The following submission was composed by Richard Emling on Mastodon following an exchange on how the Aesir Odin has visited his vengeance on a greedy king in the Eddic poem known as the Grimnismol. This is Richard's take on a more modern example of similar actions by Elon Musk.
In halls of wealth and opulent greed,
A man did rise with darkened creed.
With riches vast and power high,
He sought to make mankind comply.
His coffers bulged with treasures gleamed,
Yet in his heart, a darkness teemed.
He saw not unity's sweet grace,
But rather ways to displace.
He crafted tools to split the masses,
Inventions meant to shatter classes.
Services that sowed discord deep,
And caused our bonds to slowly seep.
Division grew where once was kin,
As he stoked flames of hate within.
His wealth a curse, a twisted might,
Creating pain in endless night.
The Allfather gazed upon this man,
Whose deeds disrupted Odin's plan.
A realm of balance, love, and care,
Shattered by one man's dark affair.
In chambers high, the Norns did weave,
A tapestry of fate to cleave.
They whispered secrets to the wind,
Of retribution, justice pinned.
Odinic punishment, they did decree,
For such a soul's malevolency.
The man would know the pain he'd sown,
His heart and soul to be overthrown.
From realms of ice and bitter cold,
Came retribution, fierce and bold.
A raven's caw, a wolf's dread howl,
Announced the punishment to prowl.
His wealth turned to ash, his power lost,
A bitter price his greed had cost.
Isolated, shunned, and alone,
He reaped the seeds that he had sown.
No longer rich, no longer grand,
He wandered through a barren land.
His heart now heavy, burdened by guilt,
The pain he caused, relentless, built.
So let this tale be a somber song,
Of how greed and hate can go so wrong.
For Odin's justice finds its way,
To those who lead hearts astray.