Knight Notes: The Wizard, Chapters 24-26

This post covers events from after the Battle of Utgard through the death of Setr.  Much of what happens in these chapters is addressed in other posts, so this will be a short entry.

Chapters 24-26: A Ride After Supper, Lost, Sea Dragons

Chapter Summaries

Able and company depart Utgard in Chapter 24, trying to put distance between themselves and the giants. We learn why the giants are called “frost.”  Idnn and Able dine, converse,  and go for a ride on Cloud. In Chapter 25, a fog descends over the camp site.  Able and Svon reminisce. Org reappears. Toug and others get separated, and Able goes to find them. In 26, Uri takes Able to meet Setr. They talk about what has happened. Able fulfills his promise to fight Kulili. He yields to her, and Toug and company are rescued. Setr fights Svon and Garvaon. Vil kills Setr, and Garvaon dies.

Able and Idnn

Idnn asks Able’s advice about the Angrborn women. Hela has offered to summon them to aid the party in getting home. Idnn is still Queen of Jotunhome (where the female giants live).  Able shares his experiences with the Giants of Winter and Old Night. The giants are from the cold, dark regions of Skai, which explains why they have large pupils and are susceptible to heat.

Fee-Fie-Fo-Fum

Able and Idnn talk about the hard bread they bought in Utgard. Idnn shares how Gilling told her they particularly enjoyed chewing the bones in the bread.  This is another playful allusion to some famous lines from Jack and the Beanstalk.

Christian Allegory

• Wistan asking Org whether he killed Gilling is an allusion to John asking Jesus who would betray him.
• Toug and others getting lost in the fog is the Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Death of Setr

Its been said in other posts, but to recap, the death of Setr is an allusion to:

• Theseus slaying the Minotaur. The fog is the maze, and the bowstring is Ariadne’s thread
• Jason and Medea killing Talos. The pitch coming out of Setr is like the ichor from Talos
• The suicide of Judas Iscariot.
• The fight between Sir Balin and Sir Balan. Setr and Garvaon both die.
• I did not cover it in the Heracles post, but it may also be an allusion to Heracles slaying Antaeus the giant. Antaeus was strangled/crushed by Heracles’s arms/hands, like Setr was seemingly crushed by a chain of arms.

Kulili

Will be a separate post.

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Knight Notes: The Wizard, Chapters 22-23

This post covers the Room of Lost Loves through the battle of Utgard

Chapters 22 and 23: Lost Loves, The Battle of Utgard

Chapter Summaries

In Chapter 22, Able and Lynnet (and Mani) enter the Room of Lost Loves. They arrive at a version of Goldenlawn before it was destroyed, and Lynnet sees her family. Able meets Mani in a grotto, of which he will not speak. Able then emerges by the sea, and sees Parka again. He swims out to the Isle of Glas, and meets Mag, who tells her story.  Able leaves the Room, and then talks with Vil, Uri and Mani.

In Chapter 23, the conversation with Vil, Uri and Mani continues. The embassy meets with King Schildstarr, and make ready to leave. Gifts are given, but the giants intend an ambush.  Beel’s embassy is attacked as it leaves, but the ambush is spoiled by the arrival of Duke Marder’s group coming up from the south. The giants are defeated.

The Room of Lost Loves

The name of the room is an allusion to the “Inn of Lost Loves” from The Book of the New Sun. Severian finds his father, Ouen, there.  Able meets Mag, who is at least the “Real Able’s” mother, in the Room of Lost Loves.

The Room as the River Eunoe

Dante’s Divine Comedy is one of the books that is repeatedly referenced in the WK.  One way may be with the Room.  The Room restores memories of lost love. In the Comedy, souls that reach the top level of Purgatory drink from the River Eunoe, which restores memory of good deeds that happened in their lives.  In another chapter, Able talks of how the Valfather’s mead causes those in Skai to forget much of their lives, which sounds like the River Lethe of Greek myth and the Comedy.

Why Did Thiazi Build the Room?

Thiazi says that the Angrborn love, though they are not loved.  Gilling loved Idnn. They have a need that is not being met.  So Thiazi builds the Room so they can experience it. Its in his study though, which no giant enters without invitation.

I think its use must “humanize” them to some extent. Thiazi is the most “human” of all the giants we meet. He is reasonable, restrained, the most well spoken, and by his own claim not cruel for cruelty’s sake.  He probably has used it the most. I suspect Gilling has used the room as well. He is less human than Thiazi, but more human than the rank and file Angrborn. He has a sense of humor, is capable of negotiation, and has genuine affection for Idnn.

I wonder if the Room is GW’s vision of a really good VR simulation system, something that may be available before too long to humanity.  Will our descendants have their own “Rooms of Lost Love” where they can obtain the love they don’t find in their real lives?

Mag

We learn Mag’s story: the birth of Able, how she was kidnapped by a dragon, and then taken to the Isle of Glas. She and other women on the Isle were used to lure sailors there to feed at least one dragon, Setr. Thinking on this some more, I am satisfied that it was Garsceg who came to Griffinsford. Mag says she “believed” it was Grengarm. However, the old man persona used by the dragon persuades me that it was Garsceg. Ulfa offers thanks to Garsceg in an early scene in The Knight, and Glennidam was a nearby village.

The persecution of Griffinsford may have been part of Garsceg/Setr’s plan to take over Mythgarthr. I have another theory for why Griffinsford was singled out for persecution, which involves Arnthor and his ability to see the future. It’s another allusion to The Once And Future King, and I will detail it later. Glennidam surrendered to Garsceg rather than suffer Griffinsford’s fate.

I have not talked about Black Berthold much, but I think he is modeled on Saint Joseph.  Black Berthold does not appear at all in the events of the WK.  This is similar to Joseph, who apparently had died by the time Jesus began his public ministry.  Ben and Art’s father on Earth ran a hardware store, so Berthold and Able’s father may have been a carpenter, like Joseph.

The Real Able visited Mag on the Isle at some point, but she couldn’t escape with him. It’s not clear why.  She then committed suicide with Setr’s poison. She leaves a message for Able in a glass tube on the island. Able found her bones, the cup, and the tube on his prior visit to the Isle of Glas. Her delivery of Able was very difficult, which is similar to the birth of Heracles.

Able mentions in this chapter that he eventually went back to the Isle after the events of the WK and buried her remains, and raised a monument. Its an interesting remark because it shows that Able did not stay in Aelfrice 100% of the time after the end of the WK.

Was Mag  both the Real Able and Art’s mother?  I think they are two different women.  Mag speaks through Lynnet to Able before the River Battle. She says she knows that Art/Able is not her son.  On a different night, Lynnet comes to Able, and a woman speaks through her, telling him of “her girlhood in America.” I think that two different women’s spirits came into Lynnet.  But I am not positive. I should say that I think the two spirits in Lynnet are more like living memories than conscious entities.

As an aside, I note that there are a large number of characters with the name Mag or one its variations (e.g. Margaret, Maggie, Maisie, Gretchen, etc.) in the GW bibliography (novels and short stories). Anyone have a theory? The name means “pearl.”

Lynnet and Goldenlawn/The Gorgon

As discussed in other posts, Goldenlawn is an allusion to the Golden Fleece. Lynnet’s improvement after entering the room is also related to slaying of the Gorgon by Perseus. Able plays the role of both Jason and Perseus.

The Legend of Oedipus

The story of Oedipus was referenced in Able’s encounter with Michael. It is again in these chapters. Able meets Mag, the Real Able’s mother, in the Room of Lost Loves. Her spirit then enters into Lynnet.  Uri half-seriously proposes that Able could marry Lynnet, calling to mind Oedipus marrying his mother Jocasta by mistake.  Vil himself may be a reference of sorts to Oedipus. Oedipus blinded himself after he slept with Jocasta and had offspring. Vil slept with Lynnet and produced Etela.  Etela may be a version of Antigone, the beloved daughter that accompanies the blinded Oedipus into exile. I think Vil was blinded by the giants though, not for sleeping with Lynnet.

The Grotto

Able sees dead people here, but will not speak of it. Perhaps an allusion to the underworld of Greek myth sometimes visited by heroes. Not a nice place.

Mani

Mani learns he is a fusion of a cat and an elemental. He misses the lives of the two entities that he is made of, that’s his lost love. He later learns that when the cat dies, the elemental will continue on, but that “Mani” will cease to be.

The Grail

Able, as Galahad, achieves the Grail by entering the Room of Lost Loves. I am going to save what the Grail is for a future post.

The Battle of Utgard

The giants disguising themselves as rocks are an allusion to the dangerous rocks or sea monsters encountered at sea by Jason and other Greek heroes in their adventures. It even sounds a bit like the ambush Theseus survived when departing Athens.

Broken Pottery

Hela shows the group some broken pottery.  Heimir says it reminds him of Idnn. This is additional confirmation of Idnn’s counterpart in Mary of Bethany. In the Gospel of Mark, Mary of Bethany breaks an alabaster jar and pours the perfumed oil on Jesus.

Hiding The Coin

The lengthy scene of Vil hiding and finding the coin is an acting out of the Parable Of the Lost Coin. All the parables of the Gospels are acted out in one way or another in the WK.

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Knight Notes: The Quest for the Golden Fleece

Lord Beel’s Embassy to Utgard is an allusion to various adventures and quests of legend. The three primary references are Jason and the Golden Fleece, the Quest for the Holy Grail, and the Tale of Culhwch and Olwen.  I have discussed each at various times in other posts, but the Grail and the Fleece deserve their own posts.

This entry is about the Golden Fleece. After I review this and the Grail Quest, I am going to answer the riddle of what the Holy Grail and the Golden Fleece  are supposed to represent in the WK.

The main points of the Fleece legend are as follows:

• King Pelias tasks Jason with finding the Golden Fleece as a condition of gaining the throne.
• Jason sets out with his Argonauts, a group of famous heroes that included Heracles, on a boat (the Argo) to find the Golden Fleece, which was in a far away land called Colchis.
• The Fleece was allegedly the skin of a magical ram.
• After some battles along the way, they arrive in Colchis
• King Aeetes was the ruler of Colchis. He had a sorceress daughter named Medea.
• The Fleece was guarded by a dragon. Aeetes agreed to give Jason the Fleece if he accomplished a series of difficult tasks, which discouraged him
• Jason was helped by Medea, and he won the Fleece.
• Jason and Medea were pursued by Aeetes on the return trip, but escaped.

The WK alludes to the Golden Fleece legend in the following way:

• The separate home for the Angrborn women is a reference to the Isle of Lemnos, which was inhabited by man hating Amazons in the Fleece story
• The fights with the Mice and Gilling’s borderers are allusions to the fights the Argonauts had on the way to Colchis. In one battle, a group of six armed giants attacked their camp.  This sounds like the attack on the Lord Beel’s camp during the séance.
• Heracles departs before the arrival at Colchis, like Able leaves to take his stand in the pass.
• Its Toug and Svon who largely play the role of Jason at Utgard/Colchis
• Medea is played by Etela and Baki, who help Toug and Svon
• Lord Beel is sort of like Aeetes, given Toug and Svon a series of difficult assignments.
• Jason’s discouragement is represented by Toug’s moments of despair and depression after seeing combat.
• The three tasks of Jason/Toug/Svon are:
  • The plowing the field with the fire breathing oxen is the visit to the forge and fight with Logi. The magic potion Medea makes to help Jason is Baki’s blood potion that Toug gives to Svon to heal him.
  • The “dragons teeth” is the divide and conquer strategy used against the frost giants, particularly in the fight in the market that Toug and Svon are wounded in.
  • The Golden Fleece is the entry to the Room of Lost Loves. Lynnet’s return to “Goldenlawn”, and the resulting effect, is the attainment of the Fleece.
• Thiazi may play the role of the dragon guarding the Fleece.  The dragon was put to sleep by Medea, and Etela’s questioning of Thiazi (he sat down in response) may be an allusion to her sleeping potion.
• The giants pursue Toug and others on their flight from Utgard/Colchis, like Aeetes does. The giants disguising themselves as big rocks outside Utgard is an allusion to the Symplegades, Planctae or the Siren rocks.
• The defeat of Setr is the Argonauts fight with Talos. Medea helped slay Talos, and Etela helped by telling Vil what was happening.
• Setr’s blood being described as “pitch” is like the ichor that came out of Talos.

Jason and Medea of course came to a bad end. Hopefully Toug and Etela turned out better!

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Knight Notes: The Knight, Chapters 48-54

This section covers Able’s meeting with Lord Beel through his learning Idnn’s role in the embassy to Utgard.

Chapters 48-54: Too Much Honor, The Sons of the Angrborn, Who Told My Daughter?, Archery, To Pouk, Boons, Idnn

Chapter Summaries

Able is introduced to the suspicious Lord Beel in Chapter 48, and is recruited to his mission.  The embassy is attacked by the Mice in Chapter 49, and Able leads the defense. In Chapter 50, Lord Beel becomes even more suspicious of Able. Garvaon and Able compete in an archery contest in Chapter 51, which Able wins.  Able then sends Gylf to hunt for Pouk in the next chapter. Able claims a boon from Garvaon in Chapter 53, and the readers learn Idnn’s role in the embassy in Chapter 54.

Lord Beel

Lord Beel is the grandson of King Pholsung, and a cousin of King Arnthor. His unnamed father, “a Prince”, was the younger brother of King Uthor.  He has ably served in a number of government positions in Celidon, and has been entrusted with a mission to Utgard:  Get the Angrborn to back off long enough so that Arnthor can turn his attentions to the Osterlings.  A mule train with gifts for King Gilling is under his control.

Beel’s origins had me pretty well stumped for a while, but that is because he is a composite of multiple figures from mythology and the Bible. Able makes a point to emphasize how short Beel is.  This leads me to believe that his Biblical counterpart is Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus was so short he climbed a tree to see Jesus.  A supporting piece of evidence is that Beel mentions that he was Celidon’s First Lord of the Exchequer for seven years. An exchequer was a British position responsible for tax collection. Interestingly, Zacchaeus was also a tax collector.  Able and Beel dine together several times, as Jesus did with Zacchaeus.

I think Beel is also based on King Hoel of Cornouaille of Arthurian legend. King Hoel was a cousin/ally of King Arthur. The name Cornouaille may be related to Cornwall, which can mean “headland.” A headland is a geographic feature, which may include a sea cliff, like Beel’s “Coldcliff” origin. See the picture at the link for headland.  King Hoel had a daughter known as Iseault of the White Hands, and I believe that Idnn is an allusion to the Iseault of legend. There is also a story by Geoffrey of Monmouth where Hoel’s realm is menaced by a giant that kidnaps his niece. Arthur tracks and slays the giant. This tale is also included in Thomas Malory’s compilation of Arthurian stories.  Beel could also be based on the Duke of the Jack the Giant Killer tale.

Finally, Beel is based on King Aeetes of Colchis, of the Golden Fleece story.  Beel gives Toug and others a number of difficult tasks in Utgard,  like Aeetes gave Jason as a condition for getting the Fleece. Aeetes also had a devoted daughter named Chalchiope, as Beel had with Idnn. More on the Fleece in a future post.

Christian Allegory: The Questioning of Jesus by Pilate

Beel’s lengthy interrogation of Able in his tent is an allusion of Pilate’s questioning of Jesus.  Beel is particularly concerned with Able’s status, whether he is noble or of gentle birth.  Beel asks if Able thinks himself invincible, and Able has says he never said it, or says other people have said it. This calls to mind Pilate asking Jesus whether he was King of the Jews, and Jesus saying that it was Pilate or others who said so. Beel ultimately allows Able to sit down, satisfied he is of peasant origin. This is like Pilate initially finding no fault with Jesus, and considering his release. I am not suggesting Beel is supposed to be Pilate, Lord Thunrolf largely plays that role.

Christian Allegory: The Crown of Thorns and Jesus’ Death

The gold helmet that Able wins from the archery contest is an allusion to the Crown of Thorns.  Able splits the rock behind the target, an allusion to the reported splitting of rocks after Christ died in the Gospel of Matthew. Able then causes a landslide with his next shot, which is a reference to an earthquake that occurred after Jesus died, also in Matthew.

Able feels bad and goes to sleep in a crevice in a rock, an allusion to Jesus being in the tomb. He returns and the gold helmet is on his bed. It fits like it was made for him.

Idnn

As Michael Andre-Driussi (MAD) notes in his The Wizard Knight Companion (WKC), Idnn is based on the goddess Idunn of Norse mythology.  She is also the counterpart to a number of “captive princesses” of legend, which has been described as the “princess and the dragon” motif. In particular, Olwen of the Culhwch and Olwen tale, and Iseault of the Tristan story. She may also have a counterpart in Greek Mythology. The mission to Utgard is partly based on the Jason and the Argonaut legend. Atalanta is the only female argonaut. Atalanta was a huntress, and Idnn was skilled with a bow.  Idnn’s argumentative ride with Able calls to mind Atalanta’s footrace with Hippomenes.

Idnn is also based on the Duke’s daughter from the Jack the Giant Killer tale. Able describes Idnn as “doe eyed”, and the Duke’s daughter had been turned into a deer by the giant’s sorcerer (a role Thiazi is playing).

She is also a personification of the self-playing magic harp from the Jack and the Beanstalk tale.  Able describes her voice “as a guitar that some girl playing alone in a garden at night” and “acoustic guitar” in Chapter 48 of The Knight. Idnn the magic harp is one of the three Beanstalk treasures rescued from the giant’s castle. Again, I subscribe to John Clute’s observation that GW does not use words inadvertently. She will not be the last character in the WK to personify an object of legend.

Arabian Nights

During their ride together, Idnn tells Able she has thought up “about a thousand” stories to take her mind off her coming betrothal to King Gilling. Mani brokers a deal to delay Able from sending Idnn back to her minders. GW is alluding to the Arabian Nights (also known as One Thousand and One Nights) in this scene. Idnn and Mani play the part of Scheherazade and her sister, and Able is the Persian king. In Arabian Nights, a new bride told a new story to her King and husband every night to delay her execution. Idnn makes up a story about her, Mani and Able on the spot.

Sir Garvaon

Garvaon is another WK character with a very a complicated background.  As I noted in my prior posts on name origins, he is loosely based on a variety of characters from literature and mythology, including Culhwch and Theseus’s friend Pirithous. Culhwch dealt the death blow to a giant king, like Garvaon killed Gilling.

The archery contest between Garvaon and Able is partly based on the Theseus story.  Pirithous had heard of Theseus’s reputation, and challenged him.  They decided not to kill each other, and instead became friends. Similarly Able and Garvaon exchange boons after the archery competition. Able and Garvaon fighting off the Mice in Chapter 49  seems to be a based on the Theseus and Pirithous story.

Garvaon has some Biblical counterparts, but I am a bit torn on these.  At a minimum, he represents Lazarus.  Lazarus died, but was then resurrected by Jesus.  Jesus was somewhat chided by Martha in the Bible for taking so long to come to Lazarus’ aid when he was sick.  Similarly, Able stays on the sideline during the fight with Setr, and feels the need to explain his inaction later.

Another connection is to Judas Iscariot.  Judas was a betrayer, and the only one of the 12 Apostles to die in the Gospels.  Garvaon is the only member of the Utgard expedition to die in the WK.

I have already linked Garsceg with Judas, but I think this may be an example of two characters in the WK alluding to the same person.  What is Garvaons’s betrayal? It is the slaying of King Gilling, which was a betrayal of sorts of Beel’s embassy and Queen Idnn of Jotunland.  If Garvaon is Judas, he is an alternative history Judas who repented and was forgiven, rather than one who committed suicide.  Able judges the slaying of Gilling “no crime.” Garvaon’s manor is also called Finefield, and Judas was reputedly buried in a “Potter’s Field.”  Again, this is one of the links I am less confident about.  Garvaon may purely be a Lazarus reference.

Garvaon is also playing the role of Sir Balin of Arthurian legend, which is explained in some other posts.

Robin Hood elements

(The Robin Hood elements are a late addition to this series, and often don’t flow well with the rest of the posts).

The archery contest here and in Kingsdoom are also allusions to the Robin Hood legend.  In particular, the competition for the Gold Helmet recalls the story of Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow.  Robin participates in a number of archery contests in various Child Ballads or more recent retellings of the Robin Hood story, which he usually wins.

Sir Garvaon is probably the WK’s version (a more benign one) of Sir Guy of Gisbourne. Robin and Guy participate in an archery contest in one Child Ballad, like the contest here.  They are romantic rivals for Marian in some stories, and Garvaon assumes Able is a rival for Idnn’s hand. Guy is killed in most versions of the legend, as Garvaon dies in the WK.  Robin has a violent dream about Guy of Gisborne in the Child Ballad, and Able dreams about Garvaon’s death.

The Embassy to Utgard

When I was well into The Wizard, I grew somewhat frustrated that the Utgard section took up so much space. I wanted Able to get to Kingsdoom to deliver the message.  However,  the visit to Utgard is the main adventure in the WK, other than Able trying to win Disiri.  Tor’s decision to break the WK into two books sort of obscures this fact.

GW based the visit to Utgard on many of the great quests of legend, including the Tale of Culhwch and Olwen, the Quest for the Holy Grail, and Jason and the Argonauts’ Quest for the Golden Fleece. I will do separate entries on those quests in other posts.

“Too Much Honor”

The title of Chapter 48 of The Knight is a reference to Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter, which included a chapter titled “Too Much Magic.”

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Knight Notes: So What’s It All About?

In previous posts I’ve identified influences in the WK and some of the themes GW explores.  But what’s the overall purpose?  The WK can be read in various ways, and in varying depths:

• Its a boy meets girl, boy loses girls, boy gets girl back narrative. Able’s pursuit of Disiri is the central thread of the story.
• Its Joseph Campbell “hero’s journey.” Able is a representation of the “Hero with a Thousand Faces“, and this is GW’s version of the mono myth.
• Its GW’s tribute/acknowledgement/homage to some of his and our culture’s prominent literary and cultural influences: Lord Dunsany, Sir Walter Scott, George MacDonald, T.H. White, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Tennyson, Edmund Spenser, Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant comic strip, movies about King Arthur, etc.
• Not only is it his version of the monomyth, but GW also weaves into the WK the actual stories of famous heroes, including Lancelot, Heracles, Odysseus, Theseus, Beowulf, Perseus, Bellerophon, Cadmus, Oedipus, Orpheus, Jack the Giant Killer, Robin Hood, and maybe others.  The name of the world Able visits, Mythgarthr, could arguably be translated as “Myth World”, or a land inhabited by living myths.
• At a deeper level, the WK is a Christian allegory, somewhat like Pilgrim’s Progress, the Divine Comedy or C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. Able is a distant echo of Christ who undergoes a process of theosis and serves as an agent of a higher power to set right a broken world. GW uses Greek, Norse and other mythologies, and Arthurian legends, to code the elements of the allegory into his tale.  The events Able experiences and people he meets match up with the events and people from the story of Jesus in the Gospels and other books the New Testament. Please note that the allusions to events in the New Testament in the WK don’t happen in the same chronological order that they do in the Gospel stories.
• At its most mystic level, the WK is a parable of Men and Women, our mutual estrangement, and the hope of reconciliation.  GW alludes to and uses the Divine Comedy, Greek mythology, the Kabbalah, and color symbolism in communicating this theme.
• Finally, there are faint traces of GW’s biography in the WK.  The War with Osterland is partly based on the Korean War, similar to what he did with The Book of the New Sun.

All of the above are true, but the story can be enjoyed by a reader who only perceives the first few levels. Its the “rereading with pleasure” that allowed me to discover the remaining themes.

This is an incredibly dense book, with each character representing mulitple allusions to folklore, mythology and literature.  I don’t expect a reader to agree with everything I propose. But I would encourage a new or young reader of GW to hold the image of a layer cake in their mind when reading his books. There are usually multiple stories or narratives stacked on top of each other, like the different levels of a layer cake.  If you find yourself strongly disagreeing with another reader’s theory of a GW book, consider the possibility that you are both right.

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