Greenness covered the soft forest floor
and stillness reigned through the trees once more.
Commanded to silence was each living thing
in the awesome presence of two towering beings

standing face to face, clothed in muscle and might
armed with bare grimness and ready to fight
a battle in which one winner stands tall
while the other in death’s mighty grip would fall.

Two fighters whose names struck fear in men’s hearts,
Günther the Gruesome and Derek the Dark.
The Gruesome’s great deeds were known through the land,
vicious in battle, slaying many a man

who dared to presume he was greater than great,
found his arrogance shattered and death his fate,
delivered to the depths of the underworld
by the swift singing sharpness of his bright sword.

And Derek the Dark whose temper was hot
as the flames which from the dragon’s mouth shot
was known to seize men who merely stepped on his toe
and slash them to pieces with a crushing blow.

Now how did it happen that these two stood
seething with anger, face to face in the woods?
In faith I shall tell thee how it came to be,
for this lay records ancient history.

In a country known as Burgundess
lived a king who was in great distress.
For his fair daughter had been spirited away
by six wicked witches who lived in a cave,

where after the passing of thirteen nights
when the moon was full and the bats in flight,
those sinister sisters would add to their brew
the heart and lungs of poor princess Rinu!

To the man who could save her from this witch band,
the desperate king promised his daughter’s hand.
But after twelve short nights had gone by,
three thousand great warriors in the attempt had died.

Slain by the huge beast guarding the entrance,
those battle brave thanes had barely a chance
against a creature weighing nine thousand stones,
eagerly slurping up blood and men’s bones.

On this twelfth night the king pleaded in despair,
But to venture near the cave, no one would dare.
So princess Rinu might have been in the brew
if Günther the Gruesome had not heard the news,

and jumped on his steed, flashing sword in hand,
he galloped fiercely across the wide land,
never stopping for sleep, water or rest,
spurring his mount on to Burgundess.

Twenty-three hours he rode his tireless steed
arriving at the palace of the poor desperate king
exactly one hour before the moon was full
when doom was to meet poor princess Rinu.

The Gruesome strode boldly before the king’s throne
and his voice shook the palace’s pillars of stone
as he proclaimed to the king “Rinu shall not die,
If these cowards cannot save her, then so must I!”

With no further words he stalked out of the room,
rode to the wretched witch cave of deep gloom
and with his bright sword sliced the monster in two,
seized the six sisters and threw them in the brew,

where they boiled amidst loud wails and screams,
shrieking their curses, saying terrible things,
‘til the Gruesome put an end to that horrible racket
when he hacked off their heads with his trusty hatchet.

Then heaving again that bright cutting blade,
from her chains he freed the trembling maid,
who, now finally safe from certain harm,
collapsed into her hero’s strong arms.

And she gazed at him with such gratefulness
that his bold heart felt a tenderness
for this gentle girl whom he soon was to wed
(as the king had promised) and to share her bed

where he’d willingly weaken to her womanly charms
and be utterly strength-less in soft supple arms
as she tenderly kissed his lips and cheek,
one so strong sweetly conquered by one so meek.

But as he held his princess engaged in such thoughts,
a danger was approaching of which he knew naught.
For at the cave’s entrance, who did appear?
‘Twas Derek the Dark, on his face a mean sneer.

For he carried a magic mix of green gall,
which when thrown in the eyes would make any man fall
at once helpless and weak to the damp ground,
where he would sleep for three hours, not hearing a sound.

This dastardly deed, dark Derek did do,
and when Günther fell, he seized princess Rinu!
He dragged the struggling girl to his steed,
threw her upon it and rode to the king,

announcing that he had saved Rinu’s life
and demanded that she be made his wife.
Rinu vainly denied all that was said,
and with tears in her eyes cried, “I’d rather be dead,

than wed this wicked man with no heart,
when my true hero lies alone in the dark,
unfairly and cowardly felled by this fink,
whose unmanly weapon was some magic drink!”

“My child,” said the king with a heavy sigh,
“you must marry Derek the Dark for I
have promised your hand to the man who freed you,
now not a word more, Derek will have you.”

Rinu fell to her knees in sorrow and fear,
but her pitiful pleas the king would not hear.
So the princess may well have met with this fate
if Günther the Gruesome had not stormed the gates

of the palace, tossing aside the king’s guards,
striding boldly into the main court yard,
throwing open the doors to the royal hall,
his tempestuous temper a terror to all

who quickly scurried out of his path,
fearing the heaviness of his great wrath.
“KING!” he roared, making the earth itself quake,
“this Derek the Dark is a sniveling fake.

He thought he’d beat me with his wizardly tricks.
By Zeus, I shall send him to the River of Styx,
for he boldly stole what I’ve rightly won.
With none but I shall the princess come!”

The Dark then spoke menacingly to the king.
“You know who speaks the truth of this thing.
I alone brought your daughter back to you.
You shall die if you fail to pay what is due.”

So that cowardly king, fearing for his life,
granted that his daughter be the Dark’s wife.
Then Günther the Gruesome, in utter disgust,
said, “If you will not fight for her, then I must.”

And he challenged the Dark to a death duel,
which Derek accepted, calling Günther a fool,
swearing, “My sword shall surely send you to Hell,
along with the others who by my strength fell.”

Günther said not a word, but unsheathed his sword
and he stalked to the open palace door,
and hurled his blade toward a wood in the west.
Where it landed, they would battle and learn who was best.

It was in this wood, thirty miles away
where they found the sword wedged deep in the clay
of a river bank whose name is now known
for the vicious battle where a great man was thrown.

Günther slowly pulled his sword from the ground,
stared straight into Derek’s furious frown
and spoke these words which echoed through the trees,
“Now Derek, I shall bring you to your knees.”

The Dark then yelled a maddening cry,
heaved his sword, determined Günther would die.
But the blade that would have cut him through
met the oak behind him which fell in two.

Having skillfully dodged that fatal blow,
Günther lifted his sword, in his eyes a mean glow,
and he dashed at the Dark with such blinding speed
that he vanished from sight so that Derek could not see

in which direction he was to fight.
But the gods were with him for he leapt to the right
narrowly escaping the sword’s hungry bite
which whistled past him, flashing white.

“So slow!” the Dark then haughtily declared.
But Günther answered back with a treacherous glare
and with his hands ripped a tree from the ground
and flung it at Derek, knocking him down

to the slippery clay of the river’s edge
where Günther thought to soon make him dead.
But the Dark knocked Günther’s sword from his hand
and with grim-fisted strength pulled the man

into the river’s bottomless depths
where the two wrestled with life and death
underneath the black and murky waters
long and hard for seventeen hours.

This battle raged on for thirty days,
each man tireless and unwilling to give way,
not eating, not sleeping, not stopping for rest
“til one would fall, the other withstanding the test.

On this thirtieth day, the gods must have been at their games
which they play with the lives of men who have fame
as well as with men who have nothing at all,
for they find great pleasure in a mortal’s downfall.

From sweet Middle Earth they vowed Günther would depart,
for they let Derek’s sword cut deep and close to his heart.
Günther stumbled away, trailing blood through the wood
which the Dark coldly followed, knowing he would

soon with his sword stand over this man
who shortly would die by his great hand.
And Günther might have met with death’s deep darkness,
But who should appear? His beloved Princess!

How wretched she felt to find her love
dragging himself and covered with blood!
She knelt down beside him and cradled his head
So helplessly fearful that he soon would be dead.

But as she looked in his eyes and stroked his chin,
a surge of great strength shot through his limbs
‘til all the weakness he felt was now gone,
and the clench of his fist was ten times as strong.

At this moment the Dark broke through the trees
and found his rival holding Rinu on his knee.
Derek scornfully laughed, a hard glint in his eye,
saying, “It is on your knees that you both shall die!”

He then swung his sword with all of his force,
But Günther’s great hand stopped its deadly course.
And he wrenched the weapon from Derek’s hand
and hurled it away across the wide land.

Günther then grabbed his hand with such a hard grip
and squeezed until the blood did drip
from Derek’s quivering fingertips
as in pain and fear he bit his lips.

“Plead mercy man, and I shall set you free.
If you want your life, I shall grant it thee,
on condition that you will leave this place.
If I see you again, you will get no grace.”

That the Dark who had shortly before trembled with fear,
now shook with great anger was entirely clear.
For his haughtiness drove away pain and dread
as soon as he heard the word “Mercy” said.

“I’ll have none of your mercy you ignorant fool!
Damn you to Hell and your princess Rinu!”
And though he knew well there remained no escape,
he spitefully spat into Günther’s face.

So quick was the rip that rushed through the bone
the Dark did not notice his arm was gone,
‘til he saw the limb his Günther’s hand,
lifeless and dripping blood in the sand.

“You wretch,” said Günther, no pity in his eye.
“I offered you mercy, you chose to die.
Your blood shall now feed the thirsty leech,
and on your foul flesh, the worms shall feast.

Then he turned away from that horrible sight,
picked up his princess who trembled with fright
and quickly carried her away from the scene
where he had conquered that terrible fiend.

Once out of the woods Rinu looked up to his face
and sighed “Ah, Günther, at last we are safe.”
He then brushed back her hair, and kissed her sweet lips,
soon certain to share with her great joy and bliss.

That was the legend of Günther’s great fight,
the reward for his braveness, a joyful life.

Composed Fall 1989