Knight Notes: Sword Breaker

What I am going to propose in this post is probably wrong, but its an interesting line of inquiry.

There is a slight Asian current in the WK which Michael Andre-Driussi identified in his Wizard Knight Companion. One, Master Tung, and his “lily blooming in a fire” advice, is based on Tung-Shan, a founder of a sect of Buddhism.  The Lothurlings are based on a Chinese type culture, and Sword Breaker is based on a Chinese weapon called a “Tau-Kien.”

There may be at least one more Asian element in the WK:

• The armory where Able gets Sword Breaker is owned by Master Mori.
• MAD identified Mori as being short for Morholt.
• However, this may be another example of GW using partial and reverse anagrams/homophones to conceal an identity
• Master Mori may be a reference to Muramasa (“Morimaster” sounds like Muramasa), the famed Japanese swordsmith
• Muramasa was noted for creating high quality blades that were cursed or “bloodthirsty.”

I have a theory that Sword Breaker may represent a form of magical, cursed or bloodthirsty weapon in the tradition of Muramasa:

• Able becomes very aggressive after boarding the Western Trader. Maybe it was just the sea sickness, but….
• Able leaps from the stern castle to engage the Osterling pirates, somewhat to his own surprise. He doesn’t want to write about it to Ben.
• Able “accidentally” kills the captain of the Western Trader with Sword Breaker after he had disarmed him.
• Able gives Sword Breaker to Toug at the end of The Knight. For a teenage boy with no combat training or experience whatsoever, Toug becomes surprisingly aggressive and competent after he gets it.
  • He knocks Svon off his horse at the beginning of The Wizard.
  • He charges and fights the borderers outside Utgard
  • He charges into the melee in Gilling’s hall to help Svon, using Sword Breaker.
  • He fights bravely in two errands outside Gilling’s castle, killing several giants. He did not kill the first two with Sword Breaker, but did use Sword Breaker in the market fight.
  • He single handedly defends Etela, Vil and Lynnet against monsters on the Isle of Glas during the “Lost” chapter while using Sword Breaker.
  • Remember how easily Able (as a boy) disarmed Toug and Ve outside Irringsmouth in Chapter 2 of The Knight? Toug is maybe a year older in The Wizard than he was then. He’s spent most of the intervening time in Aelfrice.  So Toug’s gone from being beaten up by a boy to slaying giants in about a year.
• Perhaps we are to suspend disbelief and accept that Toug underwent this miraculous transformation. But maybe something else is involved.
• Toug the killing machine reminds me a little of “General” Mint with her Azoth, transformed into a warrior due to her possession by one of the gods of the Long Sun Whorl.
• Perhaps the most famous cursed weapon of contemporary literature is the sword of Michael Moorcock’s Elric, which is known as “Stormbringer.”  Stormbringer transformed the relatively weak and scrawny Elric into a whirlwind of destruction. It could cut through almost anything, and Sword Breaker can break swords.
• Is Sword Breaker an allusion to Stormbringer? I have suggested some possible ones to Moorcock’s work already in the WK. Perhaps this is another.

The Old Caan’s sword Able uses and later gives to Arnthor has some cursed blade type qualities. It is a bloodthirsty weapon. Perhaps another example of a clue to look elsewhere in the WK for something similar.

P.S. Is the axe like Sword Breaker also an allusion to the axe from Jack and the Beanstalk? Toug and Able, as Jack, repeatedly used it to chop the mice and giants in various battles.

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Knight Notes: The Knight, Chapters 68-69

This post covers the conclusion of The Knight.

Chapters 68-69: In the Grotto of the Griffin, Grengarm

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 68 begins with Able and Toug back in Mythgarthr, apparently at the headwaters of the Griffin. They find a cave leading to the lair of Grengarm. A Griffin is present, and says the cave was his former home. Able enters alone, falls into a well, and must discard his boots and armor. He finds a grotto and altar with Aelf runes, and realizes he can speak the language.  He dives back into the well to recover his boots, and descends into Aelfrice again. He comes up with the sword Eterne and a new suit of armor.  He puts on the new armor, and examines the sword. As he does, Grengarm emerges in the grotto.  A procession of Sea Aelf, including Uri, arrives carrying a drugged Morcaine. Morcaine is placed on the altar as an intended sacrifice.  Grengarm approaches, and Able draws Eterne, which summons one of the phantom knights of the sword.  The knight challenges Grengarm.

In Chapter 69, Grengarm dismisses the phantom knight as no threat. However, Able reveals himself and the battle is joined. The Knights of the Sword slay the Sea Aelf, and Able wounds Grengarm. Grengarm transforms into a dwarf and flees back down the well.  Able assists Morcaine, who thanks him and disappears. Able leaves the Grotto, and encounters the Griffin. Toug is also there, and can now speak since Able has recovered Eterne. They mount the Griffin in pursuit of Grengarm.  Able wounds him with a few arrows. Toug agrees to paint the Griffin on his shield at Able’s request.  Grengarm swims under the sea for a while, and after apparently hours of pursuit rises to engage. The Valfather’s Castle is near, and its inhabitants cheer him on. Able leaps onto Grengarm’s back and deals a death blow with Eterne.  Grengarm opens his his mouth wide, and Able sees something in his mouth.

As Able falls to the sea, he is caught by Alvit the Valkyrie. She kisses him, and bears him up to the Valfather’s castle in Skai. Able was apparently mortally wounded in the fight, and this is why the Valkyries came for him.

The Griffin

The Griffin claims to be the former occupant of the Grotto.  Its the only one we meet in the WK.  Its not clear whether Griffins were native to Mythgarthr, like Org the Ogre, or if it is supposed to be a supernatural emissary from Skai or a higher world (e.g. like Michael or Gylf).  The Griffin apparently survived the battle, as Toug was safely returned to earth.  The Griffin is white colored, like Cloud and Michael, suggesting he is a force for good. Griffins were often servants of the gods in mythology.

Greek Mythological Counterparts

In the post on Heracles, I stated that the slaying of Grengarm is the WK’s version of the slaying of the Lernaen Hydra.

Eterne and Moorcock?

In the prior chapter review, I suggested that the WK may be acknowledging the influence of Moorcock’s “Eternal Champion” sequence of books. The sword’s name may be another example of this.  Eterne appears to be a black blade, like Elric’s Stormbringer (but the blade in The King of Elfland’s Daughter was also black).  Able thinks he sees writing on the sword, and the sword in The King of Elfland’s Daughter and Golden City Far also had runes. Eterne also summons the spirits of knights who bore her unworthily, and they will fight for the sword bearer.  This reminded me of Moorcock’s “Corum” books.  In those stories, Prince Corum is an incarnation of the Eternal Champion. He acquires a magical eye and a silver hand which replace ones he has lost.   Corum can use the Hand of Kwll to summon the spirits of those he killed to fight for him. Possibily just a coincidence, or both Moorcock and GW are alluding to a shared source.

Able’s Golden Mail

I have had a hard time identifying the literary or mythological source for Able’s new mail armor. He says every fifth link is of gold. Its not magical, but the wearer is “blessed.”   My initial hunch was that the armor he finds in the well is the WK’s “Golden Fleece.”  The Fleece was found in a special grove, and the armor is found in a “grotto.”  The last wearer of the armor was Sir Skol, and Skol sounds a bit like “Colchis”, where the Fleece was located.

However, I now doubt this link.  I believe it could be related to Beowulf’s armor, which may be described as golden in color. MAD has suggested that this is the source.  The armor protected him in his underwater fight with Grendel’s mother.    Wayland the Smith made this armor. Another alternative is from the Norse story of Sigurd and Fafnir.  Sigurd slays the dragon Fafnir, and one of his treasures is a suit of golden armor.

Beowulf

I have not posted about the Beowulf story, but the WK may also be alluding to this legend.  In the story, Beowulf wounds Grendel, a monster that was menacing a Norse kingdom. He then must travel to an underwater lair to finish the job.  Grendel is dead, but Beowulf is attacked by Grendel’s mother.  Beowulf finds a magic sword with which he kills the mother.   Beowulf is protected by magical armor during this fight, sort of like the armor Able finds in the well. Similarly, Able fights a “Gren’ creature with a magic sword in an underground lair. Beowulf is later slain by a dragon in another adventure, and Able dies due to wounds from Grengarm.

Grengarm

The Grengarm name, which is made up for the WK, may derive from Grendel. Michael Andre-Driussi suggested this in his WKC, and I agree. I also agree with his view that it also derives from Garmr, a monster of Norse legend. Grengarm is a dragon from Muspel.  He apparently was actively working to take over Aelfrice and/or Mythgarthr. He took a Lothurling queen as a bride, leading to the half-dragon race of Lothurlings we meet at the end of The Wizard. The Lothurlings talk of a “speaking table” which apparently allows Grengarm to give instructions for further conquest. He received sacrifices at the Mountain of Fire.

The Overcyn Lothur and Grengarm may have a connection of sorts. Given that they both have a tie to the Lothurlings, perhaps Grengarm is Muspel’s version of Lothur. Morcaine says that if Grengarm had eaten her, he would be as strong in Aelfrice as he was in Muspel. He would be able to move and fight in daylight at full strength, which lower creatures ordinarily could not do.

Morcaine

Morcaine is, in part, based on Morgan Le Fey of Arthurian legend, who was Arthur’s half-sister and could do magic. In the WK, Morcaine is Arnthor’s sister, and a sorceress. She is also Hellawess in her pursuit of Able/Lancelot.

I think she is also an allusion to the “woman taken in sin” in the Gospel.  This woman was to be stoned for adultery, but Jesus saves her.  In the WK, Morcaine was to be sacrificed to Grengarm, but Able saves her.  Morcaine, like this woman, also seems to have issues with sexuality, and repeatedly propositions Able in the WK.  One of the images from this scene in the Gospels is Jesus appearing to write something in the dirt with his fingers. Similarly, Able traces the Aelf letters he finds with his fingers in the Grotto of Grengarm.

For a long time the sinful woman and Mary Magdalene and/or Mary of Bethany were believed to be the same person. The RC Church and most scholars now think that the “Sinful Woman”, Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany were three distinct people. I have another candidate for Mary Magdalene who we will meet in The Wizard.

Ragnarok

The fight with Grengarm may be a foreshadowing of Ragnarok. During that battle, Tyr and Garm slay each other. I have proposed that the Tyr/Zio is Skai’s version of Jesus.  Able in turn is a Christ like figure in Mythgarthr. Able and Gregnarm slaying each other foreshadows the mutual death of Tyr/Garm at Ragnarok.

Able’s Death

Toug sees Able fall into the sea. His spirit or soul is taken to Skai, and apparently he is provided a new body.  We learn in The Wizard that it is Alvit’s kiss that finally slays him. It is done to spare the chosen further suffering.

Christian Allegory

Swords often have a cross shape, and Eterne may represent the Cross. Able takes up the Cross, and dies but defeats death in the form of Grengarm.  We learn in The Wizard what Able saw in Grengarm’s mouth. It was the souls of those the Osterlings had sacrificed to him at the Mountain of Fire. Able presumably frees those souls by slaying Grengarm. Able’s fight with Grengarm is one of the crucifixion events in the WK. He dies, like Christ dies. He returns to Mythgarther several days later, as Christ returned after three days. Additionally, The Book of Revelation speaks of Jesus returning on a white horse, and Able returns on the white Cloud (Revelation 19, 11-16).

Able freeing the souls stuck in Grengarm is the WK’s version of The Harrowing of Hell.   Grengarm’s open mouth was the Hellmouth.  In Christian theology, Christ descended to the underworld after his death and liberated all the souls trapped there since the Fall of Adam and Eve. They were now free to enter Heaven.

“Harrowing of Hell” by Michael Burghers (1647/8–1727)[2] – Copied from the 1904 work “Plays of our Forefathers” by Charles Mills Gayley. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harrowing_of_Hell.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Harrowing_of_Hell.jpg

Knight Notes: The Knight, Chapters 62-67

This section covers Able’s departure from the Embassy until he is reunited with Toug.

Chapters 62-67: After the Raiders, The Plain of Jotunland, A Blind Man with a White Beard, I’ll Free You, Which Am I?, You Lose Track

Chapter Summaries

Able scouts ahead and spends a difficult night alone in Chapter 62. He then meets up with Uri and Baki and enlists their help in delaying the Angrborn. He fights the giants and talks with Gylf about different things in Ch 63.  In 64, Able and Gylf find Gerda, who is still alive in Jotunland as a slave. In the next chapter, Able is reunited with Berthold, now blind. Able converses with Gerda and Berthold, and realizes some more things about Setr.  In Chapter 67, Able kills Gerda’s master and then hears the wind in the chimney. He heads out in search of Disiri, and finds Toug instead.

Reunion with Gerda and Berthold

This part seems to borrow from the Culhwch and Olwen tale. Blind Berthold is a bit like Custennin the Shepherd from this story.

Return of Toug

The reunions continue. Just about everyone Able met in the early part of The Knight is back in time for the Utgard part of the tale. Further confirmation that its the main group quest of the WK.

Able’s Difficult Night

Able spends the night alone at beginning of Chapter 62, sleeping on the ground. He is cold, and largely unable to sleep. When he does, he has unpleasant dreams. He has a prophetic dream of Garvaon falling before Setr. He has another dream of a slave dying in Utgard.

I think this night is the counterpart to Jesus’s long night on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. Able describes himself as “shuddering” and “shivering” and wakes up soaking wet from rain.  In the Bible, Christ is described as “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Christ prayed three times during the night, and it appears Able has three distinct dreams.

The Roll Call of Names

GW appears to reference the monomyth of the “Hero with a Thousand Faces” when Able hears the chant of names on the wind.  The following quote from The Knight captures the scene:

“Although the air around me hung motionless save where my breath disturbed it, a wind soughed among the treetops, chanting a thousand names.
Among them, both of mine.
I reined up to listen, and rose in the stirrups to be nearer the sound.
“Walewein, Wace, Vortigern, Kyot…”
The names that I had heard, my own, were not repeated.
“Yvain, Gottfried, Eilhart, Palamedes, Duach, Tristan, Albrecht, Caradoc…”

(emphasis added) Now consider the following excerpt:

First there were no images. Only names. A long list of names chanted in a booming voice that seemed to have no trace of mockery in it.

Corum Jhaelen Irsei, Konrad Arflane, von bek, Ulrik Skarsol, Aubec of Kaneloon, Shaleen, Artos, Alerik, Erekose …

I tried to stop the voices there. I tried to shout, to say that I was Ererkose – only Erekose. But could not speak.

The roll continued:

Ryan. Hawkmoon. Powys. Cornell. Brian. Umpata. Sojan. Klan. Clovis Marca. Pournachas. Oshbek-Uy. Ulysses. Ilanth. Renark …

(emphasis added) The above is from Michael Moorcock’s “The Eternal Champion.” That story is about an American who travels to a magical world to help an elven race threatened by humans.

So is this part a tribute to Michael Moorcock?  Maybe.

Michael Andre-Driussi has speculated that these names are Disiri’s former lovers.  The list Able hears includes both writers and chroniclers of tales of knights, but also fictional characters like Caradoc and Tristan. Perhaps a meta commentary on knightly heroes and their creators by GW? I think it does relate to Disiri’s counterpart in Brigid, which I will save for a future post.

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