Áinfean the Furious, an epic poem

Well, as some of you know, I recently had an assignment in my Humanities class to write a Medieval epic poem and ballad. I had a lot of fun with this project and I wanted to share it with you all. I don't have much practice in writing poetry but I'm happy with the end result of the poem. The ballad on the other hand lacks several crucial elements that make a ballad (i.e. rhythm or beat) but it does rhyme and I like the story line so I'm gonna share it despite this fact. I hope you all enjoy!

Oh great, wondrous Muse divine!
With hair the color of sunshine,
Help this poor poet convey,
All the great deeds of Áinfean, without delay!
A bitter winter was the setting,
For the horrific events of that meeting.
A giant basilisk was having its fun,
In the Irish kingdom of Mangerton.
Each frightful peasant he gazed upon,
Was instantly turned to stone, forever gone.
The great monster seemed invincible,
For many heroic warriors sought a duel.
But their efforts formed a morbid rock garden,
A field of statues their grave, silent and sullen.
‘Twas then a great surprise to all those male,
That the victor would, in fact, be female!
Each dark night, a new victim was found,
A family or friend forever rock-bound.
One fateful night, the basilisk struck gold,
Killing the only heir to the throne hold.
Unbeknownst to him, the prince had a sister,
A woman so fierce, all she beheld felt terror.
Áinfean the Furious was her name,
And with anger tenfold, revenge was her game.
But her quest to kill had two errands, not one.
First, was vengeance and second, to none,
To prove her strength was greater than any man alone,
And was worthy to inherit the kingly throne.
So with fury guiding her path,
Áinfean went in search of a bloodbath.
To the mountains tops of Killarney her feet did tread,
The place where this monster kept his bed.
But arduous was the trail;
Help was needed from a folktale.
From India came a giant nomadic ant,
Carrying a god welded sword to grant.
Seeing her efforts, utterly was he impressed,
That he offered help on her noble quest.
The use of his golden blade he did submit,
And a ride upon his back he did permit.
Willingly and happily did she accept,
Then off her feet she was swept.
Through the rocky cliffs they did climb,
Throughout the evening and into the daytime.
Higher and higher, they rose like a dove,
Until even the clouds they towered above.
At the highest peak they found the cave,
Which held that monstrous snake, so grave.
Áinfean knew that defeat would come,
With only using her eardrum.
So with eyes tied shut and sword in hand,
She charged the basilisk’s homeland
With a ferocity unknown to any man.
But the cavern was strangely silent,
Not a sound from a serpent.
Her fading war cry echoed along the stone walls,
When a sudden tail gripped her ankle in its thralls.
A quick slice from her sword, cutting straight and true,
And she was free, her weapon gone straight through.
From its mouth came an angry hiss,
He was not happy with the miss.
It struck over and over, gaining speed.
But her ears served well in time of need;
Each attack she sparred with ease,
Just like she did her brother’s friendly tease.
With multiple slashes across his scaly frame,
The massive basilisk was done playing the game.
His tail, reaching high, slammed against the cavern wall.
Making a cascade of rocks above her fall.
Her body was consumed by the stone ruble.
But the basilisk had little time to revel,
For the great pile began to shake,
And to the surprise of the snake,
Áinfean lifted the great boulders, climbing her way out.
More angry now than she ever had been, without a doubt,
She rushed the great serpent, swinging her sword.
First the left and then right eye she gored.
Once blind the animal was helpless.
She sliced its head off, merciless.
Áinfean the Furious had slain the great snake,
A feat no other man could make.
And all without ever opening an eye!
Now the throne, her father could not deny.
Her quest however, was not over.
A tiny elf man, clearly not sober,
Began yelling and beating upon her leg.
She picked him up, as careful as an egg.
“Why so angry little guy?” asked she.
“You have killed my pet!” accused he.
“This monster was yours?” she angrily inquired.
“Of course! He obeyed my orders,” he uttered.
With that, she dropped the drunken elf man,
And crushed him beneath her boots so tan.
Her quest was over, nothing left to kill.
And satisfied that she proved her skill,
Áinfean the Furious returned to her castle,
To accept the kingly throne without hassle.


Author's Note: Just so you all know, the giant ant from India is an actual Medieval monster although he's not nomadic. I threw that in, because I wanted him as part of my story to add some randomness to it and since the events take place in Ireland, I had to make him nomadic. Now on to the rhythm lacking ballad...

Within Áinfean’s glorious tale
Is a tragic story untold
Of the tiny elf-man, Irial
Who died before he grew old.

(Refrain)
Now size may not always seem to matter,
But it does when you are Irial, the elf-man
No taller than the size of your hand
And filled with a grudge and a plan.

Twenty years in the past,
Before the birth of the elf-man
A forbidden love was found,
Between an elf and a woman.

Shunned it was by all the world.
A secret affair was the only way.
Yet soon an elf child she begat.
No longer a secret, her life did fray.


The family was exiled by the town,
Forced to find a new home dwelling.
They found refuge at the top of Killarney,
Their life forever bitter and bristling.

As Mother rolled in her sleep one night,
She crushed Irial’s father so flat.
Unable to take the pain and guilt,
She took her life, just like that.

His chance for escape came, one fateful day,
A baby basilisk he found, what a sight to see!
Bassie was the name of his new pet,
And Irial raised him loyal to be.

Irial was orphaned and bitter too.
He wanted revenge on those to blame,
The Irish kingdom of Mangerton.
Their lives he sent his Bassie to claim.

(Refrain)

Unknown to him where his action’s led,
They became the fuel to Áinfean’s fire,
The cause of his ultimate demise,
And his brilliant plan to expire.

(Refrain)