The Tale of Beithir

ie. a large snakelike creature or dragon in

Scottish folklore: a creature of light(ning) 

Fear of which does not haunt you, 

Reach for that which does. 

Hidden in the shadows 

Of caves and caverns, 

Biding a strike 

On the raucous taverns, 

Lies the Beithir. 

A seeker wanders down the corrie, 

Pertinently warned. 

Pursuing one who mustn’t be found, 

The creature revealed, horned 

Veiled with venom. 

Flee to the water - 

The lake! The sea!

Before too late, 

Grieving cries of the Banshee, 

Drown the torrid air. 

A body, 

Nay more 

Shipwrecked and scattered. 

Horns. Scales. Nails. Claws - upon the moore 

Cypress Tears. 

Fray from the waving blankets 

Fray from the sand trickled shores, 

Fray from Beaufort castle, 

From stinging corpse 

And striking light. 

Written by Julian Kumar. 

Julian Kumar is a creative who paints a portrait of magic, and reality’s place lies in haunting the frame.