341. King Blot - Sweyn
An Honored Pagan Martyr
Two religions reaching out for the hearts and souls of one land.
A foreign faith trying to force its people firmly under its thumb,
And the ancient religion of their ancestors making its last stand.
Related by marriage, the two kings saw things from different views,
Inge preached the White God religion, sang its virtues like a song,
Sweyn honored Red Thor, he refused to bend to the King of Jews,
But the Swedish people had the final say, felt the new religion wrong.
In March of the new year, the people demanded King Inge to sacrifice,
The king of Sweden absolutely refused, raised his voice in bitter tones,
For his obstinate behavior the assembly made the king pay a heavy price,
They chased Inge out of the great hall, and then pelted him with stones.
Sweyn remained at the assembly, told the people what they wished to hear,
" If you will have me as your king, I will gladly sacrifice for you !" said he of course!
For the man who would give them what they wanted they gave a hearty cheer,
Then the new king of Sweden led them to the courtyard where he sacrificed a horse !
Now known as King Blot - Sweyn, for three years he ruled Sweden as their king,
While the disgraced Christian Inge ran away to exile far away in Vestergotland.
Inge was not finished yet, he returned to lead the Christians in a new uprising,
And soon King Blot - Sweyn, and his followers, were making their last stand.
Then early one morning, while King Sweyn was in the house where he dwelled,
Inge lit this house afire hoping to catch the Swedish king fast asleep in his bed,
King Blot - Sweyn escaped the inferno, but by a Christian's sword he was felled,* *
And together, the old religion, and its Pagan martyr, lay upon the ground dead.
- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.
** There are actually two versions of this story. One says that he was burned alive, while the other states he made it out and was killed there by a Christian ( Possibly Inge ). I chose the latter version.