Site Update June 2019: So Long, Farewell

Hi readers,

I just wanted to say to those landing here that I expect this site to be inactive indefinitely, barring the posthumous publication of a new Gene Wolfe novel.

I am not being charged for this site so I will leave it up.  You are free to borrow anything I wrote about if you are doing your own studies, research, etc. about Gene Wolfe and his books.  No need to worry about citations, I won’t be coming after you.

I was new to blogs when I started this and I later realized it was not well organized. The following links may help you navigate to key entry points at this blog:

The introduction to my series of posts on The Wizard Knight

The beginning of the chapter summaries of Gene Wolfe’s  The Knight

The beginning of the chapter summaries of Gene Wolfe’s The Wizard

The introduction to my series of posts on Gene Wolfe’s The Sorcerer’s House

The beginning of the chapter summaries of Gene Wolfe’s The Sorcerer’s House

The single post on Gene Wolfe’s Home Fires

The post on Gene Wolfe’s passing.

I started this blog because I thought that The Wizard Knight was one of his more important works, and a bit underappreciated, in part due to how the book was split into two for publication purposes. I did another series of posts about The Sorcerer’s House given what I perceived as a possible connection between the two works.

I think  the rest of Gene Wolfe’s work prior to his last few books (“A Borrowed Man” and “The Land Across”) has been pretty well covered in other books, websites, the Urth list, etc.  I would not have anything useful to contribute.   The more recent books are fairly short and narrow in scope, and there was pretty good discussion about them on the Urth list.

Mr. Wolfe was at one point by his own admission working on a sequel to “A Borrowed Man”, but there has been no update on this for several years. My guess is that he did not get far enough in it that we will ever see a book. But I will be happy to be disappointed.

Wolfe scholar Marc Aramini’s anticipated second volume on Gene Wolfe’s bibliography will likely do a good job exploring the meaning, symbolism, and mysteries of the more recent books. Marc draws on/shares a variety of interpretations in his analysis and summaries, so he will have them covered from all angles.

Looking back on the posts, I still feel pretty good about the bulk of analysis. I would probably modify The Sorcerer’s House the most, and I think Marc and others have done good work unearthing things I missed. I stand by the core of my analysis of The Wizard Knight as being a profoundly Christian work (e.g. a retelling of the Gospel underneath a fairy tale) with heavy allusion and reliance on European mythology and folklore.

My blogging for the future will be limited to my other site, theprinceofserendip.com, which focuses on being (at least trying to be) a Catholic, and my review of books, movies, and other things that involve matters of Faith.

Thanks for reading!

 

UPDATE: 09/10/19.  I just learned that Mr. Wolfe did in fact turn in a final draft of “Interlibrary Loan”, the sequel to “A Borrowed Man.”  Tor Books will be publishing it, and according to Amazon, it will be available in June of 2020.

 

 

The Sorcerer’s House: The Old Testament and Series Conclusion

Last post, if you made it through, thanks again.

Overall, I found writing this blog series much less satisfying than “Knight Notes.”  I felt  (rightly or wrongly) that I solved just about every major question in the WK.  With the SH, I am still unsure about some of the major mysteries, and many of the minor ones. It’s a much shorter work, about 1/3 the length, so there is less evidence or clues to work with.  It is also a less interesting subject. Evil and sin are, contrary to media, rather banal and not very glamorous. The WK has a happy ending, and there is a resolution of all the various plot threads in a hopeful direction.

In the post about SH and WK connections, I said I thought GW wanted to write a companion book where “evil won.”  To expand on that, and perhaps to be more specific even, I think  GW wrote the book  to contrast the desperate situation of our forebears before the Incarnation, with the hope we now have after It.     The Old Testament is a very grim series of books. There is a constant narrative of interfamily personal violence and sexual exploitation, including rape and incest.  Outside the family, the tribes are fighting over land to the point of extermination.  These themes appear in the SH.

First is the brother vs. brother conflict. Others have already commented that Bax and George are deliberate allusions to Jacob and Esau. Baxter means “baker’ and George means “farmer.” In the Bible, Esau worked the land, and his twin Jacob made him a meal in exchange for his birthright. Jacob then cheated his brother Esau out of his father’s blessing through fraud. Similarly, Bax deprives George of his birthright (the money from Aunt Carla), by staying in college for years and using up the estate on tuition. He later defrauded him further. Esau means “rough”, and George is physically rough with his brother. He threatens to kill him, and challenges him to a duel.  Jacob and Esau reconciled in the Bible, but I don’t think that happened here. Their dad was Zwart, not Isaac. Bax and George are more like Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain slew Abel.

(Speaking of Isaac, a Mr. Isaacs is the partner of the A&I real estate firm. I think this is supposed to be “Abraham and Isaacs.” So, with Jake Jacobs, all three Biblical Patriarchs of Israel appear.)

We then have sexual violence.  Cathy Ruth is raped by Quorn, and Orizia is almost raped. Millie is likely beaten and maybe even subject to sexual violence in her marriage to George.

There is then the squabble over land. The Skotos Strip couldn’t help but remind me of the land feuds of the Bible between the tribes of Israel and their enemies.  Nicholas the Butler is apparently trying to scare people off the land by attacking their children. I also wonder if the Strip was a reference to the Gaza strip or the West Bank of present day land disputes. Is the river supposed to the the River Jordan?

There doesn’t seem much hope for Medicine Man and its residents. Like The Knight, there is an estrangement between Men and Women, and no succesful marriages or relationships in the book.  Everyone seems corrupt or slightly off: The police officers, reporters, lawyers, real estate agents, etc. There is no hope for escape from the cycles of violence, envy or greed.  If Bax was supposed to be an agent of reconciliation, like Able in the WK, he failed. Men and women who likely were good: Ray Finn and Ted Griffin/Ambrosius, are dead. The murders of Star Paxton, Nina O’Brien and others go unpunished.

Something dramatic, something theo-dramatic, needs to happen.

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The Sorcerer’s House: WK Connections

In my “Knight Notes” blog series, I proposed that the SH was a “companion” novel or unofficial sequel to the WK.  The following are connections or similarities between the two works:

• The titles have a similar component, Wizard and Sorcerer.
• Both are epistolary novels
• Both protagonists are writing letters to their brothers: Art to Ben, and Bax, primarily, to George.
• Both sets of brothers’ parents are deceased. Well sort of, Bax and George’s adoptive parents are dead.
• Both protagonists travel to a magical, elven world: Aelfrice v. Faerie. Faerie, like Aelfrice, seems to be approached by a downward direction. Bax travels down steep slopes in the Skotos strip before encountering Lupine. I think he is in Faerie during these encounters with her.
• Dragonstone, fire opal, plays an important role in both. The Tower of Glas was made of it, as was the stone in Bax’s magic ring.
• Both characters acquire a magic sword, and have a supernatural paramour: Disiri v. Winker Inari.
• The name Griffin appears in both. Griffinsford the town vs. Ted and Doris Griffin.
• Both have mothers with M names, Mag v. Martha

And yet they are different, and SH is a shadowy reflection of the WK:

• Bax sleeps with every woman he can. Able only wants Disiri.
• Able is straightforward and honest, whereas Bax regularly employs deceit and is a fraud.
• Bax is educated in worldly matters, whereas Able is “wise.” Wizard means wise.
• Able acquires a supernatural white steed, whereas Bax scares his away
• The WK is a New Testament narrative, where the SH’s Biblical allusions are firmly Old Testament.

I think GW deliberately intended to write a story that was sort of the opposite of the WK, one in which evil prevails. Bax does not escape “the wrong his father did”, or “his mother’s curse”, as T.H. White is asking the reader in The Queen of Air and Darkness.  Bad blood or family can be too difficult to overcome.

For a while, I entertained the idea that the WK and the SH were actually set in the same fictional universe.

My theory related to Lord Beel’s father, who is not named:

• Beel’s uncle is King Uthor. Uthor is king before Arnthor.  In Arthurian legend, Uther’s brother was …. Ambrosius. Ambrosius was the older brother, was killed via poison, and Uther Pendragon took his place.
• Beel can do magic, which suggests his father or mother was a sorcerer. Again, a fit for Ambrosius. In the WK and SH universe, magical abilities are apparently inherited, or in the blood.
• It seemed strange that GW left Beel’s father unnamed. It made me think he was hiding something.
• So my theory was that Ambrosius left the world of the WK, perhaps through the sea cave that Able arrived in.  He came to our world, and built the Black House. He had various adventures, and was then slain by Goldwurm.
• I entertained the idea that Goldwurm was actually Uthor of the WK. Again, its never stated in the WK how Uthor or Beel’s father met their ends. Uther Pendragon used a gold dragon banner in some legends, hence “Goldwurm.”
• So Uthor and Ambrosius are actually brothers. They have a brotherly rivalry over magic or women, and Uthor eventually kills Ambrosius, and stays on Earth. This explains Goldwurm’s thing about brothers/twins, and wanting George and Bax to fight.
• This theory has a certain appeal, but the evidence is weak (basically just the Ambrosius, Goldwurm and Uthor names), and very likely wrong.

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The Sorcerer’s House: Compiler’s Note and Character Fates

Letter 44 is followed by a “Compiler’s Note”

The unidentified Compiler explains that he has obtained the letters that make up the SH from Millie, Madame Orizia and Tina Hawes Kojac, Sheldon’s daughter. He states that “George Dunn” has been missing two years, and that Bax has been declared legally dead. “George” earlier told Millie that he would have Bax declared legally dead after seven years, so the Compiler’s note is likely being written at least 9 years after Letter 44.  Sheldon Hawes is also said to be deceased. The Black House is a private residence, occupants not identified. The Skotos Strip is now the suburb of Riverscene.

So What Happened to Everyone?

My view is that Bax killed George. He apparently accepted George’s challenge, and made out a will naming George his beneficiary and executor.   He won the duel, and then assumed George’s identity and lived as Mille’s husband for 9-10 years. In order to have himself declared dead, he knew he was going to have to stay on Earth as George for at least seven years.  It was also a way to enjoy the world with his new found money, and another man’s wife that he had long coveted. Once he had had himself declared dead, and satisfied himself, he cast aside Millie and the George identity and returned to Faerie. He was never in love with Millie, and took along Winker Inari as his concubine during his impersonation.

Bax is also dead. Remember, this is a tragedy. His death was likely foreshadowed by Kiki, a bean nighe spirit that acts as an omen of death. Mary King, another omen of death, also told Bax that she was going where he was going. She disappeared when they passed a cemetery, perhaps meaning Bax was soon to die.

But why is Bax dead? Emlyn explained earlier in the SH that Goldwurm/Zwart had been looking for Ambrosius’ “weapon of sorcery.” This weapon was the magic ring Bax found in the fish. Zwart wanted it, and he gets what he wants. He could care less about Bax. He did not need to kill Bax right away. This might have scared off Martha. He was content to let Bax spend a few years in the real world, and then come to Faerie.  Zwart might have even arranged for Bax’s death to look like an accident, perhaps  like Ted’s. Maybe he had Quorn or Nicholas the Butler kill him to put the blame on someone else.

Zwart is evil, and has no real love for his children. He was encouraging them to fight a duel, and may have even hoped George would kill Bax, and allow him to get the magic ring sooner.  He is mainly interested in satisfying his appetites for women (his Asmodeus persona), magical power (Aleister Crowley persona), wealth (Long John Silver persona), etc.

Emlyn and Ieaun’s futures are left open. They seem to have reconciled by the end of the SH, and perhaps they are the one glimmer of hope in the story. These two brothers have made up, and may be able to escape whatever plans Zwart might have for them. Emlyn seems willing to sacrifice himself for Lupine, whether she deserves it or not.

Martha made her choice for Zwart. She is likely in Faerie still, and never returned to Medicine Man. Otherwise the Compiler probably would have mentioned her.  She is a “bad woman,” as she admits to Bax in one of their conversations.

Winker Inari has likely been playing Bax the whole time. She was put in the cage by Zwart for Bax to find. She is likely the “wonderful girl” that George describes as helping him in his one letter to Bax. Winker is a “honey trap” intended to ensnare and corrupt Bax. The fact that her name involves “winking” may be a signal that something about her is not on the level. To wink is to sometimes signal a joke or secret sign.

This interpretation of Winker’s role is supported by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. There Lord Bertilak provides a fox as a gift to Sir Gawain. Remember, Zwart is playing the Bertilak role, and Bax that of Sir Gawain. Also, Sir Gawain (Bax) always dies by the end of the various Arthurian stories, including The Once and Future King.

Sheldon Hawes may have died of a broken heart after Bax stopped writing, just like the Lady of Shalott. Or perhaps he was rubbed out after getting out on parole and showing up in Medicine Man. Remember, Iron Mike told Skotos who Sheldon was.  Zwart wouldn’t want any dangerous friends of Bax interfering with his plans.

Kate Finn’s fate is left open. She knows about the magic of the Black House, Bax having shown her Goldwurm’s Spire from a window. She may have even known that Bax was impersonating George at his sentencing hearing. She may have been eliminated by Zwart for knowing too much. Or perhaps she has been corrupted and serves as an unofficial protector of the Black House while still on the police force.

Jim Hardaway is likely still around, acting as a front man for Zwart. If you walked by the Black House, you might spy a small, energetic man peering out through one of the windows.

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The Sorcerer’s House: Ambrosius

In this post I will try to solve the mystery of Ambrosius.

The name Ambrosius is of course associated with the Merlin figure of the King Arthur legend.  Merlin is a very complex figure, and based on multiple historical and mythical individuals. The name Merlin is closely related to Myrddin Wyllt, a figure of Welsh folklore.  In legends and literature Myrddin was sort of fused with a Roman-British political figure known as Ambrosius Aurelianus. So in Arthurian literature we sometimes see the name “Merlin Ambrosius” used.

• The (probably) real Aurelianus was the older brother of a (probably) real figure who came to be known in legends as Uther Pendragon. Aurelianus was poisoned, and Uther then became the leader. Uther was often made King Arthur’s father in various stories.
• Ambrosius had some role in defeating Vortigern, a (probably) real warlord of ancient Britain. Vortigern is blamed for allowing Saxons to settle in Roman Britain, and has been negatively treated in literature.

Getting back to the SH.  GW is having Ambrosius play a Merlin-like role in the SH. He does this by invoking the legend of the “The Threefold Death of Myrrdin Wyltt” or “Threefold Death.” According to legend, Myrrdin prophesied he would die three times: by hanging (or falling), drowning and stabbing. The triple death appears in other legends and mythologies.

Ambrosius experiences a triple death in the SH.  Emlyn says he was strangled (like hanging) and thrown in a river (drowning). Kate Finn says renters of the Black House see a dead body that had been stabbed or died due to hanging. I think they saw Ted’s ghost. So Ted/Ambrosius was stabbed, hanged/strangled/fell, and drowned.

I think the strangling was performed by Nicholas the Butler, who likes to steal clothes lines, and who ran clothes lines through his figures during the lunch with Skotos and Iron Mike.

Martha says that Ambrosius and Zwart were friendly rivals. Over what? Well, magical power for one. Zwart wanted his weapon of sorcery.

However, I have this theory Martha was involved too. She has some fear or guilt associated with his death, which she displays when she sees the ring.  Perhaps she seduced or otherwise got Ambrosius in a compromising position before his death.  This would fit with Martha’s association with Morgan Le Fey and Morgause. I believe these two women are Martha’s intended literary counterparts. Both are involved in stories where they betray Merlin. She may also be sort of a Nimue or Vivien type figure, a young woman who seduced Merlin, stole his magic, and arranged for his imprisonment.

I even wonder if it was Ambrosius that Martha eloped with to Faerie, and that her relationship with Zwart started later. Martha says she was a “sorcerer’s wife”, and Zwart/Goldwurm is really a warlock.

In this theory, it may be that Ambrosius is the father of some or all of Martha’s sons. This may be why Ambrosius/Ted’s ghost tries to stop the beating of Bax, and why his ghost appears to Bax in the strip. Bax seems to think that Ambrosius was Ieaun’s father during the first appearance. Or perhaps Martha left Goldwurm for Ambrosius at some point?

One other legend that might support this theory is the Tale of Sir Caradoc. Caradoc appeared in a Grail Story called The Life of Caradoc.  Caradoc is a knight of Arthur’s court. One day the sorcerer Eliavres arrives and challenges the knights to a beheading contest, in essence, an earlier version of the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight poem. Caradoc accepts the challenge and has a number of adventures.  During this Caradoc learns that his father, a King, was cuckolded by Eliavres. Caradoc is the son of Eliavres. Despite learning this, Caradoc is loyal to his non-biological father, and aids him in taking revenge on Eliavres. Eliavres escapes however, and causes a magic serpent to wither Caradoc’s arm. Caradoc is eventually healed and has a happy ending. Is the Goldwurm name thus a clue to the Caradoc legend, given the role the serpent plays?

Another possible clue to the Caradoc legend is that Shell keeps addressing Bax as “Prof.” Prof = Caradoc. “Prof” being short for professor, and “Doc” short for doctor. Bax has two doctorates.  Its a form of wordplay.

At this point I can speculate no further. I have not found definitive proof to unravel the paternity mystery, and definitely show that Ted was Ambrosius. I think he was, but I can’t find a smoking gun. Doris seems to imply that Ted died a natural death, and she gave no impression that Ted had magical abilities. So its possible that Ted and Ambrosius are really two different people.

The only other theory I could think of is that Ted was the son of Ambrosius, perhaps by Martha. That would make him and Bax half-brothers. Ted is a big man, and sort of reminds me of Bold Berthold. Berthold was from Griffinsford, and Ted’s last name is Griffin. Did Zwart arrange for Ted to get sick then?

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The Sorcerer’s House: Letters 41-44

Letters 41-44: The Riverman, A Terrible Mistake, Final Report, Home!

Letter Summaries

Letter 41 is the climax of the SH, and is from Bax to George. The letter begins with Sentinel news stories about Lupine’s and Nicholas the Butler’s nocturnal activities.  Martha wants Bax to help her find Emlyn and Lupine and put an end to the attacks. Bax and Martha head out to the Skotos strip with Toby and Winker Inari.

They find Lupine and confront her.  They then remove her skin, and start to destroy it. However, Lupine summons werewolves, and a battle is joined.

The combat is temporarily interrupted by a phone call from Nicholas the Butler. Apparently he had been cornered by George, Doris (returned) and Madame Orizia, and forced to return to his trunk. Doris gave Nicholas her cell phone, to call Bax, as part of the deal.

Martha advises Bax on a spell, which he uses to summon the Riverman. The werewolves are defeated, and Lupine’s skin destroyed. Emlyn and Ieuan emerge from the woods and tend to Lupine.

Zwart finally reveals himself, bearing his golden staff  (a clue that he is Goldwurm). He acknowledges his “Old Nick” identity was a ruse, and welcomes Bax as a “brother sorcerer.” Martha asks to return to Faerie with Zwart, and he agrees. Zwart advises Emlyn on helping Lupine. Zwart prompts Bax about dealing with George, who he says has “no talent.”

In Letter 42, Doris writes to Bax. She apologizes for dumping him. Apparently she returned to Medicine Man during Bax’s confrontation with Lupine, and assisted George in confining Nicholas. She asks to renew the relationship, and describes another encounter with Ted’s ghost. Even though she is in town, Bax apparently never meets her.

Madame Orizia writes to Bax in Letter 43. She advises him on the disposal of the vampire Nicholas, and submits her final bill.

In Letter 44, “George” writes to Millie. He explains that Bax has gone to Faerie to live and won’t come back. George will manage Bax’s properties, after serving thirty days community service for striking Kate Finn. He proposes to take Millie on a long trip around the world, and that he will  be a better husband.

Goldwurm Revealed:  The gold headed staff was the final clue for me that Zwart Black is also Goldwurm the Warlock.  Remember, Zwart is also  associated with the Shamir worm of the King Solomon legend. So Zwart has both a “gold” and a “worm” attribute. He is the only character with these two associations. Thus it was Goldwurm/Zwart that murdered Ambrosius/Ted(?), his “friendly rival.”

Bax the Chivalrous: Bax is not a good man, but not a villain either.  He chooses an odd time to display chivalry when he drops his sword and gun and fights Lupine “hand-to-hand.”

George’s Letter: I think most readers realize that Bax is actually writing that last letter (44), and has assumed George’s identity. Bax serves the community service, and then assumes the identity of Millie’s husband for an undetermined period.  There are several clues, including his plans to read Victorian literature to children at the local library. Bax had a degree in 19th century literature.  He is also bringing the Fox Sword and Winker Inari along with him. The flowery language is also more consistent with Bax.

Bax and George:  My view is that George is dead. They had the duel, and Bax won either due to magic, cheating, or just from all his practice with the pistol. Bax may have had no intention to kill George, but may have killed him in self-defense when George decided to go through with the duel. George’s fate was foreshadowed by Kiki or Mary King, spiritual creatures who are omens of death.

Zwart wanted Bax and George to fight, and Zwart gets what he wants in the SH. This is a tragedy, remember.  Zwart is also a liar. George had “no talent”, and yet he was able to imprison a vampire, and somehow safely spent time in Faerie.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Zwart was separately talking with George and telling him that Bax had “no talent.”

Doris’ Change of Heart: As stated in the last post, Doris’ “Dear John” Letter and subsequent return seem very strange. Part of me wonders if Zwart used magic to make her leave the first time.

Ted’s Ghost: He appears for the third time in the story. Many things occur in threes in the SH. Doris thinks he is crying because he wanted her and Bax to “be together.” I am not so sure this is it. It may be more that Zwart’s plan has apparently succeeded (conning Martha and Bax).

Nina O’Brien: This is Martha’s best friend who had recently been killed by a hit and run driver. We never meet her in the story. I believe Zwart killed her, maybe by using the antique vehicle, his “hearse.”  Why?  Zwart is trying to get Martha back, and to do so is eliminating her reasons for staying in Medicine Man. Getting her sons to come to Faerie doesn’t hurt either. Nina’s death may have been signaled by Mary King, who was a ghostly figure and omen of death.

The Battle: I have a feeling the whole combat was almost a pantomine to allow Zwart to influence Bax and Martha.  Zwart knew Lupine, and in the note in the pistol box asked Bax to spare her. She is his ally. He was watching the combat from nearby, and likely would have intervened if Martha was near death. Perhaps the battle stirred Martha’s warm memories for the magic and excitement associated with Faerie, as Zwart intended.

“I spent about forty years here as a sorcerer’s wife“: Martha makes this statement before the battle. Martha is about 90 years old, like her sister. Though her appearance is only of a woman in her 40s or 50s maybe. This may refer to the duration of her marriage to Zwart, and that she got “divorced” around the time of Bax’s birth. This seems consistent with the suggested timeline.

Hardaway – Martha says “I know him. Watch out.” This is final confirmation that Hardaway is a bad guy, and has been Zwart’s agent all along. Hardaway denied knowing Martha to Doris earlier in the SH. Hardaway is probably the one who winds up managing the Skotos Strip and the Black House after Bax and George “disappear.” His cigar smoking may be intended to make us think of brimstone.

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The Sorcerer’s House, Letters 38-40

Letters 38-40: Manjushri, Be Cool, Dear John

Letter Summaries

Letter 38 is from Bax to Millie. He describes his longest visit to Faerie in the company of Winker. They encounter a number of samurai, who they bypass. They arrive at a shrine, and Bax encounters Manjushri, who advises him to seek out Kate Finn to help find George.

Kate and Bax have lunch, and he hires her to help him. They go back to the Black House, and she sees Goldwurm’s spire from a window. They then learn that George has been arrested for violating the terms of his bail.

Letter 39 is from Shell to Bax. Shell advises Bax on the coming duel.

In Letter 40, Doris writes to Bax. She says she is moving away, and breaking up with him.

Warlock – Bax says that this is a “criminal sorcerer,” someone whose word cannot be trusted. We learned earlier that Goldwurm was a warlock, and therefore GW is saying that Goldwurm/Zwart is not to be trusted.

Manjushri – This is a bodhisattva associated with wisdom. I have no idea if GW intends this to be the actual entity, or perhaps an impersonation by Zwart.

Musashi – Miyamato Musashi was a real samurai, and author of The Book of Five Rings. He was perhaps the greatest samurai who ever lived.

Dear John – The title of Doris’ letter.  A “Dear John” letter is slang for a letter a woman sends to a man she is breaking off a relationship with.

I found Doris’ departure a bit odd. Even if she didn’t want to continue the relationship, it seems strange that she would leave town, and her job.  She stood to make a fair amount off money of the Skotos strip deal. The letter is kind of nasty, even bringing up Bax’s criminal record and sexual prowess, which hadn’t bothered her before. Bax held onto the letter for years, perhaps showing that he harbored some affection for her after all.

Her prior conversation with Bax referenced her pressing Hardaway for the details of Skotos’ funeral. Did Hardaway scare her off? Or did the magic of the Triannulus wear off?

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The Sorcerer’s House: Letters 34-37

Letters 34-47:  Fox and Wolf, The Duelist, Wherever You Are, The Challenge

Letter Summaries

Letter 34 is from Bax to Millie.  He reveals his guess that Martha Murrey was at the funeral for Alexander Skotos, which Doris confirms. He then learns from Thelma Nabor that she was Martha Murra(e)y’s twin sister, and that Martha eloped at a young age

Bax then confronts Martha. She admits to being Thelma’s twin, and Bax,  George, Emlyn and Ieaun’s mother. He asks her to help with Emlyn and Lupine. He learns that it was Martha’s decision to give him the deed to the Black House, not Zwart’s. She admits to eloping to Faerie with Zwart, and describes what its like there. She thinks Zwart wants Bax and George to duel each other.

Letter 35 is to Shell from Bax. He has been practicing his shooting, apparently at a range too with Jim Hardaway. He admits that he will kill George in if he has to.

Letter 36 is from Bax to George. He describes a long conversation with Old Nick (Zwart) in which Zwart pretends that he/Old Nick was a creation of Zwart’s. He explains that he has been looking for him and Nicholas the Butler.

Letter 37 is from George to Bax. It is the only letter of his in the SH.  He claims to have visited Faerie in the company of a “wonderful girl”, and wants to rule it. He challenges Bax to a duel to the death using the pistols.

Zwart’s Plan: What exactly is Zwart’s purpose in the SH? Martha educates us. It is apparently Zwart’s desire to reclaim Martha. She says he keeps wanting her to come back to Faerie with him. This seems to be why he named Bax in his will, in order to eventually draw him to Medicine Man.

Additionally, I think he is still looking for Ambrosius’ source of magical power. Perhaps he thought Bax would find it somehow … or that the ring would find Bax.

Why does he want George and Bax to fight? Martha says he “has a thing about twins.”  They are not really any threat to him on Earth. Neither had any magical ability.   The “thing about twins” could be an in-joke by GW about himself.  In the Arthurian legend there is the story of Sir Balan and Sir Balin. They are brothers who accidentally kill each other.  GW used the legend in both Castleview and The Wizard Knight. I think its in play here.

Hardaway’s Game: Hardaway continues to lie. He tells Doris in Letter 34 that he barely knew the other two people at Skotos’ funeral. One was a little man he had never seen before. The other was some woman in the real estate business, but he didn’t remember Martha’s name. The little man is of course Zwart, who Hardaway bought the Skotos strip for. He is Black’s servant in all things. He helps Bax prepare for his duel with George by taking him out to the shooting range, in furtherance of Black’s plan. As I stated before, I see Hardaway as a corrupted Jim Hawkins in service to a Zwart/Long John Silver. Both figures have crutches, gold coins and pistols.

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The Sorcerer’s House: Shades of Black

This post is simply a summary of all things Black, one of GW’s most intriguing villains. His true name is not entirely clear. Below are some theories for GW’s intent with this character. Some are true, but probably not all:

• Goldwurm, Zwart Black, Alexander Skotos and Old Nick are the same person.
• Zwart means “black” in Dutch.
• Skotos is Greek, and means “darkness.” It also apparently has a secondary meaning for spiritual darkness, including ignorance of divine and mortal obligations. This fits Zwart, who doesn’t really care for his offspring at all.
• I think Zwart is an allusion to a number of characters. I have already talked about Long John Silver from Treasure Island. Both had crutches (Zwart in his Old Nick role), used pistols, had a friend named Jim, etc.
• I think the Alexander Skotos identity is also a historical allusion to Aleister Crowley, the  English occultist. “Aleister” is Scottish version of the name Alexander. Crowely sounds like crows, which are black. Crowley founded a religion called Thelema, and interestingly Martha’s sister is named “Thelma”. Perhaps another a clue pointing to the Crowley identity. Crowley fancied himself a magician.
• Zwart may have a Roman/Greek counterpart in Pluto/Hades.
  • Pluto was noted for having a bident, and Zwart has his forked staff.
  • Pluto/Hades had Cerberus, a dog, as their guardian. Zwart has Toby as his dog familiar.
  • Pluto/Hades was famous for kidnapping the goddess Persephone. Because she ate pomegranate seeds, she had to stay in the underworld for part of the year. Martha may represent Persephone, and her aged sister may be Persephone’s mother Demeter. Bax mows his and Thelma’s lawn, recalling the harvest that Demeter was the goddess of. Martha splits her time between Faerie and Earth, like Persephone splitting her time between Earth and Hades.
• I have said before that Zwart is related to the Asmodeus figure of the Bible and King Solomon legend. Asmodeus was described in various works of being a member of demonic royalty, and associated with the sin of lust. Asmodeus appeared in the Book of Tobit, and Zwart has a dog named Toby.
• I have stated that I think Zwart’s main objectives are to reclaim Martha and recover Ambrosius’ weapon of sorcery, which is the ring Bax finds in the fish. He doesn’t really care for his children, the inheritance he leaves to Bax is an elaborate ruse to stage a family reunion and get back Martha.

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The Sorcerer’s House: Letters 31-33

Letters 31-33: Get Out and Got Out, A Request, On the Home Front

Letter Summaries

In Letter 31, Bax describes to Millie his and Doris’ return to the Black House. This was prompted by Toby’s call that Cathy had gone missing. They explore its scary basement, and find that Cathy and Madame Orizia have been captured by Quorn. Cathy has been raped, and Orizia is fending him off. Bax dismisses Quorn through magic, apparently empowered by his ring (the Seal of Solomon could command demons).

Winker then appears, and presents Bax with the magical Fox Sword. They leave the house, and George appears. He opens the trunk from the car/hearse, and Nicholas the Butler jumps out. George chases Nicholas into the Black House.

Shell is writing to Bax in Letter 32. He says he is still trying to find out about Skotos, and gives Bax advice about the pistols.

Letter 33 is from Millie to Bax. She worries about his many women, and flirts by sending him a picture of her in a bathing suit.

Quorn: This is the dwarf that Ieaun had chained earlier, and that Bax saw dancing on the lawn.  Bax references the Charles Dickens novel The Old Curiosity Shop by referring to Quorn as “Quilp.” Daniel Quilp was the dwarf villain in that book, and menaced the female heroine.

Quorn is a servant of Zwart Black.  Zwart, in his role as Old Nick, allowed Cathy and Madame Orizia to encounter Quorn so that they could be eliminated/punished. Cathy for taking Zwart’s note and threatening Bax with negative publicity. Madame Orizia as she was a potential threat to Zwart’s plans. Cathy does not reappear in the story. Madame Orizia is not scared off however.

Quorn refers to himself as “Ironskin.”  In part, the SH is reenactment of some of the adventures of Sir Gareth from Arthurian legend. Gareth is one of the four sons of Queen Morgause, and I have proposed that the SH is the retelling in part, of T.H. White’s The Queen of Air and Darkness. Morgause and her four sons were the main characters in that story. Martha Murrey is Morgause, and both were fascinated by magic. George is loosely based on the violent, emotionally unstable Agravaine of that novel.

Gareth’s nickname in one Arthurian story was “Beaumains”, meaning “good hands.” Bax is ambidextrous, and can write with both hands. The encounter with Quorn reminds me of Gareth’s confrontation with the Red Knight, also called Sir Ironside. According to Wikipedia, Sir Gareth rescued a princess from the “cruel and sadistic” Red Knight. This sounds like Quorn.

The name also is close to “Quern-stone”, which is a tool for grinding grain into flour.  As I said in prior posts, I think GW is deliberately providing clues to the mythology of the world mill, and the Sampo, throughout the SH.

Nicholas the Butler: Apparently a vampire. He reminds me of Uriah Heep from David Copperfield. Heep was described as a “cadaverous” man who dressed in black, like Nicholas. I think the association is deliberate. Bax also says his eyes “flamed.” The Jabberwock, a Lewis Carroll creation in his poem “Jabberwocky“, had “eyes of flame.”

Madame Orizia:  Orizia is derived from Orithyia the name of several figures of Greek legend.   In one, Orithyia is abducted and raped by Boreas, the north wind.  Another Orithyia with this name was an Amazon leader who fought against the Greeks. She seems a tough customer, so perhaps GW is alluding to both legendary figures.

Pogach, her real name, may derive from Pogaca. This is apparently a bread or pastry that can be found in Croatia, Romania, etc. It derives from the Latin for panis focacius, or bread that is baked on a fireplace.

“As if I would not know that I had to buy a ticket” – Millie references an old joke about blondes in Letter 33. A blond woman keeps praying to God to let her win the lottery. Finally God speaks up and tells the blond to meet Him halfway by actually buying a lottery ticket in the first place.

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