THE STORY OF SHEATH, SWORD, SPEAR & SHIELD
There once lived four brothers. The youngest named Sheath; but although youngest he thought himself the protector of his siblings. Each day he would stand proudly, viewing the land, watching his field, watching as the harvest grew.
The other brothers were named Sword, Spear and Shield and they were fierce. To them their brother was an affront. They were men of action; men who took what they wanted, when they wanted. Not timid and cautious, like their brother. Not patient. They were hunters, who thrilled to the chase, readers of tracks; not farmers, who wait in one place, readers of clouds.
At length the elder brothers decided that their younger was giving their family a bad name. They decided that he must die and solemnly swore themselves to the task.
One morning they came on him, silently and from the East; coming unseen, with the Sun in his eyes. And by slash, stab and shove they returned him to the earth, declaring him dead.
For a long time Sheath lay, until the rains fell and life returned. Slowly he raised his head; slowly he began to grow. He grew tall and pale but soon darkened from the sun, grew a beard and became a man.
Through all this time he stood in his field, until his presence was known. Then his brothers came, to see for themselves, if it was true that their crime was undone.
"Our brother is dead." Said Sword.
"Sheath is no more". Said Spear
"Who are you?" Asked shield
"Sheath is no more." The man agreed "Sheaf is my name."
"Well you stand on our brother's grave." Said Sword "And we cannot allow that"
"What would you do?" Asked Sheaf.
"With the Sun gleaming on my sharp edge, I will cut you down at the knee." Stated Sword.
"You would make your younger brother smaller still?" asked Sheaf.
"I'll treat you worse than that." Continued Sword. "I'll strip you skin from bone."
"You would do me great harm." Replied Sheaf. "But I'll prove the stronger at last."
"And what would you do?" He asked the next.
"With the Sun gleaming on my sharp point, I will pierce you through the heart." Stated Spear.
"You would spill my blood, like seed on the ground?" asked Sheaf.
"I'll treat you worse than that." Continued Spear. "I'll thrash you and break you with my stout shaft."
"You would do me great hurt." Replied Sheaf. "But I'll prove the stronger at last."
"And what would you do?" He asked the next.
"When my brothers are done I will carry you on my back. Three times around the field." Stated shield
"You would bind me and not let me rest?" asked Sheaf.
"I'll treat you worse than that." Continued Shield. "I shall carry you to the Miller and I shall have him grind your bones to make my bread."
"You would serve me most barbarously." Replied Sheaf. "But I'll prove the stronger at last."
And with that the three brothers fell to their task. Sword cut him down at the knee and stripped him skin from bone, Spear pierced him through the heart and thrashed him 'till he broke and Shield carried him, three times around the field, then off to the miller.
Now the Miller ground his bones. And some he used to make their bread. But some he kept to make their beer. And Sheaf proved true to his word.
His spilt blood grew the next year and he became an army; that the people came to depend on for their existence. Kettles and pots would be un-mended, without a plug of bread to fill the hole. The huntsman's horn would be un-blown without a sip of beer to wet his lips.
And the three brothers? They drank to forget their crime. But every night, when they'd drank their fill, after they'd fallen, the half filled glass still stood.
And so the Sheaf DID prove the strongest man at last.
Forgive this bit of trumpet blowing but I think this tale is full of 'mythic-resonance'. Consider the trades: Three hunters and one farmer. Metaphorically the old ways giving way to the new. But also their resistance to change. Consider their names: Three weapons, angry and violent and the binder that prevents their actions, making peace.
Borrowing a term (again from Holdstock), the mytho-genesis of this tale (obviously) came from the well-known folk song 'John Barleycorn'. The song tells of him being cut down with scythes, pricked with pitchforks and carried on a cart. It was natural, in 'winding back' the tale, to make the implements a Sword, Spear and Shield. Then it occurred to me that the three men, of the song, should be three brothers, resentful toward a fourth. Why? Because he holds them back - and in that case he MUST be called Sheath!
The song is a harvest-time favourite with Pagans, dealing, as it does, with cycles of growth and re-birth. But once I had taken it back to a possible origin I realised that it was really about something else and the older brothers became hunters, with no time for the new fangled agriculturists.