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The Knight (spoilers)

Robert Borski · 26 Aug 2003, 08:43 · from urth-v0308.mbox · original

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From: "Robert Borski" <rborski at charter.net>
Subject: (urth) The Knight (spoilers)
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2003 03:43:42 -0500
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Friends of the Wolfe;

In another five or six months, after you've worked your way through GW's =
latest, maybe a few of you will remember to come back here and see if =
I've written anything of interest. But until then, you should go no =
further--at least if you wish your reading experience of THE KNIGHT to =
remain fresh and unspoiled.



T

O

K

E

N



S

P

O

I

L

E

R



S

P

A

C

E=20



Ragnorak, Kingsdoom, and the Tree of Life -- Some Preliminary Notes on =
Gene Wolfe's KNIGHT=20

Apologies to all for the loose-jointedness of what follows. =
Unfortunately, because of time constraints, I won't be able to offer =
much in the way of a single cohesive essay or multiple small posts, and =
so mostly what you will now get is a hodgepodge of observations, some =
preliminary onomastics, a few theories and guesses, and enough crackpot =
interpretation to rile the usual antiBorskiite crowd. In short, I'm =
basically transcribing the notes I made as I journeyed with Sir Able of =
the High Heart from Parka's cave to the cloud palaces of Skai. =
Doubtless, many of you will have keener and more critical insights and I =
look forward to eventually reading them. But here for the nonce are =
mine. Caveat lector and yippee-kayay.

*******

The Overcyns

One of the things I've always liked about Wolfe is that he often seems =
able to freshen up overly familiar myths. Thus when I first heard about =
the Norse background of KNIGHT I wondered how he would handle the =
Asgardians. Nor was I disappointed. For starters the words Asgard and =
Aesir never appear in the narrative; instead Wolfe calls the former Skai =
(a very good choice considering the etymology of sky, which means =
"cloud" in Old Norse [henceforward ON]) and the latter the Overcyns =
(over + -kyn, ON for people, clan, kin). Wolfe also calls most of the =
Norse gods by lesser known, if legitimate, cognomens. Hence Woden/Odin =
is the Valfather, Thor is Donor, and Freyia is "the Lady," which is =
literally what her name means in ON. Doubtless, we will meet more, since =
the novel concludes when Able reaches Skai, but of the Overcyns met so =
far Freyia --the Lady-- seems the most interesting. Wolfe makes her the =
youngest daughter of the Valfather (which may or may not obviate her =
traditional Vanic roots), and since she gets to choose half of those =
slain in battle for inclusion to Valhalla, it makes sense that she's =
especially interested in warrior-supreme Able. Indeed, since cats are =
also associated with her, Mani the talking feline, may be her =
emissary--one of the very moonriding knights Able mentions in the list, =
a connection made even more palpable when you realize that the Norse god =
of the moon is named, well, Mani. And while Gerda sees a figure she =
describes as an "old lady" accompanying Able (who's unaware of her =
presence), I wonder if she might be Freyia.

Other Norse gods mentioned in the text: Ran (wife of seagod Aegir, =
possibly connected to Garsecg) and Hel, whose domain Wolfe tells us is =
Muspel (traditionally, she reigns in Hel, so this is a change.) And I =
firmly believe that Kulili--despite her Babylonian name and female =
gender--will turn out to be the shapeshifter trickster god, Luki--er, =
Loki.

Also Seaxneat, a Saxon god often associated with Tyr; Wolfe's version, =
however, is just a plain nasty man.

*******

The Seven Worlds

At first glance the seven worlds concept Wolfe employs in KNIGHT looks =
to be borrowed from traditional Norse mythology; namely the nine worlds =
contained within Yggdrasil, the World Tree, but winnowed down to seven =
for whatever lupine reasons of economy. At first, before I read the =
book, I wondered if Wolfe was playing on the notion of the Heptarchy, =
the seven principal concurrent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the 7th-8th =
centuries AD, but this seems now a less likely notion. Instead it =
appears Wolfe is interested in combining certain aspects of Yggdrasil =
with the Otz Chiim, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. John Clute, of course, =
was the first to mention the Sefiroth in connection with KNIGHT, and =
while we have yet to see how all of the Tree will eventually branch out =
it will probably merit quite a bit of discussion.=20

What we know so far is how all but the Tree's top and bottom branches =
are constituted.

Starting with the middlemost fourth world (since this is where most of =
the book's action takes place) is Mythgarthr (ON, "the middle =
enclosure"). To it Wolfe annexes Jotunland, "Land of the Giants," which =
traditionally is an entirely separate world.

Beneath Mythgarthr is Aelfrice, the fifth world, home base of the many =
different Aelf (and where Setr battles Kulili for control).

Beneath it is Muspel, the sixth world, the realm of fire and fire =
giants, whose master is Setr (or as he is more commonly known, Surt). =
Selon Wolfe the Norse goddess Hel reigns here, but this is =
nontraditional.

The seventh world is not named; certainly it's not on the list and I =
don't believe it's mentioned in the text. So this remains unknown, =
although, as you'll soon see, I have a theory.

Moving back up the Tree from Mythgarthr we encounter Skai, the third =
world and home to the Overcyns.

Up from it, however, is the mysterious second world, called by Wolfe, =
Kleos. Michael, one of the two people we meet who hails from there, and =
who may literally be an archangel, calls it "The World of Fair Report." =
The other person we meet from Kleos is the seeress Parka (from Parca, a =
Roman god of fate). But what are we to make onomastically of "Kleos"? =
Obviously, it does not derive from traditional Norse. And that's when I =
remembered John Clute's prediction about Otz Chiim. Kleos, in fact, =
means "Glory, which translated back into the language of the Kabbalah =
(Hebrew) is Hod--the very name of the 8th Sefira. Then a few more =
megawatt lightbulbs went off. Hod--and this is the genius of Wolfe--is =
also the name of the Norse god who killed Baldur. The implication of =
this: the inhabitants of the second world are more powerful than those =
of Skai. This, of course, is implicit in the text, just as the Overcyns =
are more powerful than the people of Mythgarthr.=20

Finally, we arrive at the first world, which remains unnamed, along with =
the seventh.

Of course, I have my guesses, and once the concluding WIZARD comes out I =
may end up with albumen all over my face, but here's what I'm thinking.=20

It's possible Wolfe may return to Norse antecedents and call the seventh =
world Niflheim (the one realm below Hel, being mostly snow and ice, and =
north of Ginnungagap); just as he could call the first world Breidablik, =
Glitnir, or Himinbiorg (other heavenly places in Norse mythology). But I =
have a hunch he may stick with the Sefiroth. It's hard to decide which =
of the other nine he may choose, and whether he will give them Greek =
names, but the two I like the most are Yesod for the seventh world =
(Themelios in Greek?) and Chesed for the first (Eleos?). Why Yesod? =
Well, first of all, it means "foundation" so it fits into the context of =
the bottommost world--plus it connects us to Wolfe's New Sun. Chesed, on =
the other hand, means "mercy" or "grace," which may play to Wolfe's =
Catholic nature and his notions of redemption; in addition, the =
archangel associated with it is one Tzadkiel. Wolfe, however, does not =
exactly play fair with the archangel attributes; Michael is more =
properly associated with Tiphareth, the sixth Sefira, than Hod. So this =
may all be invalid. If I had to make a second-best choice therefore, =
it'd be Kether, the Crown, and first Sefira. (Stephanos? Diadema?)

Wolfe may also be attempting to replicate the structure of the =
Hierogrammate-Hierodule master-servant relationship in the first and =
second worlds, with Michael and Parka being servants of the ultimate =
authority (if not the Hieros, possibly God Himself/the Increate).

*******

Arthur? Meet Thor.

Perhaps a sentence from the back cover of KNIGHT says it best, "THE =
WIZARD KNIGHT is in the rare company of those works that spring from the =
myth and literature of past ages." Or maybe it's Lord Dunsany's very =
apposite lines from the opening poem: "The people out of old romance/ =
And people that have never been,/ And those that on the border dance/ =
Between old history and between/ Resounding fable, as the king/ Who held =
his court at Camelot." Because in many respects I believe Wolfe's latest =
masterpiece is about exactly this conjunction--the Anglo-Saxons who =
invaded England during the fifth and sixth centuries, a period of time =
roughly concurrent with that of King Arthur; and that in their collision =
of cultures and bloodlines Wolfe is seeking a synthesis between Norse =
mythology and Arthurian legend--and especially the twilight of each.

Early on in the book Able sees a fabulous knight who has black dragons =
on his helm, shield and surcoat, but who vanishes as if in a vision. I =
believe this knight will turn out to be Arnthor, the king of Celidon, =
just as I believe the woman Able rescues from the ophidian clutches of =
Grengarm at the end will turn out to be Morcaine, Arnthor's sister. =
Arnthor is the lupine equivalent of Arthur, the semi-legendary, =
mythologized figure who actually might have been a Roman general or =
Celtic chieftain (or composite thereof) in 5th-6th century Britain. His =
wife is Gaynor (Guinevere), his sister Morcaine (Morgan La Fey), they =
reign in Celidon (site of one of Arthur's battles according to legend) =
and their father is a dragon (Uther Pendragon, Wolfe taking the name =
literally; but possibly also the novel's Grengarm). Most of what we know =
about brother and sister, however, is conveyed by another brother: =
Garsecg, a man when we first meet him; but later taking on dragonish =
form and revealing his name is really Setr. He's *the* pivotal character =
in KNIGHT, being a type of resonance hybrid between Mordred and =
Setr/Surtr, and who will lead both the sons of Muspel into Ragnorak and =
the enemies of Arnthor/Arthur into the battle of Camlann. Garsecg, =
onomastically, means "ocean, sea," and is associated with the Norse god =
Aegir, who personifies the power of ocean; hence his instructions to =
Able about conjuring within him the strength of the sea. It's Setr as =
well who accompanies Able when he climbs the Tower of Glas (another =
Arthurian connection; interesting also to note that in the Norse Tarot =
the tower card represents Ragnorak). And I also believe that he wants =
Able to kill Kulili (not a Babylonian Juturna/Abaia type monster, I =
maintain, but Loki in disguise) so he can be the head scaly honcho of =
the New World Order, as well as conscript the Aelf into his army. (He =
already commands the Fire Aelf obviously.)=20

(Token David Lindsay aside. Yes, I believe there's a connection between =
KNIGHT and A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS. First there's Able's trip up the Tower =
of Glas, then his descent to Muspel. But just as importantly there's the =
shared etymolgical link of Arcturus and Arthur, both deriving from =
arktos/artos, i.e., "bear." I leave other possible correspondences to be =
worked out by those more familiar with Lindsay's work than I.)

*******

Since Able is led into Skai by shield maiden Alvit, does this mean he's =
died? I maintain yes, although apparently this will not hurt him when he =
goes into battle against the Giants of Winter and Old Night. (I.e., =
Ragnorak looms.)

*******

Je m'appelle--hell, like I even speak freakin' frog

What is Able's real name and where in America is he from and what has =
happened to his parents? Haven't a clue about the latter two, but the =
most relevant passage about his name, I believe, comes near the end of =
the book in Chapter 67. To wit: "...a wind soughed among the treetops, =
whispering a thousand names. Among them, both of mine." There then =
follows two separate string of names: "Walewein, Wace, Vortigern, =
Kyot..." and "Yvain, Gottfried, Eilhart, Palamedes, Duach, Tristan, =
Albracht, Caradoc..." But as Able tells us, "The names that I heard, my =
own, were not repeated." So what, if anything, do these names have in =
common? As nearly as I am able to determine, each of them seems to have =
some sort of connection to Arthurian legend or its chroniclers. =
Terrific. That narrows it down to just about a zillion.... Unless, of =
course, it's some variant on Gawaine since Able bests the Green Knight. =
And since Walewein, the first name, is the Dutch version of Gawain, =
Gawain may well be the unheard preceding name in string #1, while John =
(aka John of Glastonbury, who wrote a history of Glastonbury with some =
Arthurian material in it circa the 14th century) might be the last name =
in the second string. Which means, my friends, the real name of Able of =
the High Heart is none other than John Wayne. (Holy shit. Small wonder =
no one can defeat him. It's the Duke himself! Run for your lives, you =
evil frost giants, before it's too late!)=20

*******

Just looked it up: John Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa. *Winterset.* =
Think Ragnorak. Think Twilight of the Gods. Think Kingsdoom. Works for =
me.

*******

Despite Pouk Badeye's given name, he bears little resemblance to Robin =
Goodfellow; and though he's not an eloquent speaker, I would much rather =
listen to him than Uns or Duns.=20

*******

Disappointed so far in Wolfe's use of the Osterlings, the book's =
semi-equivalent of the inhumi. No idea how they may relate to Tolkien's =
Easterlings, unless possibly Setr will recruit them, making them perhaps =
somewhat akin to the Balchoth.


*******

Sighted wolves in the text. Well, mostly they're heard. But in addition =
to ordinary wolves, there's a narnhound and Ulfa (ON, a female wolf) and =
it's possible Grengarm is partially one. (Garm is the Cerberus hound of =
Norse Hel.) Then there's Gylf, who may or may not be one of the =
Valfather's Wild Hunt dogs. (At times I've wondered if he isn't the =
shapechanged Disiri [from ON Disir, powerful women of near goddess level =
who help and especially avenge families] but I can find at least as much =
evidence against the notion as for it.)=20

*******

And speaking of Dirsiri (who imprints on Able the same way Thecla does =
on Severian), it's nice to see a sexually restrained young man in =
Wolfe's fiction, who's loyal to the one woman he loves. So far, =
anyway--despite the temptations of the nubile Salamanders..

*******

I hope to be back before another year's lapse, but in case I'm not, know =
that I miss being an active member of the group. Take care all and have =
fun traveling the skaiways.

Robert Borski=20


















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Friends of the Wolfe;
In another five or six months, after you've worked your way through =
GW's=20
latest, maybe a few of you will remember to come back here and see if =
I've=20
written anything of interest. But until then, you should go no =
further--at least=20
if you wish your reading experience of THE KNIGHT to remain fresh and=20
unspoiled.
 
T
O
K
E
N
 
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
 
S
P
A
C
E 
 
Ragnorak, Kingsdoom, and the Tree of Life -- Some Preliminary Notes =
on Gene=20
Wolfe's KNIGHT 
Apologies to all for the loose-jointedness of what follows. =
Unfortunately,=20
because of time constraints, I won't be able to offer much in the way of =
a=20
single cohesive essay or multiple small posts, and so mostly what you =
will now=20
get is a hodgepodge of observations, some preliminary onomastics, a few =
theories=20
and guesses, and enough crackpot interpretation to rile the usual =
antiBorskiite=20
crowd. In short, I'm basically transcribing the notes I made as I =
journeyed with=20
Sir Able of the High Heart from Parka's cave to the cloud palaces of =
Skai.=20
Doubtless, many of you will have keener and more critical insights and I =
look=20
forward to eventually reading them. But here for the nonce are mine. =
Caveat=20
lector and yippee-kayay.
*******
The Overcyns
One of the things I've always liked about Wolfe is that he often =
seems able=20
to freshen up overly familiar myths. Thus when I first heard about the =
Norse=20
background of KNIGHT I wondered how he would handle the Asgardians. Nor =
was I=20
disappointed. For starters the words Asgard and Aesir never appear in =
the=20
narrative; instead Wolfe calls the former Skai (a very good choice =
considering=20
the etymology of sky, which means "cloud" in Old Norse [henceforward =
ON]) and=20
the latter the Overcyns (over + -kyn, ON for people, clan, kin). Wolfe =
also=20
calls most of the Norse gods by lesser known, if legitimate, cognomens. =
Hence=20
Woden/Odin is the Valfather, Thor is Donor, and Freyia is "the Lady," =
which is=20
literally what her name means in ON. Doubtless, we will meet more, since =
the=20
novel concludes when Able reaches Skai, but of the Overcyns met so far =
Freyia=20
--the Lady-- seems the most interesting. Wolfe makes her the youngest =
daughter=20
of the Valfather (which may or may not obviate her traditional Vanic =
roots), and=20
since she gets to choose half of those slain in battle for inclusion to=20
Valhalla, it makes sense that she's especially interested in =
warrior-supreme=20
Able. Indeed, since cats are also associated with her, Mani the talking =
feline,=20
may be her emissary--one of the very moonriding knights Able mentions in =
the=20
list, a connection made even more palpable when you realize that the =
Norse god=20
of the moon is named, well, Mani. And while Gerda sees a figure she =
describes as=20
an "old lady" accompanying Able (who's unaware of her presence), I =
wonder if she=20
might be Freyia.
Other Norse gods mentioned in the text: Ran (wife of seagod Aegir, =
possibly=20
connected to Garsecg) and Hel, whose domain Wolfe tells us is Muspel=20
(traditionally, she reigns in Hel, so this is a change.) And I firmly =
believe=20
that Kulili--despite her Babylonian name and female gender--will turn =
out to be=20
the shapeshifter trickster god, Luki--er, Loki.
Also Seaxneat, a Saxon god often associated with Tyr; Wolfe's =
version,=20
however, is just a plain nasty man.
*******
The Seven Worlds
At first glance the seven worlds concept Wolfe employs in KNIGHT =
looks to be=20
borrowed from traditional Norse mythology; namely the nine worlds =
contained=20
within Yggdrasil, the World Tree, but winnowed down to seven for =
whatever lupine=20
reasons of economy. At first, before I read the book, I wondered if =
Wolfe was=20
playing on the notion of the Heptarchy, the seven principal concurrent=20
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the 7th-8th centuries AD, but this seems now a =
less=20
likely notion. Instead it appears Wolfe is interested in combining =
certain=20
aspects of Yggdrasil with the Otz Chiim, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. =
John=20
Clute, of course, was the first to mention the Sefiroth in connection =
with=20
KNIGHT, and while we have yet to see how all of the Tree will eventually =
branch=20
out it will probably merit quite a bit of discussion. 
What we know so far is how all but the Tree's top and bottom branches =
are=20
constituted.
Starting with the middlemost fourth world (since this is where most =
of the=20
book's action takes place) is Mythgarthr (ON, "the middle enclosure"). =
To it=20
Wolfe annexes Jotunland, "Land of the Giants," which traditionally is an =

entirely separate world.
Beneath Mythgarthr is Aelfrice, the fifth world, home base of the =
many=20
different Aelf (and where Setr battles Kulili for control).
Beneath it is Muspel, the sixth world, the realm of fire and fire =
giants,=20
whose master is Setr (or as he is more commonly known, Surt). Selon =
Wolfe the=20
Norse goddess Hel reigns here, but this is nontraditional.
The seventh world is not named; certainly it's not on the list and I =
don't=20
believe it's mentioned in the text. So this remains unknown, although, =
as you'll=20
soon see, I have a theory.
Moving back up the Tree from Mythgarthr we encounter Skai, the third =
world=20
and home to the Overcyns.
Up from it, however, is the mysterious second world, called by Wolfe, =
Kleos.=20
Michael, one of the two people we meet who hails from there, and who may =

literally be an archangel, calls it "The World of Fair Report." The =
other person=20
we meet from Kleos is the seeress Parka (from Parca, a Roman god of =
fate). But=20
what are we to make onomastically of "Kleos"? Obviously, it does not =
derive from=20
traditional Norse. And that's when I remembered John Clute's prediction =
about=20
Otz Chiim. Kleos, in fact, means "Glory, which translated back into the =
language=20
of the Kabbalah (Hebrew) is Hod--the very name of the 8th Sefira. Then a =
few=20
more megawatt lightbulbs went off. Hod--and this is the genius of =
Wolfe--is also=20
the name of the Norse god who killed Baldur. The implication of this: =
the=20
inhabitants of the second world are more powerful than those of Skai. =
This, of=20
course, is implicit in the text, just as the Overcyns are more powerful =
than the=20
people of Mythgarthr. 
Finally, we arrive at the first world, which remains unnamed, along =
with the=20
seventh.
Of course, I have my guesses, and once the concluding WIZARD comes =
out I may=20
end up with albumen all over my face, but here's what I'm thinking. 
It's possible Wolfe may return to Norse antecedents and call the =
seventh=20
world Niflheim (the one realm below Hel, being mostly snow and ice, and =
north of=20
Ginnungagap); just as he could call the first world Breidablik, Glitnir, =
or=20
Himinbiorg (other heavenly places in Norse mythology). But I have a =
hunch he may=20
stick with the Sefiroth. It's hard to decide which of the other nine he =
may=20
choose, and whether he will give them Greek names, but the two I like =
the most=20
are Yesod for the seventh world (Themelios in Greek?) and Chesed for the =
first=20
(Eleos?). Why Yesod? Well, first of all, it means "foundation" so it =
fits into=20
the context of the bottommost world--plus it connects us to Wolfe's New =
Sun.=20
Chesed, on the other hand, means "mercy" or "grace," which may play to =
Wolfe's=20
Catholic nature and his notions of redemption; in addition, the =
archangel=20
associated with it is one Tzadkiel. Wolfe, however, does not exactly =
play fair=20
with the archangel attributes; Michael is more properly associated with=20
Tiphareth, the sixth Sefira, than Hod. So this may all be invalid. If I =
had to=20
make a second-best choice therefore, it'd be Kether, the Crown, and =
first=20
Sefira. (Stephanos? Diadema?)
Wolfe may also be attempting to replicate the structure of the=20
Hierogrammate-Hierodule master-servant relationship in the first and =
second=20
worlds, with Michael and Parka being servants of the ultimate authority =
(if not=20
the Hieros, possibly God Himself/the Increate).
*******
Arthur? Meet Thor.
Perhaps a sentence from the back cover of KNIGHT says it best, "THE =
WIZARD=20
KNIGHT is in the rare company of those works that spring from the myth =
and=20
literature of past ages." Or maybe it's Lord Dunsany's very apposite =
lines from=20
the opening poem: "The people out of old romance/ And people that have =
never=20
been,/ And those that on the border dance/ Between old history and =
between/=20
Resounding fable, as the king/ Who held his court at Camelot." Because =
in many=20
respects I believe Wolfe's latest masterpiece is about exactly this=20
conjunction--the Anglo-Saxons who invaded England during the fifth and =
sixth=20
centuries, a period of time roughly concurrent with that of King Arthur; =
and=20
that in their collision of cultures and bloodlines Wolfe is seeking a =
synthesis=20
between Norse mythology and Arthurian legend--and especially the =
twilight of=20
each.
Early on in the book Able sees a fabulous knight who has black =
dragons on his=20
helm, shield and surcoat, but who vanishes as if in a vision. I believe =
this=20
knight will turn out to be Arnthor, the king of Celidon, just as I =
believe the=20
woman Able rescues from the ophidian clutches of Grengarm at the end =
will turn=20
out to be Morcaine, Arnthor's sister. Arnthor is the lupine equivalent =
of=20
Arthur, the semi-legendary, mythologized figure who actually might have =
been a=20
Roman general or Celtic chieftain (or composite thereof) in 5th-6th =
century=20
Britain. His wife is Gaynor (Guinevere), his sister Morcaine (Morgan La =
Fey),=20
they reign in Celidon (site of one of Arthur's battles according to =
legend) and=20
their father is a dragon (Uther Pendragon, Wolfe taking the name =
literally; but=20
possibly also the novel's Grengarm). Most of what we know about brother =
and=20
sister, however, is conveyed by another brother: Garsecg, a man when we =
first=20
meet him; but later taking on dragonish form and revealing his name is =
really=20
Setr. He's *the* pivotal character in KNIGHT, being a type of resonance =
hybrid=20
between Mordred and Setr/Surtr, and who will lead both the sons of =
Muspel into=20
Ragnorak and the enemies of Arnthor/Arthur into the battle of Camlann. =
Garsecg,=20
onomastically, means "ocean, sea," and is associated with the Norse god =
Aegir,=20
who personifies the power of ocean; hence his instructions to Able about =

conjuring within him the strength of the sea. It's Setr as well who =
accompanies=20
Able when he climbs the Tower of Glas (another Arthurian connection; =
interesting=20
also to note that in the Norse Tarot the tower card represents =
Ragnorak). And I=20
also believe that he wants Able to kill Kulili (not a Babylonian =
Juturna/Abaia=20
type monster, I maintain, but Loki in disguise) so he can be the head =
scaly=20
honcho of the New World Order, as well as conscript the Aelf into his =
army. (He=20
already commands the Fire Aelf obviously.) 
(Token David Lindsay aside. Yes, I believe there's a connection =
between=20
KNIGHT and A VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS. First there's Able's trip up the Tower =
of Glas,=20
then his descent to Muspel. But just as importantly there's the shared=20
etymolgical link of Arcturus and Arthur, both deriving from =
arktos/artos, i.e.,=20
"bear." I leave other possible correspondences to be worked out by those =
more=20
familiar with Lindsay's work than I.)
*******
Since Able is led into Skai by shield maiden Alvit, does this mean =
he's died?=20
I maintain yes, although apparently this will not hurt him when he goes =
into=20
battle against the Giants of Winter and Old Night. (I.e., Ragnorak =
looms.)
*******
Je m'appelle--hell, like I even speak freakin' frog
What is Able's real name and where in America is he from and what has =

happened to his parents? Haven't a clue about the latter two, but the =
most=20
relevant passage about his name, I believe, comes near the end of the =
book in=20
Chapter 67. To wit: "...a wind soughed among the treetops, whispering a =
thousand=20
names. Among them, both of mine." There then follows two separate string =
of=20
names: "Walewein, Wace, Vortigern, Kyot..." and "Yvain, Gottfried, =
Eilhart,=20
Palamedes, Duach, Tristan, Albracht, Caradoc..." But as Able tells us, =
"The=20
names that I heard, my own, were not repeated." So what, if anything, do =
these=20
names have in common? As nearly as I am able to determine, each of them =
seems to=20
have some sort of connection to Arthurian legend or its chroniclers. =
Terrific.=20
That narrows it down to just about a zillion.... Unless, of course, it's =
some=20
variant on Gawaine since Able bests the Green Knight. And since =
Walewein, the=20
first name, is the Dutch version of Gawain, Gawain may well be the =
unheard=20
preceding name in string #1, while John (aka John of Glastonbury, who =
wrote a=20
history of Glastonbury with some Arthurian material in it circa the 14th =

century) might be the last name in the second string. Which means, my =
friends,=20
the real name of Able of the High Heart is none other than John Wayne. =
(Holy=20
shit. Small wonder no one can defeat him. It's the Duke himself! Run for =
your=20
lives, you evil frost giants, before it's too late!) 
*******
Just looked it up: John Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa. =
*Winterset.* Think=20
Ragnorak. Think Twilight of the Gods. Think Kingsdoom. Works for me.
*******
Despite Pouk Badeye's given name, he bears little resemblance to =
Robin=20
Goodfellow; and though he's not an eloquent speaker, I would much rather =
listen=20
to him than Uns or Duns. 
*******
Disappointed so far in Wolfe's use of the Osterlings, the book's=20
semi-equivalent of the inhumi. No idea how they may relate to Tolkien's=20
Easterlings, unless possibly Setr will recruit them, making them perhaps =

somewhat akin to the Balchoth.

*******
Sighted wolves in the text. Well, mostly they're heard. But in =
addition to=20
ordinary wolves, there's a narnhound and Ulfa (ON, a female wolf) and =
it's=20
possible Grengarm is partially one. (Garm is the Cerberus hound of Norse =
Hel.)=20
Then there's Gylf, who may or may not be one of the Valfather's Wild =
Hunt dogs.=20
(At times I've wondered if he isn't the shapechanged Disiri [from ON =
Disir,=20
powerful women of near goddess level who help and especially avenge =
families]=20
but I can find at least as much evidence against the notion as for it.) =

*******
And speaking of Dirsiri (who imprints on Able the same way Thecla =
does on=20
Severian), it's nice to see a sexually restrained young man in Wolfe's =
fiction,=20
who's loyal to the one woman he loves. So far, anyway--despite the =
temptations=20
of the nubile Salamanders..
*******
I hope to be back before another year's lapse, but in case I'm not, =
know that=20
I miss being an active member of the group. Take care all and have fun =
traveling=20
the skaiways.
Robert Borski 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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