Biblically, conflicts between the sons of Adam, then of Noah, then of Abraham, had momentous consequences - and still have;
in Roman mythology, the relationship between Aeneas and Dido was the origin of the wars between Rome and Carthage.
In Poul and Karen Anderson's The King of Ys, the Scotian King Niall knows better than to attack Ys but does not know that the new King of Ys is a Roman centurion who will mobilize the weather-controlling Ysan Witch-Queens against any attack on Imperial territory. Ysan invocation of Lir raises a storm that wrecks a sea attack on a target further south and, in the ensuing battle, an Ysan catapult bolt kills Niall's son. Niall curses Ys and asks that he be the agent of its doom which will happen at the end of Volume III. We do not know this yet but should be able to guess.
3 comments:
Nial's attitude towards the Roman Empire is emblematic of the human tendency that is summed up in the old French saying:
"Cet animal est très méchant. Quand on l'attaque il se défend."
Translation: This animal is very wicked. When you attack it, it defends itself."
Yes. Niall sets out to murder and plunder and then is indignant when he loses his son in the process.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!
I agree! Niall had no logical reason for objecting if Gratillonius was able to get Ys to frustrate the Scotian attack on the Empire. But Anderson pointed out in his reply to the LONG letter I wrote about THE KING OF YS that Niall was not going to attack Ys, he wanted to raid the cities in the Loire valley. So he felt irrationally angry about his defeat and the death of his son.
Humans, notoriously, are not always rational!
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment