From the Editor
by Ted Greensmith-West
“He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the earth…’
Then He will turn to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, for you are cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and all his angels…”
Matthew 25:33
Since ancient times, goats have been associated with stubbornness, bravery, sacrifice, and dark omens.
The ancient Norse believed that Thor had a chariot pulled by two fearsome goats – Tangrisnir (“teeth barer” or “the one that snarls”) and Tanngnjostr (“teeth grinder” or “the one that gnashes teeth”). Pan, the Greek deity of the wilds, farmers, and sex, was depicted with the horns and hind legs of a goat.
In more modern times, goats became increasingly more associated with the occult and witchcraft – no doubt due to their stubborn temperament and independent spirit.
To us, the goat represents the fierce independent spirit of poetry; and the desire of all poets to stay true to a unique – and disruptive – vision.
Bloodbath Vol. I is the embryo of this idea: a little pale face peeking out from the murk of a specimen jar. It was born out of a love for the gothic, the macabre, the dark, and the grotesque. It seeks to challenge existing dogma and press forward into new – and dangerous – pastures.