Rose the Graced not Rose the Chaste

Dave Tallman · 23 Jun 2008, 05:45 · from 2008-June.txt.gz

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From: davetallman at msn.com (Dave Tallman)
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:45:04 -0600
Subject: (urth) Rose the Graced not Rose the Chaste
Message-ID: <485F3860.90108 at gmail.com>

In Shadow X, Thecla quotes:
"Here Rose the Graced, not Rose the Chaste, reposes.
The scent that rises is no scent of roses."

In http://www.bibliomania.com/2/3/255/1183/23925/1.html I found the 
following:

Rosamond (Fair). Higden, monk of Chester, says: ?She was the fayre 
daughter of Walter, Lord Clifford, concubine of Henry II., and poisoned 
by Queen Elianor, A.D. 1177. Henry made for her a house of wonderful 
working, so that no man or woman might come to her. This house was named 
Labyrinthus, and was wrought like unto a knot in a garden called a maze. 
But the queen came to her by a clue of thredde, and so dealt with her 
that she lived not long after. She was buried at Godstow, in an house of 
nunnes, with these verses upon her tombe:-

Here Rose the graced, not Rose the chaste, reposes;
The smell that rises is no smell of roses.

This story is referenced in "A Solar Labyrinth": "The Fayre Rosamund 
dropped her embroidery with her needle thrust through it, but forgot the 
yarn in her pocket, thus furnishing Queen Eleanor's knights with the 
clue they required to solve Hampton Court Maze."

I have a couple of observations from this. First, this is yet another 
example of a reference to Earth's history. Urth is either in Earth's 
future or the Big Bang/Grand Gnab cycle repeats in so many details that 
free will is suspect.

Second, this is one of many maze/labyrinth references in the New Sun 
books. Another interesting one is the labyrinthine library of Master 
Ultan, which recalls the library ruled by another Borges-like figure in 
Eco's "The Name of the Rose." (This connects roses and mazes once again).

Can anyone see a connection with the character named Rose (or 
Rose-in-Marble) in the Long Sun books?

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