Friday 6 May 2016

Eldritch And Strange

I have learned that a shallop (Gallicenae, p. 170) is a small boat with oars or sails for shallow water.

I found that Lir Way and Taranis Way were in the wrong positions on the map of Ys in Volume I of Poul and Karen Anderson's The King Of Ys. They are positioned correctly on the corresponding maps in Volumes II and III. Ys is not in Volume IV.

When Quinipilis, Dahut and Maeloch picnic on a skerry, Quinipilis nods off. When Maeloch rouses her, she says:

"'Dahilis -...Oh, my, such eldritch dreams I was having.'" (p. 172)

That reminded me of something. Phrases echo between Poul Anderson's works. However, these phrases are perhaps not very similar.

"'Aye,' Gisgo said, 'that was an eldritch journey, 'twas.'"
-Poul Anderson, Time Patrol (New York, 2006), p. 314.

"'Aye, foreseers,' Lannawar rumbled, 'yon was a strange orb and glad I was to see the last of it.'"
-Poul Anderson, Young Flandry (New York, 2010), p. 105.

Quinipilis has eldritch dreams on a skerry;
Gisgo has an eldritch journey at sea;
Lannawar visits a strange planet in space.

Gisgo's journey is eldritch because his ship is attacked by time vehicles. Thus, we have here the three kinds of farers listed on Time Patrol, p. 325: seafarers, spacefarers, timefarers. Poul Anderson fares with them all.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I actually thought of the bit you quoted here from ENSIGN FLANDRY before reading it! (Smiles)

Sean