Countless men spilled their blood over me
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Who / what am I ?
Hint
I always accompany the devourer of sons
EDIT : to clarify, the title refers to the "dreadful" feeling of the riddle, the thing is not an actual monster.
Could it be...
a ring?
Countless men spilled their blood over me
Blood is often spilled in a fighting ring.
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
A ring can represent marriage. Some wed for love (a gift), while some are forced into arranged marriages or marry for convenience (a burden).
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Viewing the bright ring, or annulus, that occurs during a total solar eclipse is an experience that can move some to tears.
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Loud sounds, like ringing bells, can cause a prolonged ringing in the ears (i.e. tinnitus).
Hint:
"I always accompany the devourer of sons": as pacoverflow mentions in a comment, the Greek god Cronus devoured his children, and his Roman equivalent is Saturn, which is a planet encircled by rings.
Possible hint from comments:
"Sometimes, even onions comply to me" may refer to how onions can be fashioned into rings, for eating instead of wearing.
I'm fairly confident that you are:
TIME
Countless men spilled their blood over me
Countless men spilled their blood over time. In fact, every single man who had their blood spilled.
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
The gift of time, or the burden of time, refers to how one chooses to interpret the passage of time in their lives.
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Little dubious, but could refer to people crying over the time that has passed, or when they miss some date to something important, or over the joy of memories of past times.
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Bells toll when the clock hits a specific time.
Hint too:
"I always accompany the devourer of sons" - Cronus, the devourer of sons, is a titan that is associated with the personification of time. This could also explain the title, since Cronus's action made him seem like a monster.
I can't comment, so this is going off of @gnovice's answer...
The answer is:
ring
Countless men spilled their blood over me:
a boxing ring
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden:
still working on this one... could this be the one related to marriage? some wed for love, others are arrangedbearing gifts or bearing a burden
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Tears were shed while cutting the onion, the simple form of an onion ring
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
the bell leaves a ring in your earwedding bells ring, I sure hope you'd remember your spouse!
I always accompany the devourer of sons
@pacoverflow solved this one, cronus = saturn, and the planet saturn has rings
Is it
A cross?
Countless men spilled their blood over me
The Crusades/religious wars, crucifixions, etc.
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
Some believe that JC dying on the cross was a gift to them, but I am sure that those who actually has to carry their cross to Golgotha thought of it as a burden.
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Some people cry in church
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Church bells
Is it
Death
Countless men spilled their blood over me
Men spill blood to avoid and or produce death
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
To some death is something to be celebrated however others fear death so it may be seen as a burden
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
The simple sight of most things death related can make you shed a tear, a loved one in a coffin perhaps...
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Bells toll at a funeral, funerals are a reminder of death
Sometimes, even onions comply to me
Even onions comply to death after being eaten or rotting
Is it:
Earth/Soil?
Countless men spilled their blood over me
Unlike today's cold wars, millions of people died fighting over lands in the past.
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
Israel for ex. claims a certain area in near its region as their promised lands. I'm not sure who calls their soil a burden.
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Still thinking on this one.
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
When the "bells toll for thee" , you will be going back to the soil.
My thought is
Life
Countless men spilled their blood over me
In fighting, you may need to kill others to save your own life, or get hurt yourself to protect others.
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
Life can be considered both a gift and a burden by some
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Tears of happiness at birth, or a baby's cries
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Bells sound at the memorial of a deceased one
I always accompany the devourer of sons
Life and death are always related
Are you:
Circumcise?
Countless men spilled their blood over me
Yes...
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
a gift from god, or burden when it's over-extended
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Yes but I dunno if it's tear of joy or
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
When the church's bell toll
Is it:
a child
This seems to readily fit most of the clues.
This makes me think of
A solar eclipse
Countless men spilled their blood over me
In less civilized times, aztecs sacrificed many people during the eclipses
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
Some people think they are special an enjoyable, but some people see them as bad omens
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
If you glance at the sun while it is being eclipsed, it will damage your eyes
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
Not sure on this one though
HINT
I always accompany the devourer of sons - I see this as being wordplay, meaning Suns, the moon is sometimes referred as the devourer of the sun during solar eclipses. So in this case, when a moon goes to cross in front of our view of the sun, the solar eclipse will always accompany it.
It is:
A beard.
Countless men spilled their blood over me
Cut when shaving!
Some called me a gift, some called me a burden
Some men like their beard and some think it's a hassle
Tears were shed at the simple sight of my form
Because they are feeling lazy
And when the bells toll, you'll remember me
???
