Poem: "The Foundation of Great Accomplishments"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem is spillover from the June 4, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from book_worm5 and mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Commitment" square in my 6-1-19 card for the Cottoncandy Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Path of the Paladins series.


"The Foundation of Great Accomplishments"


"What are you doing?"
Althey said, looking at Johan.

"Trying to make sense of things,"
Johan said. He sounded frustrated.

"Well, talk it out," Althey suggested.
"If you tell me what you're mulling over,
maybe it will come clearer for you."

"I'm thinking about the gods,"
Johan said. "They used to get along,
then all the fighting broke out, and
now they're reaching out again."

"All right, that shapes what
happens in our world," Althey said.

"I swore my vows to Gailah," said Johan.
"I have been an absolutely terrible paladin
to Her -- even turned my face from Her for
a time -- but I never meant to replace Her
with another deity. If these others show
interest in me and I respond to Them ,
then what does it mean for my vocation?
What does it mean about commitment?"

"I don't know," Althey said. "I think
it will be interesting to find out.
What are you working on?"

"Just sketches," Johan said,
moving his arms so Althey
could see the page. Charcoal
sketched out holy symbols for
various deities, arranged in
different combinations.

Alazar, God of Art,
was represented by
a palette and brush,
clear even without colors.

"You did a good job of
rendering these," Althey said
as he resting a fingertip
beside the winged skull of
Forthan, God of Death.

"Thank you," Johan said.
"I work with what I have."

"You like Forthan," Althey said.

"I respect Him," Johan corrected,
shaking his head. "I'm not sure
anyone really likes Forthan."

"No, you like Him," Althey said,
his voice full of confidence.

"What makes you think that?"
Johan said, looking down.

"Because in His icons,
you draw Him looking
happy or sad, but never
angry," Althey explained.
"His wings always have
white feathers like they're
supposed to, not black,
and not bat wings."

"Bat wings are blasphemy!"
Johan snapped. "I may serve
Gailah instead, but even I know
that much about Forthan."

Althey spread his hands.
"That's exactly my point,"
he said. "I think you like
all of the ones who have
touched you, at least a little."

"Maybe you're right," Johan said.
"I just wanted to find a way of
acknowledging the others,
without denying Gailah
Her proper place."

Althey looked at
the arrangements.

"You're trying to lay out
a pattern that lets you
show them together,"
he realized then.

"Yes," Johan said.
"I mean, think about
holy symbols. Priests and
paladins usually wear pendants.
Other followers wear a ring."

"People scribble graffiti on
walls and posts," Althey said.

"I just ... don't know how
to combine them," Johan said.

Althey looked at sketches of
a necklace with different symbols
done as charms linked together,
and a bracelet that seemed to have
them stamped along a wide cuff.

In each case, Gailah's was larger
and centered among the rest.

"These might work, but what about
putting them in different places?"
Althey asked, tilting his head.

"Like what?" Johan asked.

"Keep your pendant," Althey said.
"Just add something like a stole
or a sash for the other symbols."

Johan sighed. "I can't make anything
like that," he said. "Embroidery takes
too long, and you need a lot of skill.
Any decent smith should be able
to make the basic symbols, and
they often have hammer stamps."

"So?" Althey said. "We don't
need all this tomorrow."

"I remember ... we had
such glorious vestments once,
in the Shining City," Johan said.
"Maybe someday, it would be
nice to have such things again."

"There you go," Althey said.
"Add it to your sketches, and
pray on it. Perhaps the gods
will give you some ideas, too."

"Even if I'm not sure what form
the commitment will take?" Johan said.

"I think if They wanted something particular,
They would have told you," Althey said.
"Commitment is the foundation of
great accomplishments. You're
willing to take the first steps.
That may be all They require
of you, at least for now."

"I've never really made
oaths to any of the others,"
Johan said, shaking his head.

"Haven't you?" Althey said.
"Oaths made to another in
the silence of one's own soul
remain oaths, and are still binding.
Even if no human witnesses
them, the gods always do."

"I may have ... wished for things,
but that's not the same," Johan said.

"It is if the gods pick it up and treat it
as worthy," Althey said. "Some oaths
even carry beyond the death of the body,
into another realm, or another life. It's
not about the form they take, Johan. It's
about how much people mean them."

"You may have a point there,"
Johan conceded thoughtfully.

He took up his charcoal again,
and began to draw.

* * *

Notes:

Forthan, God of Death (introduced in "Thorny Paths")

Gailah, Goddess of Peace (introduced in "Shine On")

* * *

"Commitment is the foundation of great accomplishments."
-- Heidi Reeder

This is a pendant of Alazar's palette and brush symbol.

A paladin of Forthan would wear a pendant, and a follower would wear a ring, showing the winged skull.

Subtle details can change the intent a lot. With the brow ridges high, wings and teeth curving upward, Forthan looks happy.
With the brow ridges angled up and wings curving down, Forthan looks sad. With the brow ridges angled down, jaws open, and feathers sharply pointed, Forthan looks angry. Black feathers and bat wings are blasphemy. People may doodle a winged skull as graffiti -- especially soldiers waiting before a battle.

Comments

[acelightning]

Oh, SiliconShaman is going to love those pictures of Forthran - both goth and biker imagery! :-)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I hope so too. :D

I was, however, looking for things that resemble historic holy symbols such as pilgrim badges or milagros. They have a certain look to them because they're copied for multiple people to use.

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning]

Those are nicely designed, and could easily be copied (and colored in, or used as patterns for quilting or stained glass, or for leather tooling).>/font>

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's the idea. I know what makes a good motif for folk art and religious art. Just like people here plaster crosses (and roses, sheep, fish, etc.) all over everything, it's the same there. People will take symbols of their favorite god(s) and make a quilt, a charm bracelet, a handkerchief, a belt, a window, and so forth.

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning]

Someday I'll take a selfie of me wearing every pentagram I have - (how am I going to wear three T-shirts at once?), a stole, seven different pendants, a belt, a hair ornament, socks, three or four rings, a couple of brooches, an earring, and a tattoo. (And I'm not the most extreme - I've seen people bedecked with enough pentagram bric-a-brac to open their own occult jewelry shoppe.)

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I have a LOT of Pagan stuff, but not all of it is pentacles. I do have one giant pentacle for use in circle, the size of my palm, because small ones become invisible from a few feet away.

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning]

I have a few Triple Moon designs here and there, and my Pentagram pendants range in size from half an inch to two inches or so. And I have a few Runic items, including a tattoo that incorporates a bind-rune for safe travel, that I got before one of my trips to Australia. But the only item I wear in public on a regular basis is a silver ear cuff on my right ear, which bears a silver lightning bolt dangle.

[siliconshaman]

You're right, I do!

Yay!

[ysabetwordsmith]

*Numfar does the Dance of Joy*

[acelightning]

If you have any tools that are small enough, you could make wax patterns based on those images, and cast them in lost wax (in "pot metal" or equivalent) and have all the skull-themed bric-a-brac you could ever want :-)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That would be so awesome. :D I love the idea of Forthan's imagery making it here! Or any of the others, for that matter.

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning]

I'd like to see the others also.

[siliconshaman]

Sounds like the birth of a Church of All right there..

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Something like that. I think in this generation, they're looking at paladins called by one deity who wind up adding a few extras after the fact. Eventually, though, they might see the rise of interfaith chaplain paladins who really serve all the gods, the way some roadside shrines do.

Re: Well ...

[technoshaman]

Ooooh... (I'll just stick that icon up there and let it speak :)

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

All things are possible. :D

Re: Well ...

[technoshaman]

Some are more expensive than others, some of which make it not worth the cost... but yes, damn few things are *truly* impossible.

Re: Well ...

[librarygeek]

And some things get done because persistence of just keep throwing yourself at that brick wall, until either someone gives you a boost over or Crazy Harry Muppet goes *BOOM* and blows up the damn wall... ;-)