The Worm Ouroboros

by Eric Rücker Eddison

THE WORM OUROBOROS

GORICE XII. IN CARCË.

THEWORM
OUROBOROS

A ROMANCE BY E. R.
EDDISON, ILLUSTRATED
BY KEITH HENDERSON

 

JONATHAN CAPE ELEVEN
GOWER STREET LONDON

First published 1922
All rights reserved

CONTENTS

	Table of Contents	v
	Illustrations	vii
	Dedication	ix
	The Induction	xi
I.	The Castle of Lord Juss	1
II.	The Wrastling for Demonland	16
III.	The Red Foliot	29
IV.	Conjuring in the Iron Tower	45
V.	King Gorice's Sending	61
VI.	The Claws of Witchland	68
VII.	Guests of the King in Carcë	75
VIII.	The First Expedition to Impland	102
IX.	Salapanta Hills	117
X.	The Marchlands of the Moruna	134
XI.	The Burg of Eshgrar Ogo	142
XII.	Koshtra Pivrarcha	158
XIII.	Koshtra Belorn	184
XIV.	The Lake of Ravary	198
XV.	Queen Prezmyra	207
XVI.	The Lady Sriva's Embassage	217
XVII.	The King Flies His Haggard	230
XVIII.	The Murther of Gallandus by Corsus	242
XIX.	Thremnir's Heugh	254
XX.	King Corinius	266
XXI.	The Parley Before Krothering	272
XXII.	Aurwath and the Switchwater	278
XXIII.	The Weird Begun of Ishnain Nemartra	290
XXIV.	A King in Krothering	297
XXV.	Lord Gro and the Lady Mevrian	310
XXVI.	The Battle of Krothering Side	322
XXVII.	The Second Expedition to Impland	341
XXVIII.	Zora Rach Nam Psarrion	356
XXIX.	The Fleet at Muelva	369
XXX.	Tidings of Melikaphkhaz	372
XXXI.	The Demons before Carcë	384
XXXII.	The Latter End of all the Lords of Witchland	406
XXXIII.	Queen Sophonisba in Galing	423
	Argument: with Dates	441
	Bibliographical Note on the Verses	445

ILLUSTRATIONS

Gorice XII. in Carcë		Frontispiece
The Lords Juss, Goldry Bluszco, Spitfire, and Brandoch Daha		9
In Koshtra Belorn		191
Soldiers of Demonland		335
Hippogriff in Flight		359
The Last Conjuring in Carcë		415

TRUE Thomas lay on Huntlie bank,
A ferlie he spied wi his ee;
And there he saw a Lady bright
Come riding down by the Eildon Tree.

Her skirt was o the grass-green silk,
Her mantle o the velvet fyne,
At ilka tett of her horse's mane
Hung fifty siller bells and nine.

True Thomas he pulld aff his cap,
And louted low down on his knee:
"Hail to thee, Mary, Queen of Heaven!
For thy peer on earth could never be."

"O no, O no, Thomas," she says,
"That name does not belong to me;
I'm but the Queen of fair Elfland,
That am hither come to visit thee.

"Harp and carp, Thomas," she says,
"Harp and carp alang wi me.
And if ye dare to kiss my lips,
Sure of your bodie I will be."

"Betide me weal, betide me woe,
That weird shall never daunton me."
Syne he has kissed her rosy lips,
All underneath the Eildon Tree.

.....

Thomas the Rhymer.

 

To W. G. E. and to my friends K. H.
and G. C. L. M. I dedicate this book

It is neither allegory nor fable but a Story to be read for its own sake.

The proper names I have tried to spell simply. The e in Carcë is long, like that in Phryne, the o in Krothering short and the accent on that syllable: Corund is accented on the first syllable, Prezmyra on the second, Brandoch Daha on the first and fourth, Gorice on the last syllable, rhyming with thrice: Corinius rhymes with Flaminius, Galing with sailing, La Fireez with desire ease: ch is always guttural, as in loch.

E. R. E.

9th January 1922