Seawrack's name

David Stockhoff · 30 Aug 2010, 20:27 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:27:39 -0400
Subject: (urth) Seawrack's name
In-Reply-To: <4C7BFC6D.90203 at gmail.com>
References: <AANLkTik5EZ_NY1kB_dvvK-onRikzFD2ziF-6t2B09ONA at mail.gmail.com>
	<4C7BFC6D.90203 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4C7C143B.6040706 at verizon.net>

  I'm pretty sure Wolfe is as deeply familiar with heraldry as he is 
with mythology and the Tarot. It is, after all, a system of Christian 
symbolism.

And that coat of arms is not purely Polish---the Queen's Royal Hussars 
(UK) wear it, among others. It's "around."

I wouldn't take "syrenka" as a joke at all, except maybe for the missing 
arm. Otherwise, except for lacking a sword and shield, the Syrenka is 
especially fitting because she used to be a female water-dragon, and 
before that a male one (from the Wiki). She's a monster.

If Seawrack is a part of Scylla, then she is certainly "little" even if 
she's a siren and not a mermaid.

The sound match is even better than "syrinx."

On 8/30/2010 2:46 PM, James Wynn wrote:
> I like this reference on a lot of levels. Check the article on 
> Melusina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine) that linked to in the 
> syrenka article.
>
> Incidentally, while we're on the subject of heraldry. I'm pretty sure 
> the lion-head fellow in "The Sorcerer's House", the one with a sword 
> and a book, is the Lion of St. Mark. 
> http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/winged_lion_of_st_mark.htm
>
> Now ask me why it's in a faerieland story. I don't know.
>
> u+16b9
>
> On 8/30/2010 1:21 PM, Dave Tallman wrote:
>> This article on wikipedia got me thinking: 
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrenka
>>
>> The warrior mermaid depicted on the Coat of Arms of Warsaw is called 
>> a "syrenka" (little mermaid in Polish). I notice also that it has one 
>> arm behind a shield, effectively cutting it off. (It's the left arm 
>> and not the right, but it's still a "missing" arm).  The name is also 
>> similar enough that I could see Horn converting it.
>>
>

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