Djana thinks about:
"...the good beings like Ydwyr and Nicky and Ulfan-gryf and Avalrik and, well, yes, all right, in his fashion, Morioch...." (p. 305)
Nicky is Dominic Flandry and we know Ydwyr and Morioch but this is the only time that we ever read about either Ulfan-gryf or Avalrik. Thus, Djana gives us two more Merseian names. I tried to compile a complete list but they are hidden within the texts like lucky charms in a Christmas pudding.
The room in Ydwyr's quarters that other Merseians see contains "...an alcove shrine..." (p. 299) What is in it? We know of no Merseian images. Instead, we are told that they reach:
"...for infinity and for a God beyond infinity..." (p. 296)
Ydwyr's inner room, which Djana sees, contains skulls, a carved monolith and other objects that "'...speak of pagan cults and witchcraft...'" (p. 301) but presumably none of these are in the outer room.
A film of this novel would have to present many new visual details consistent with Poul Anderson's descriptions.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think we should interpret that alcove shrine of Ydwyr's as Anderson's economical way of telling us that Wilwidh Ocean Merseians did have religious images. Analogous to how Catholics and Orthodox often have icons of Christ and the saints in their homes.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But we are not told what the images look like so anyone making a screen or graphic adaptation would be free to invent. The same applies to the "devices" of royal houses and cities on Barsoom.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
True. The idea I left unspoken being that Anderson could have been more detailed here and there in A CIRCUS OF HELLS. Maybe he felt constrained to do so because of publisher mandated word limits?
I agree that filmed versions of CIRCUS or ERB's Barsoom stories would be free to invent Meseian images or the heraldic devices of Barsoomian cities/ruling houses. I would add that Merseian "images" should be "austere and abstract," like Byzantine style icons.
Ad astra! Sean
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