Gold in them there hills

[pallas_athena]

Deep in darkness    as dragon's dwelling
Hidden under hill    lay heaped the hoard, 
Battle-gear    brightly gleaming.
Sword-hilts splendid,    serpent-spiraled,
Helms and horns    and handles to hold,
Gold to grace    the graves of the great.
Silent it slumbered    as centuries passed.
Then a carl came,    keen and cunning,
The dark earth delving    with deft detector, 
Singer of spell-song,    seer into stone.

Shiny pictures here,
explanation by a British Museum bod here.

I love the way the BBC keep referring to the find as a "hoard," as if it had been found with the bones of a dragon coiled possessively over it. Attempts to interview the finder were unsuccessful as he seemed to have disappeared, along with one of the hoard's less significant items, reportedly a small inscribed gold ring...

Comments

[mister-jack.livejournal.com]

I heard the dragon is on holiday with his kids. All hell is going to break lose when they get back.

They're here!

[larissa-00.livejournal.com]

Aargh, can't get the formatting right, but there is more to this tale than artnouveauho let on

The wyrm awakens in worry writhing,
Gold gleaming from ground grasped,
Precious pieces by peasant picked.
Anger arises and flame-breath after.
Revenge-revived, the dragon rises
Wings whip the wind: wide bringers of woe!
The firedrake flies fierce in finding,
Masked in moon-dark, of mortals mindful
Their love of light to bright London . . .

[wolfinthewood.livejournal.com]

'Then a carl came, keen and cunning,
The dark earth delving with deft detector,
Singer of spell-song, seer into stone.'

I love that!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Well I suppose that hoard is in fact a technical term, though whether this lot meets the technical definition I don't know. But I think I'm going to Birmingham on Saturday.

[miriya-b.livejournal.com]

I love that the article you linked to is by the Deputy head of the "Portable Antiquities Scheme." Only in England! :) (I love the Brit use of the term "scheme"... and the category of "portable antiquities" delights me)

[artnouveauho.livejournal.com]

One day, I hope to be a portable antiquity.

Hope you, Mike and Shira are all well!