen then : I love you ; not inthe awful,Serene idea of self- sacrifice ,But passion, which of right demands return
FENRIS, THE WOLF 127
Of passion, nature’s just and ancient ba rte r .
I want you ; I demand you—a ll yourself .I offer all myself.
THORDIS
What of your brother
EGIL
I ask you nothing which he does not ask.
H e offe rs nothing which I do not ofle r.
There wa s a difle rence betwe enus once,Not now .
THORDIS
Hath he not made you what you are ?
EGILYes, he and you .
THORDIS
And in re quital nowYou would seduce his bride ?
EGILNo , not se duce ;
Demand. Yes, though I seem to rave , I spe akLove and conviction . Judgeme , dearmy lady.
You chose between us brothers when we wereContrasted in our souls as some meek hardOf pity, with a beast. Look onus nowAgain, be fore it he too late , and chooseBe tween us now.
THORDIS
I have chosen once for all.
I 28 FENRIS, THE WOLF
EGIL
But have you chosen blindly ?
[Points into the wood ]
Do you se e ,
By yonder pine, that wild crab- apple tree ?
THORDIS
I see a tree just bursting into flower.
EGILIs not it beautiful ?
THORDIS’Tis ravishing.
EGIL
Last winter, had you passed, youmight have seen itWrithing its froz en limbs the re like a thingAccurst, all pinched and scrambled by the pangsOf scre aming winds ; you would have shrunk fromitBeneath the ve rdurous pine , inwhose sad boughsThe same winds sung like voices of tuned lyres.
THORDISIt may be so.
EGIL
Yet now behold it, now !A pale - rose pyre of fragrance and of flame ,Whe re in, like sacrificial spirits, sitThe tawny and vermilion birds, and strikeTheir silve ry chants in unison, and hungAmid the tangle d bloom, inmurmurous choirs,The blazing gold bees shrill their mellow horns.
130 FENRIS, THE WOLF
THORDIS
Oh, leave me !
EGIL
Ye t you seize my hand.
THORDIS
Leave me, leave me !
EGIL
Ye t you take me to your heart.
THORDIS
A myriad loves the heart hath, but one mate .
Once onlymay the cry of soul and bodyBe answered ; the great need can be but once.
EGIL
Now is the great need come .
THORDIS
How may we know ?
EGIL
I am your being’s master. If his soulWere listening to us now, I would cry outI have outgrown thee, brother. What thou artI am and more, for I have wrung fromtheeThy potentmind, and forged it to my passionsTomake a lordlier instrument. Mine, therefore,Not thine, the orda inéd need of her. Mine !
FENRIS, THE WOLF 13 1
THORDISLoveme
[He kisses he r . Arfimoves into the thicket and disappea rs.
Thordis, putting Egil fromher, draws a dagger uponherself ]
Ah,my betrayer ! I t is ended.
EGIL
[Seiz ing the knife f romher .]
No ;
You shall not choose so . If that name indeedBe mine , keep sile nce now, while I ave ngeThe kiss of thy seducer.
[As he turns the knife uponhimself, Thordis cri es out ]
EGILLove
[Springing to he r, beside the pool, he recoils]
Impending image ! persecuting shape !Depart.
THORDIS
Alas ! are we both mad ?
EGILRemove
The prying horror of thine eyes. Not nowAt this the utmost instant of my joyIntrude not now .
132 FENRIS,THE WOLF
THORDIS
Whomdo you speak to ?
EGIL
[Sta ringpa st Thordis into the pool ]The re !
Look, we havemurdered him . It comes to tell us ;I t points at thee, to say thou, too, art guilty .
We have betrayed and kille d him, thou and I .
Se e , se e ! It kne els and crave s our sanction . Rise,
Remorseless shadow ! Go ! I give it thee.
[He hurls the dagge r into the pool. As he staggers ba ck,Thordis rests his hea d onher shoulde r]
THORDIS
Peace, bra in and heart !
VOICES
[Fa r away, right, sing]
How should the bed, the bridal bed,Freyja, be spre ad ?
Pine garlands at the foot, rose garlands at
EGIL
Is it gone ?
THORDISNothing is there.
Rest, rest, poor dreamer !
134 FENRIS, THE WOLF
The seeking joys of all wild, mating thingsThrob in the ir blood and ours, their kindred,
THORDIS
[Brea kingf romhim.]
Help, Arfi
[She escapes , r ight, into the wood. AsEgilpursues her , the restepsf romthe thicket, into hispa th Arfi . Egilpa uses]
EGIL
May the de a d be summoned backTo curse us with forgive ness —Spirit, be sternAnd not compassiona te . Come in your wounds,Fell and disfigured, not benignly thus.Oh, not your love —your vengeance Not your love !
[Shields his eyes with his a rms . As he does so, Arfi, with
a serene gesture , is a bout to spea k, whenf romthe thicketYorul spr ings silently out and sta bs him. Arfi f a lls
motionless Yorulwithdraws . SlowlyEgil looks aga in]Yea, now thou ha st resumed thymurde r-garment,And hast drawn onthy bridal- robe of wounds,And laid the e atmy fe e t in venge ance. Now
This is indeed thy vengeance—brother ! master ![Stoops beside the body]
VOICES OF THE VIRGINS
What o’er the man the maid shall wed,Freyja, be shed ?
The pine’s immortal breath, e re those green boughsare dead.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 135
[Sta rting up,f ea rf ul, Egil ha les the body towa rd the lef t, buthaving rea ched the centre pa uses, a s the la ughter of childrenrises inthe way before him. Turning, he is dragging the body downscene , whenthe childre n, scampe ringin, lef t, with their aprons and ba skets f ull of wild
flowers , run towa rds him. F inger on lip, hemotionsthemsilence the ir la ughte r and shouts die away, awed ]
EGIL
He is aslee p ; the bridegroomis asleep .
Scatter your wild flowers over him. Look, he smiles,He’ll laugh when he awakes and sees them. Soft !
THE CHILDREN
[Whisper ing, ga ther ina circle and,ple a sed a s a t some gameofmystery, heap theflowers uponArfi , and singlow]
Flowers bringAnd fa iry numbers !Sweet SpringHis spirit cumbers.
Still he highhole ! sti ll be thrush !Hush ! hush !Now he slumbers.
[Treading sof tly, with covert la ughter and hushes, the
childrenstea l away. fi feaped over the body of Arfland
completely concea ling it, they ha ve lef t behind thema
grea t pile of a rbutus, violets, and other flowers . Someof these Egil is repla cingmore ca rqfully, when the pile
is sha kenf romwithin, and up through it rises the formof BALDUR. D a z z led, Egil kneels]
136 FEMETS, THE WOLF
Ha il, brother !
ECU;
Art thou sunlight, or a voice ?
This is the word of Odin!
[Egil sinksprostra te ]
If the wolfSeduce to his de sire his brothe r’s bride ,He shall be lord with he r of he ave n and e arthAnd hell, and by the ir pa ssion the se reneAnd sta blishe d be acons of the gods shall beEclipsed in night, ana rchical and void,Where, sta ggering with lust, the blinded worldReels back to chaos and the prima l dark.
EGH;
[Birding hisf ace ]
And if the wolf renounce he r ?
BALDURHe shall perish
,
Slain by his ownself-mastery, and allThe spirits of light, freed from that awful dread,Shall strew his charnel, singing.
EGILAh ! but she
138 FENRIS , THE WOLF
THORDIS
Was not be with you, fa the r ?
INGIMUND
H e went be foreA little spa ce , to gre e t you first. My child
,
Why do you cling tome ?
EGIL
[Approa ching he r .]
Godde ss and maide n
THORDIS
He’
smad. Save us ! We both are mad.
INGIMUNDThy brother,
Whe re is he ?EGIL
Father, he ha th gone beforeA little spa ce, but le ft thy word withme .
INGIMUNDMy word ?
EGIL
The word of truth.
little girl,moving ba ck some of the flowers, ha s disclosedthe dea d body of Arjfl, blood- sta ined ]
THE LITTLE GIRL
He’s still asleep.
FENRIS, THE WOLF 139
THORDIS
[Goes to it with a cry]
WULDOR
I thought it, Ingimund ; he’s murdered.
INGIMUND
H is bane ! Wha t hand struck this ?
EGILLo, I will te ll ;
The dream must end. Thou saide st : H e shall pe rish,And a ll the spirits of light, fre ed from that dread,Shall strew his cha rne l, singing .
INGIMUND
Madman ThouYOKUL
[Ente ringfromthe thicket ]I murdere d him.
THORDIS
[Sta rting upf romthe body]Yorul !
YORUL
[Showing dagge r ]
His blood is here.
EGIL
Ye t shall the dreamers wake , the truth prevail.
140 FEtVRIS , THE WOLF
”Twas I This hand
And sha ll tha t hand put out
The be acons Of the gods with primal da rk ,And hurl the b linded world to cha os ?
THORDISEgil !
Thou art innocent ! Oh, in this bla nk of de a thTha t truth remains.
EGIL
[Turning uponYorul ]
Scourge and seductor !
INGIMUND
[To Egil]Speak !
Hath thismandone this deed ?EGIL
Yes ; it was Yornl.
[Ve rul is seiz ed ]
ACT IV
SCENE The rune - stone .
A white rose bush, beside it, inbloom a flame onthe a lta rsunset.
Ente r EGIL, a lone .
EGIL
Put it away ? To put all from me allOr else de spoil ! Re nounce, or with a kissConsume the bright seduction Mar relinquish,Ineither path, to suffer ; ye t to se e
Myself a t last for what I am, to knowThe ine x orable bars, the nudging ra fte rs,The sta rry lych - gate and the pit of te arsOf thismy soul and penthouse. And the escape !To know that I myself themiracleI worshipped am a god, a sovereign lordOf nature , powerful tomake the boundsAnd marche s of the heave n my petty fie fsOfmind, ye t what a god ! A clawed usurper,Tha t snatches from the shoulders of the godsThe green and az ure cloth of summer- time,This human tape stry of spring and harvestStar-wrought with sanguine hea rts and go lde n sheaves,And tears it, tooth-meal, for a wo lf
’s la ir.—This,143
144 FENRIS , THE WOLF
This also must have cha llenge : Might not EgilO
’
e rma ste r Fenris ? Can the mind o’
e rma ste rThe will
[Supplica ting the rune - stone ]
O mystery, that made us twoYet one, resolve thyse lf and this and seal it !To put all, all away, or with a kiss consume ?
[Pa using, he brea ks a white rose,and holding it ne a r and
ne a re r the a lta r -flame wa tches ii a s thoughfor a sign
till it scorches then sna tching it ba ck, e x tingu ishe sthe flame . PVhile he i s bending ove r thus, THORDISente rs, inhe r hands a rope of twined a rbutus o we rs .
All inwhite , she is verypa le approa ching behind Egil,she wa tches over his shoulde r the rose peta ls and the
flame . Suddenly, throwing the rope of a rbutus ove r
his head, she winds it a bout him. Turning, hethe rose, and theyga ze a t e a ch othe r, angu ished ]
EGIL
[Af te r a silence .]
Why have you left the body
THORDIS
[Bindinghis a rms downwith the blossoms]I have come
To bring you back in chains to prison.
EGILWhere
THORDIS
I know a dungeon where the dead are not.
146 FENRIS, THE WOLF
But so it is ; the stormof the e shuts downOver my world ; thy lightnings have put outHis smile.
EGIL
Is it not e nough that I have spilledHis blood upon my soul, but must that, more,Po llute the whitene ss of a goddess’ heartAnd desecrate perfection ?
THORDIS
[ IrVith a wan smile of pa in, drawing himwith the a rbutustowa rd he r .]
Come to prison.
EGIL
His blood, I said ; did you not hear ? Not YornlI murdered him
THORDIS
You do not understand ;It wa s not you ;
’twas I .
EGIL
The hand of YornlStabbed him, but my intent.
THORDIS
You do not askWhere I’ve prepared your dungeon . Come.
EGILToo late,
You precious chains ! I am free.
FENR IS, THE WOLF 147
THORDISThy words again !
Free, but alone, adrift ! I hear thee still,Fore ver, calling in thy ne e d ofme0 take me back, the wild thing ! Come I take
thee ;I ne stle thee once more, a captive. Come,Alone no more !
EGIL
It is too late. ’Tis be ,Your god and lover, whomthey are bringing backTo cla im you .
THORDIS
[Clinging to himWho shall cla im me from your side ?
[Ente r a procession of folk , virgins, and children, be a ring a low bie r, covered with a cloth of gre en, behindwhich wa lks YORUL, bound. INGIMUND, who ente rs
first,a scends, by the stone steps, the a lta r , before which
the bie r is set down. M ile this is be ing borne , thedirge continues]
VIRGINS AND CHILDREN
[Chant ]
He iri l he iri ! heiri !Othin ok tEsir !
[Ingimund signs to a pri est to loosen the hands
who stands inf ront of the bie r]
148 FENRIS , THE WOLF
INGIMUND
Give him the cup. The murderer sha ll drinkThe bane ofmurde r.[The pri est hands to Yorul a cup, which, a s he ra i se s it
quietly to his lips, is wrenched f romhis hand by Egil,who embra ces him.]
EGIL
My de livere rBrother, awake ! I give thee back thy bride .
[Onthe bie r, the gre en cloth is thrown ba ck, and BALDUR,rising, steps upon the a lta r . THORDIS ga z es uponhim.]
This is my he a rt’s desire — take it ! ’tis yours .
Freyja !BALDUR
THORDIS
[Pl/t'
th a wild cry, going to him.]
Baldur !
THE FOLK
[Prostra ting themselve s]The gods ! the gods !
[Thordis and Ingimund, by Ba ldur’s side , a re transfigu red,and a hedge of flowe rs and flame springs up beforethe a lta r, encircling the thre e ]
EGIL
[Apa rt drinks f romthe cup]
To freedom !
[Ba ldur and Thordis, clinging to ea ch othe r,look a t Egil ]
150 FENRIS, THE WOLF
Beside it, amid the prostra tefolk, rising a lone,stands
Yornl, with a rms uprea ched towa rd the rune - stone ]
THE VIRGINS AND CHILDREN
[Singing-J
Heiri ! he iri ! he iri !Balthur ok Freyja !
[Fa r of , the ice - crown in the
FINIS