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 Legend of Perseus

Perseus is one of the Greek heroes whose adventures are encoded in the WK. Most of the references occur during the trip to Utgard.  Able and Toug share in the portrayal of Perseus.

Perseus and the Gorgon

Perseus’s most famous adventure involved slaying the Gorgon, Medusa. He had agreed to do whatever King Polydectes, his host at a banquet asked, and the King demanded the head. This scene already occurred in The Knight, when Able promised to give Baron Thunrolf whatever he required if he lost his dinner fight.

I suggested that the descent into the Mountain of Fire could be a reference to the entry into the Gorgon’s lair. However that may be wrong, or not completely right.

Most of the Gorgon adventure happens in Utgard.  The first part is when Toug goes alone outside the castle. He meets Etela. He is then introduced to the blind smiths, including Vil, who are making tools.  The blind smiths are an allusion to the Graeae, the blind sisters of the Gorgons. They detain him temporarily. Etela is a representation of the single eye that they must share.  The first excursion occurs at night, and this may be a reference to Perseus’ Helm of Darkness. Org might also be the Helm of Darkness, since he can become invisible. Uri appearing is like the nymphs of the Hesperides helping Perseus.

Toug meets three slave women, including Lynnet. Lynnet is the Gorgon Medusa, and the whips she later fights with are an allusion to the Gorgon’s snake hair. Thiazi warns Able not to “look into her eyes”, calling to mind the Gorgon’s deadly gaze.   Toug also describes recoiling in horror on seeing Org’s face, another reference to the Medusa. Toug acquiring his big sword from Logi is like Perseus acquiring his magic sword during this quest.

Slaying the Gorgon

Able taking Lynnet into the Room of Lost Loves may represent the defeat of the Gorgon. Lynnet is partially healed after this event. Her additional healing after the River Battle, when Able lays hands on her head, may represent the final defeat.

Perseus used the Gorgon’s head as a weapon, but I can’t find a good match for Able using the Gorgon’s head. Lynnet’s participation at the River Battle might be an example of Able using the “Gorgon’s head.”

Toug’s shoulder strap to hold his sword, provided by Etela, might be a version of the knapsack Perseus used to hold the Gorgon’s head.

Perseus and Pegasus

Perseus flew on the Pegasus, and Cloud is clearly an allusion to the Pegasus of Greek myth.

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Knight Notes: The Knight, Chapters 28-31

Chapters 28-31:  Three Years, My Bet, The Mountain of Fire, Back to Sea

Chapter Summaries

Able returns to Mythgarthr, and is picked up by the Western Trader at the beginning of Chapter 28. He learns that his time in Aelfrice equaled three years in Mythgarthr.  Pouk is still aboard, but Kerl has had to spend all of Able’s gold to provision the ship. In Chapter 29, Able and Poul decide to visit the Mountain of Fire.  Able and Poul descend to Muspel in Chapter 30, and have a narrow escape. In Chapter 31, Able and Pouk return to Mythgarthr, finding that they have been gone for one year. They recover, and then head on to Sheerwall.

Time Dilation

Able finds that significant amounts of time can pass when he descends to lower worlds.  The Faerie world having a different clock is a feature of fairy tales and some of the books that GW is acknowledging in the WK. For example, in Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter, the hero learns that years have passed during a short visit to Elfland.

In a way, time in the WK cosmology obeys time dilation under the theory of relativity. In time dilation, time moves more quickly the farther away one is from a center of gravity.  Its almost as if Niflheim, the lowest world, is a Black Hole, and time travels more slowly the closer one gets to it. The lower worlds are approached by a downward direction, and it requires some exertion to get back up.  Placing the most low god in a Black Hole has a certain logic.

The Mountain of Fire

The Mountain of Fire is a volcano that provides direct access to Muspel. Before the events in the WK, the Osterlings controlled it and used it to sacrifice human beings to the dragons of Muspel.  In one of his few apparent successes, King Arnthor drove them off and fortified the site.  Its never mentioned, but I wonder if Setr, Arnthor’s brother, was of help in this effort.  Setr claimed that he was trying to prevent the other dragons of Muspel from taking over Mythgarthr.  Depriving them of a ready conduit of human sacrifices would have hindered dragons like Grengarm from growing stronger.

Baron Thunrolf’s Mythological and Biblical Counterparts 

Lord Thunrolf of Seagirt is the commander of Celidon’s garrison at the Mountain of Fire. He is also an apparent alcoholic, and Able compares him to Morcaine in his drinking behavior.  He is also apparently without wife or children.  Its never explained what is troubling him so.  It could be his nearness to the Mountain. Perhaps the evil associated with the site has affected his mind.

I think he is a dual reference to both King Polydyctes and King Cercyon of Greek legend:

• Polydyctes ruled an island realm Seriphos, which sounds somewhat like Seagirt.  Polydyctes hosted the hero Perseus at a banquet, at which everyone had to bring a gift. Perseus had no gifts, and let Polydyctes name his price. The King told him to bring the head of the Gorgon.
• Cercyon stood on a road near Eleusis, and challenged passers by to a wrestling match. The loser died, but the winner would gain his kingdom.  The hero Theseus beat him and killed him as one of his six Labors.

Able is hosted by Thunrolf for dinner. It is explained that new knights must duel another knight over one coin. Able has none, so Thunrolf provides it. But how will Thunrolf be paid back if he loses? Able then explains that he will do anything Thunrolf requires. This is a reference to Perseus agreeing to give Polydyctes whatever he wants.  Thunrolf says he has a plan, and if Able loses, they will go to the top of the Mountain, and Thunrolf will carry it out.

Able loses the duel, and Thunrolf throws Pouk into the Mountain of Fire. This is similar to the fate of those who lost the wrestling match with Cercyon.

Thunrolf is also clearly an allusion to Pontius Pilate. Both are important government leaders. Pilate, as a Roman, likely would have been clean shaven, like Thunrolf. His name, Pontius, is derived from “Pontus” which means “of the sea.” Thunrolf’s home is “Seagirt.” Both Thunrolf and Pilate lose their posts after their encounters with Able and Jesus. More on this connection in the next part of this post.

On the brighter side, I think there is an allusion to Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan. After they come out of the mountain, Pouk, Able and Thunrolf lie down on the ground. Pouk’s clothes are cut off. Pouk is like the man who has been robbed and left to die on the road to Jericho.  They are then taken to an inn, where they say for three days.

The Descent into the Mountain

Thunrolf has Pouk thrown into the Mountain, essentially repeating the behavior of the Osterlings.  Its another example of how Celidon is a troubled realm.  Able volunteers to go after Pouk, and Thunrolf accompanies him.  Able’s descent into the Mountain may be an allusion to Perseus’s pursuit of the Gorgon.  The gorgon Medusa had snakes for hair, and lived in a cave. Able encounters the serpent-like dragons when he descends into the Mountain, which may be a version of the Gorgon’s cave.

When Able returns, he finds that one year has elapsed, and that Thunrolf has been replaced. This replacement may be another reference to the Cercyon story.  According to Wikipedia, James Frazier has speculated that Cercyon was an example of a “sacred king“, that had to fight for his kingdom once a year. If he lost, he was replaced by another.  Thunrolf “lost” to Able when they fought inside the volcano, he was gone for a year, and replaced.

Christian Allegory: Water into Wine

When Able reboards the Western Trade, Kerl celebrates by bringing out some wine, saying its a special occasion. He says he got the wine in exchange for some water. Able comments on how good it tastes. This is a reference to the Wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine.

Christian Allegory: The Scourging of Christ

Able has to fight one of Thunrolf’s men at dinner as part of the custom. He is struck three or four times with a sword. Thunrolf then slaps him on the back after he loses. This is an allusion to Christ’s flagellation by Roman soldiers, which Pontius Pilate watched.

Christian Allegory: Three Times You Shall Deny Me

Further confirmation of Pouk as St. Peter happens at the Mountain of Fire. Able tells Baron Thunrolf that Pouk is his “friend.” However, Pouk says that he is his “servant” to three people: Atl, Aud and Thunrolf.   This is a Biblical allusion to Peter denying Jesus three times before his crucifixion. The servants “growled” after Pouk’s third denial, an allusion to the cock “crowing” in the Biblical account of Peter’s denial.

What follows for Pouk foreshadows St. Peter’s crucifixion in Rome, and perhaps Christ’s as well. A chain is fastened to his ankle, and a rock is attached to the chain. He is then made to carry the rock, as those being crucified often had to carry their cross. Pouk is helped by another, as Jesus was helped by Simon the Cyrene. Pouk is then pushed down into the Mountain, as Peter was crucified upside down.

Pouk’s legs and one arm is broken, and the legs of those crucified were sometimes broken. The Wikipedia entry on crucifixion describes this:

Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with an iron club, an act called crurifragium, which was also frequently applied without crucifixion to slaves.

Historical Allusion: Nero and the Roman Empire

Nero was known for persecuting Christians, so Thunrolf’s behavior may also be an allusion to Nero.   Rome was badly damaged by the Great Fire of Rome shortly before Peter’s crucifixion, and its possible that the Mountain of Fire represents the burning of Rome. Christians were blamed for it. The sacrifice of human beings to the dragons of Muspel at this Mountain may also be based on the martyrdom of many Christians in Rome, particularly those were allegedly fed to the lions of the Colosseum.  The “Round Tower” at the Mountain of Fire might even be meant as a reference to the Colosseum.

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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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