The Hail Storm by George Borrow

The Hail Storm is a novel by George Borrow that tells the story of a young man named John who travels to Spain in search of adventure and love. Along the way, he encounters various obstacles and challenges, including a hail storm that nearly kills him. The book explores themes of identity, belonging, and the human condition.

By George Borrow · First published 1853 · Genre: Epic Poetry, Mythology, Historical Fiction · 271 words

First lines

As in Horunga haven / We fed the crow and raven, / I heard the tempest breaking / Of demon Thorgerd's waking; / Sent by the fiend in anger, / With din and stunning clangor; / To crush our might intended, / Gigantic hail descended.

A pound the smallest pebble / Did weigh, and others treble; / It drifted, dealing slaughter, / And blood ran out like water, / Ran recking, red and horrid, / From battered cheek and forehead; / But, though so rudely greeted, / No Jornsberg man retreated.

With anger ever sharper, / Thorgerda fierce, and Yrpr, / Shot lightning from each finger, / Which sped and did not linger.

• Open reader

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Genres

• Epic Poetry — The text is structured in a poetic form with a focus on heroic deeds and battles, typical of epic poetry.
• Mythology — References to demon Thorgerd and supernatural elements suggest a strong influence of mythological themes.
• Historical Fiction — The narrative includes historical elements such as battles and chieftains, indicating a historical context.
• Adventure — The plot involves a journey and battle, common elements in adventure stories.

Tags

storm · nature · adventure · survival · conflict · human experience · resilience · landscape · weather · drama · exploration · isolation

What this Textopian page supports

The Hail Storm is listed on Textopian as a short story by George Borrow, dated 1853 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Short story
• Author: George Borrow
• Date: 1853 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Epic Poetry, Mythology, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Tragedy
• Length: 271 words
• Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Hail Storm by George Borrow
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by George Borrow

• Marsk Stig's Daughters and Other Songs and Ballads (1913)
• The Return of the Dead and Other Ballads (1913)
• The King's Wake and Other Ballads (1913)
• Signelil (1913)
• A Tale from the Cornish (1913)
• Sir Verner and Dame Ingeborg (1913)
• The Heddeby Spectre (1913)
• From Goudeli (1913)
• All works by George Borrow