Subject: (urth) Any strong defenders/defenses of LAND ACROSS?

From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:58:55 +0000

I sometimes fear that to understand Wolfe, I will have to read everything.

On 12/23/2014 7:16 PM, David Duffy wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Dec 2014, Nick Lee wrote:
>
>> This discussion has turned my attention back to the Land Across and 
>> my old
>> notes. I'd originally intended to write a series of essays on TLA but 
>> lost
>> the time and will. What follows is a summary of my thoughts after I read
>> the book and did some research just after it was released. I've just 
>> added
>> many paragraphs from memory. I've lost some of my notes. I'd post it
>> directly to the list, but I hate what it does to my formatting.
>>
>> https://vagueshrine.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/the-land-across/
>
> Very interesting.  A review of the Eliades book mentions:
>
> 'In chapter 1, "The Dacians and Wolves", the author adduces 
> substantial evidence...of the original meaning "wolf" for the tribe 
> name "Daci", which places this group in the line of peoples who 
> considered a blue or grau
> she-wolf their mythical ancestor.  This is substantiated by a number of
> valuable observations on the role of the wolf... and werewolves.'
>
>
>
>
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From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:20:02 +0000

On 12/24/2014 1:51 AM, David Duffy wrote:
> Sorry to be boring. The helpful man in black with his wolves partakes 
> of lots of different mythologies, but specifically in Slavic folktales 
> there is the Wolf-Shepherd, who is both Master of the Wolves and 
> protector of cattle. He is identified with several saints (SS George, 
> Martin...) and
> appears especially in the wolf holidays: Nov 1, 2, 11, and the twelve 
> nights of Christmas ("wolf nights").  He summons and dismisses wolves 
> around pasturing season, and is a healer...(from Supernatural beings 
> from Slovenian myth and folktales By Monika Kropej).

If this is boring, please continue to be boring!

I initially thought the man with burning eyes might be the ghost of Vlad 
the Impaler or something, because the small man associates Vlad with the 
lake house, which is haunted by a man with burning eyes (p49-50). But 
your interpretation better fits his behavior. That conversation also 
touched on demons, fairies, cherubim, and bells.

The character who drives me crazy is the Leader, who appears to project 
himself, eidolon-like, only where he is needed. Can werewolves do this? 
Is he Zalmoxis?

---

From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:22:48 +0000

On 12/24/2014 12:43 AM, David Duffy wrote:
>
> More googling about Eliade brings up his links in the 1930-40s with 
> the Legion of the Archangel Michael (Iron Guard, Romanian Nazi Party). 
> They took up Zalmoxis as a precursor of Christianity, and sought "a 
> Christian revolution, a spiritual, ascetic, manly revolution".  I 
> think others have suggested they might be a model for the Legion of 
> Light, or possibly for the current government.
>
> Cheers, David Duffy
>
> PS re transliterated Greek words Mousukos <- Mousikos
>
> PPS Why does Grafton dislike the sound of the glass bell the
> Archbishop rings?

Bells seem to be associated with the Fee and cherubs (p50). Grafton may 
be linked with beings opposed to them, again perhaps werewolves. The 
Master seems to like him.

This actually makes Grafton a bit like Latro, IIRC.

---

From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:38:56 +0000

On 12/22/2014 11:54 PM, Nick Lee wrote:
> This discussion has turned my attention back to the Land Across and my 
> old notes. I'd originally intended to write a series of essays on TLA 
> but lost the time and will. What follows is a summary of my thoughts 
> after I read the book and did some research just after it was 
> released. I've just added many paragraphs from memory. I've lost some 
> of my notes. I'd post it directly to the list, but I hate what it does 
> to my formatting.
>
I'd guess that Paraustays means something more like "beyond regret." 
Dead, in other words.

---

From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 01:53:44 +0000

On 12/18/2014 4:25 PM, Greg Kurzawa wrote:
> 4. The Archbishop was not the Undead Dragon.
> 5. Grafton pushed the Archbishop from the tower, but it wasn't the 
> real Archbishop.
> 6. The Archbishop (at the time he "jumped" from the tower) was an 
> Imprint Doll.
> 7. (I like this one) The Russ that Grafton met in prison was actually 
> an Imprint Doll, probably the very same Doll that "jumped" from the tower.

Greg

The imprint dolls are a pain, like playing with a deck full of wild 
cards. I guess we need to look for anything out of the ordinary, just as 
in a Wolf novel with androids.

(1) When the archbishop dies, there is a small bit of blood: "a tiny dot 
of red."

(2) The archbishop moves "a lot faster than I would have thought a man 
his age could."

(3) "People in movies scream all the way down," but "He did not make a 
single sound until he hit."

Very ambiguous. Unfortunately, I don't think we have a good idea of how 
the dolls behave, nor how the Undead Dragon would behave. The guy seemed 
pretty much like an old archbishop to me.