Berserker Words and music by Leslie Fish © 1985There are legends aplenty about berserkers, usually Norse warriors, though there’s also a tale of the battle madness of the Irish hero Cúchulainn. Some tales attribute the Berserker Syndrome to divine or demonic possession; others ascribe it to non-human inheritance, divine or faery blood. A few modern Pagans claim it’s a psychic state that can be achieved by training. In any case, once raised it must be controlled. This is a song about how to maintain that control.Oh, do not seek to know what lies Behind these mild and patient eyes, For I have seen the demon’s powers – And even let the monster run – In certain unforgotten hours. The fire that sleeps within the blood Can waken to a burning flood That sweeps away whatever moved Before the wordless killer’s eye. Oh, do not cry to see it proved! No, leave the devil where it lies. Cast no blood into my eyes, And never place my life in threat, For when the monster comes alive, If you survive, you won’t forget. The roar when language falls away, The vision bleached to black and gray, The speed that makes the wind feel slow, The strength beyond the bones’ designs: These are the signs I too well know. I wear my weapons openly, Tolerant, kind, though I must be. I keep the Fenris wolf in reins, But this much warning I must give: That while I live, the beast remains.