Castalia Barbara

Ricardo James Freyre

Carlos E. Riebeling Briones 208729298

University of Guadalajara
 And the two Ravens penetrate, the divine, ominous messengers,
They rest on the shoulders of God and speak in his ear.
R.J.F.

Ricardo James Freyre was born on May 12, 1868, in the city of Tacna, now
Peru. In 1968, Tacna was part of the Bolivian confederation, so he is
considered as a Bolivian writer. He was the son of two prominent writers: for
on one side his father was Julio Lucas Jaimes, nicknamed 'Brocha Gorda', he was
friend and partner in a newspaper of the Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma. His mother was
the writer Carolina Freyre, originally from Tacna, the city where Ricardo lives his
childhood and youth. In 1888, at eighteen years old, he met Felicidad in Bolivia.
Soruco, whom he married and had three children.

By the end of the century, he moved to Argentina where he would remain until his
death. Between 1901 and 1921, he lived in Tucumán, where he was a teacher at the College.

National University of Tucumán offered courses in Psychology, Literature, Perception,

Logic and History of Spanish Literature. In 1905, he was also a teacher of the
Normal and of the National University of Tucumán, of which he was a co-founder.
He performed the work of a historian after organizing the Tucumán historical archive and
publish the history of the Republic of Tucumán. In 1916 it was granted the
Argentine citizenship. On May 12, 1921, he was appointed Minister of
Public Instruction Agriculture and War in Bolivia. From then on
he served in various diplomatic positions on behalf of Bolivia. He was ambassador in
Chile, Mexico, and Brazil. Died on April 24, 1933.

In Argentina, he formed friendships with several Hispanic American modernists.

among those who stand out: Leopoldo Lugones and Rubén Darío, to whom Ricardo
he is recognized as his master. Along with Darío, he founded the Revista de América (1894).

The introductory article of this magazine stated its purpose to "work for
the brilliance of the Spanish language in America and, at the same time, by the treasure of its

ancient riches, for the enlargement of those very riches, in

vocabulary, rhythm, plasticity, and nuance..."; which constitutes a manifesto of
Modernism.

The work that concerns us, Castalia Bárbara, was published in 1899. In that
So, Latin America is mostly seen as liberated from the powers.
Europeans. The year before the publication, Cuba and Puerto Rico had achieved their
independence. It is the period of entry into capitalism by several countries.
Hispano-Americans. At the end of the 19th century, there are two social classes: the aristocrats

Creoles and the people; in the late 19th century the middle class emerged, and from it comes
the modernist writer. The Hispanic American middle class is characterized by a
critical attitude towards reality and for its attempts to universalize culture.

Ricardo was not a very prolific writer, although he does have the characteristic of
variety. His literary work consists of five historical works about the people
Tucumán, a theoretical work on meter called Laws of Versification
Castilian, a work encouraged by Miguel de Unamuno. What James intended was
that "After reviewing other attempted explanations related to some
sought <<laws>> metrics (the one that applies to the Castilian versification the system
classical; the one that considers the verse as a set of metrical accentual feet
of two or three syllables each; and that of the verse as a determined group of
syllables, with fixed accents) Freyre proposes his <<theory>>. He supports it on what
called <<prosodic period>>, that is, an accented syllable or a group no larger than
of seven, of which the last is accented, and that accent is called <<accent
rhythmic>>. The combination of prosodic periods determines the verses.
castellanos.”(Carilla. p. 645) It also has two dramatic works; The Daughter of
JestéyThe conquerors, five stories, an incomplete novel, various notes
of literary criticism and travels through Brazil.
Castalia Barbara.

It is a poetry book, its first publication includes only 13 poems that

make up the first part. Years later, Freyre published a second edition in
where I added two other parts Dream country and Shadow country in which it changes
the theme of his poetry. The prologue of the poetry collection was written by Leopoldo

Lugones who praised the 'own rhythm' and the metric novelties of the book.

One of the characteristics of James Freyre's poetry is its quest for

an individualizing sign, in this case the thematic issue. In Castalia Barbara
the Nordic medieval world is invoked, its gods, its myths, its landscape. The work
is influenced by authors and works such as: Rubén Darío, Cruz e Sousa, the Eddas,
Richard Wagner and his Ring cycle; especially in Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
Valkyrie), Leconte de Lisle, Poc, Carducci.

The poetry of Ricardo James Freyre is understood as a poetry of

dream, the vague and misty. Inaccessibility and changeability are characteristics
frequent in the poems of Castalia Bárbara. The most frequent symbols in the
poem collection is: The waves, the sea, the night and its synonyms (twilight, darkness,
shadows) or degradations, the blood, the crows, and the wind.

The path of the swans is the first poem of the collection. The first stanza tells us
It presents an image of the waves stirred by the storm and the wind. The "ripples"
waves clinging to the manes..." "and the red glimmers" bring to mind the image
of Thor, the god of thunder and rain. The most common representation of this god is
the one of a strong man with a scruffy red beard. The hammer, which also
it appears in the stanza, it is its weapon and symbol. In the poem, it is linked to the anvil, the

what represents a confrontation with Greco-Roman mythology, since both are

symbols of Hephaestus, god of forge and fire. The atmosphere of the poem is
crepuscular, which denotes a character of decay and extinction. The poem speaks
of sea monsters. Thor was a protective god and, according to legend, will die in the
ragnarok by the poison of a sea serpent.

II

The Song of Evil is a poem dedicated to the god Loki or Lok; a beautiful god and
intelligent, but that is responsible for deceiving people. In mythology
Norse is not precisely a malevolent being, it is considered more mischievous. Despite
whoever causes Ragnarok is also the one who grants Odin and Thor their
respective weapons. However, Freyre makes another confrontation, naming the
poem "song of the Mal" (note the use of capital letters) It is believed to be a
reference to the Evil One of the Christian religion, that is, Lucifer. There is an element,
blood vapors, in the song of Lok. It is a reference to the topic of
confrontation between good and evil. In the end, Loki will die after his battle against
Heimdall.

III

The heroes is a poem in which reference is made to the constant struggle that the
medieval Norsemen wore, for by shining in combat they secured a place in
the Valhalla. It is the description of the struggle of a warrior who has defeated another in
combat. It is a reference to Siegfried, the character from Wagner's opera, since
after the struggle appears 'a sea of fire of purple waves' referring to the
dragon whose blood will serve the hero to become invulnerable. 'the brain beats'
It is a metaphor that resembles a kenningard. It is, once again, a confrontation.
Between the intellect (brain) and the feeling (heart), now united as one.

IV

The death of the hero is the continuation of the previous poem. In the opera of
Wagner, a sprig of heather falls on Sigfrid's body and prevents the blood from
dragon touch that part. A weak point that will cause the warrior's death. In the
Second stanza there are two ravens witnessing the hero's agony for
after departing towards the horizon. The crows symbolize an omen of death,
It is a prolepsis of what is to come, death. However, in Norse mythology,
Odin has two ravens Hugin and Munin (thought and memory, in form
respectively), these crows set off every day in different directions to see the
world and at sunset return to tell what has been seen to Odin.

The Night is the quintessential representation of mystery, of the powers of

There is a multitude of creatures from Greco-Roman mythology in the poem.
But it is said to be an old trunk, it is believed to be an allusion to the tree of
universe of Norse mythology, the Igdrasill. It is a representation of the march
of the creatures that inhabit Helheim, the realm of the dead ruled by the
goddess Hela, daughter of Loki.

VI

The Elves is a representation of the myth of these beings. Freyre recreates their world.
in the forest at night. The forest symbolizes the inaccessible, it is the ideal place
for the appearance of superior beings, at least that is what the Dictionary indicates
symbols.

VII

The Fairies is similar to the previous poem. It represents the environment in which
these small creatures inhabit.

VIII

The Dawn is the end of a small tetralogy that is composed along with the three.
previous poems. After the silence of the night, life returns to the
cities. There is the presence of Arab elements in the poem, a new
confrontation of cultures.

IX

The Sword is a poem formed by a single stanza. 'the luminous Steed' could
alluding to the chariot of the god Apollo that pulls the Sun.

Valhalla. The paradise of Norse mythology. After the death of a

warrior, yes this was a good and brave man. Odin would send his daughters, the
valkyries, to collect the warrior and take him to Valhalla, where he will eat, drink, and
will enjoy in the presence of the gods, until the day Ragnarok begins.

XI

The Hymn. It is a description of the god Thor, who was considered as a

large eater and drinker; it is said that he can eat a wild boar by himself and drink a

honey mead barrel. In the second verse, a wolf and a serpent are mentioned,
two of Loki's children, Fenrir and Jörmungandr. The latter will have to die at
hands of Thor, but his poison will kill the god.

XII

The Ravens, they were mentioned before. They are the messengers of Odin, also.
known as Wotan or Wodan.

XIII

Eternal farewell, it is the last of the poems. It is a representation of the arrival of the
Christianity in the Scandinavian lands. It speaks of a silent god who has
the open arms that frighten the other gods. It is evident that this
God is Christ crucified, but once again, Freyre confronts and unites two.
worldviews. In Norse mythology, the god Heimdall was the guardian of
excellence, he is destined to defeat Loki although he must die along with him, he
will sacrifice to save the world. Heimdall can hear a plant grow,
but he is mute.

Freyre manages a very unique and identifiable style. He experiments with the meter and
it has a rhythm in the style of Wagner's music.

Ricardo James Freyre was a poet who sought his own path from the
teachings of Darío. Unfortunately, his work is being devoured by time.
It can be said that it was fate that made us aware of his work, for, in a
At first, he was going to work in Lugones. I mention the destination because one has a
personal fascination with Norse mythology and Wagner's music. James
Freyre sought an exoticism for his work and found it in the Scandinavian pantheon,
so little used in its time.

Bibliography
Carilla, E. (2000). Ricardo James Freyre. In R. Lazo, History of Literature
Hispano-American Nineteenth Century (1780-1914) (pp. 641-646). Mexico, D.F.: Porrua.