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May dreams be brought that I might reach...
the gentle strains of midnight speech
and frozen stars that gild the forest floor
Through the swirling snow
Volkh's children come
to run with me, to hunt as one
to snatch the lambs of christ
from where they fall...
the gentle strains of midnight speech
and frozen stars that gild the forest floor
Through the swirling snow
Volkh's children come
to run with me, to hunt as one
to snatch the lambs of christ
from where they fall...
Lyrics submitted by sean
Track duration: 02:10
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The speaker is envisioning in his dream that he is a wolf, hunting with a pack of other wolves, as we know from the title. That they are VOLKH'S children implies a shapeshifting nature, meaning perhaps that they are werewolves or that the gods they worship may change and coalesce (like the line in the Principle of Evil Made Flesh in which the speaker refers to an unnamed, antagonist figure to Christ "Artemis, Bastet, Astarte"-- each of which comes from a different pagan religion, even though the rest of the song sounds as though it refers to a single deity). The followers of Christ have been allegorically referred to as lambs by the Bible, prominently in Revelations and in Jesus's parable of The Good Shepherd. The central figures in this poem are wolves--the obvious antagonists of sheep, and therefore Christ.
utexas.edu/cola/depts/lrc/iedocctr/ie-texts/…
Supposedly there is also another book out there called Volkh (The Magus) which is a bit easier to find and read, but I have not seen it. I personally posse a rather common book titled, “Words of Wisdom: Russian Folk Tales” from Alexander Afanasiev’s collection which, while it does not mention the Volkh, illustrates that talking animals are a large part of Russian Folk tales.
There was also a single person/entity known as Volkh in Russian folklore. This rout is most likely since it has been said that he was the forefather of the Volkh in some way, thoug I have not been able to find any references to HOW exactly:
”…comes from the Kiev legend of Volkh Vseslavyevich, the shape-shifting magician, who (according to Nederlander) was sired by one of ‘the last and tempestuous descendants of the house of the Ureus Naga’. ‘Son of the Serpent’ is a name frequently given to Lord Volkh in ‘The Tears of Artamon’ and the heraldic badge of the Drakhaons of Azhkendir is a black winged serpent.”
and
"The Volkh is a shape-shifting guardian of Kiev. It may take the appearance of an animal or insect, and it posses’ magical powers"
There is also this reference: russievirtuelle.com/mythologie/dieux/…
TRANSLATION:
(Vouk-ognézmiï, Dragon-wolf of fire, Dragon of fire, Létoun)
Guard of the way of Vyriï , husband of Diva . In Slavic mythology, it is a wolf which takes sometimes the appearance of the other animals or birds. It is born in human form, with a little fur of wolf - sign of miraculous birth. While changing, it helps people, achieves exploits, is regarded as imperceptible and invincible.
The key reference to volkh for me, was from a review I read on a book I have not read, “Lord of Snow and Shadow” by Sarah Ash:
“The prime mover in the political drama is Eugene, Prince of Tielen. Legend has it that the empire will be reunited by the man who reunites Artamon's Tears, five matched rubies which once adorned the imperial crown. Eugene is determined to be the one, and the only man who stands in his way is Volkh Nagarian, Drakhaon of Azhkendir--if man is the right word, which it probably isn't. Like all of his line, Volkh is the host of the Dhrakaoul: a violent dragon spirit which subjects him to sudden vicious rages, and whose shape Volkh can take at need. Not even an army can withstand the flame of the Dhrakaoul, but this aid comes at great personal cost to the Dhrakaon, and at times an even greater cost to his people.
This Volkh is undeniably a dark soul and his children would be too I should think. This book was inspired by and draws heavily from the Russian folk tales involving Volkh in their/his various forms. This book may very well be what this line bears ties to, but as I have not read it yet, I cannot say for certain. No matter how you look at it, the word Volkh in all its forms calls forth the presence of strong mystical powers and, at times, extreme darkness. I would hazard a guess that the Children of Volkh would have had some part this power passed down to them and, if called to run with someone and hunt by their side, it would be something to be feared no matter how you look at it.
How this applies to the lyrics I am not certain, but I thought I would share the knowledge so that it might help with the analysis of the piece.
btw: Volkh was also the name of a black/death metal band from Finland in the mid-late 90’s as seen here in the Encyclopedia Metallum: metal-archives.com/… -rf
Also, it could be that instead of joining the wolves, the wolves are destroying the innocent creatures in a war against Heaven.
Has good understanding towards it's own perception and views towards ours.....