Liber Neptuni - Chapter 32

Verses

Hear of the winter feast where the Sea invited nine captains and set no chairs for their shadows.

Ægir filled the hall with ale that foamed like storms against black cliffs.

Rán wore a net at her belt, and each knot held the final thought of a drowned king.

The captains boasted of charts, iron hulls, and engines that could insult any wind.

Rán smiled as one smiles at children declaring victory over bedtime.

A jinn from the warm deserts sat among them and asked why northern gods served drinks before murder.

Because hospitality is sacred, said the Sea, and murder is tomorrow's weather.

The first captain promised never to fear water. His cup immediately cracked.

The second claimed the gods favored him. A wave knocked on the window.

The third said nothing and fed a piece of herring to the hall cat.

Rán marked his name with a question rather than a cross.

At midnight the hall became a ship and the floor began to roll.

The proud men prayed to every god they had mocked before dessert.

The silent captain tied himself to the mast and tied the cat inside his coat.

By dawn only he remained, floating beside nine empty boasts.

When asked which god saved him, he answered: rope, luck, and an animal with claws.

Ægir laughed for seven tides.

Thus the sea occasionally rewards humility, though never on a schedule.