the odal rune in Sorcerer's House

Marc Aramini · 19 Feb 2018, 19:58 · from 2018-February.txt.gz

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From: marcaramini at gmail.com (Marc Aramini)
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2018 19:58:26 -0000
Subject: (urth)  the odal rune in Sorcerer's House
Message-ID: <CAF1072zP5zHhHKW2=GqwhwUS69ciYSBMG-wzJj4Wm8zDyLM6xg at mail.gmail.com>

One of the neat things about Wolfe involves his precise use of symbolism.
In Sorcerer's House Bax notes that when he lines up three symbols which
resemble fish on the triannulus, a lot of other things fall into place. The
rune which most resembles a fish, the odal rune, is associated with lineage
and inheritance, and is especially associated with homesteading and
allodial rights (ownership through occupation and defense).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odal_(rune)

 The three fish are symbols of the things he is inheriting in the novel,
though in some degree this extends to the women as well, though all of the
tripartite structures are determined by two-one patterns (two bass, one
catfish with a ring; two black fish meals, one white fish; two pigeons, one
quail left by Winkle; two houses (with house spirits) and the Skotos Strip;
... even the women seem to fall into this pattern, as he seems to inherit
Doris from Ted somehow. Two false, one true, in general.

(the figure of the horned skull on the triannulus does not merely imply the
demonic, but the domovoy is also associated with small horns)

Should be finishing up this one soon, but I thought that was pretty neat.
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