Gratillonius asks:
"'Have we become Christians here, to deny respect to everything divine other than the Lord of our narrow sect?' He forced a grin. 'Or sects, rather. They might as well have a dozen different Christs, the way they quarrel about His nature.'" (2, p. 30)
These remarks highlight the difference between the Jesus of history and the Christ(s) of faith. In other works, Poul Anderson shows us the difference between the original and the legend. His historical novel, The Golden Slave, features Eodan and Tjor, Odin and Thor. Also:
"'It was in Britain after the Romans were gone, at the court of a warlord. They called him Riothamus, their High King, but mainly he had some cataphracts. With them he staved off the English invaders. His name was Artorius.'
"Richelieu sat motionless."
-Poul Anderson, The Boat Of A Million Years (London, 1991), XI, p. 229.
As well he might, listening to someone who saw the source of a legend.
When Gratillonius is away from Ys on Imperial business, he will address two spiritual needs. First, he will try to find a successor for the deceased Christian minister, Eucherius:
"'I'll seek a man we can get along with.'" (2, p. 29)
"'Fate willing, I'll have a voice in choosing [Eucherius'] successor. Rest assured, 'twill be no Ambrosius!'" (3, p. 35)
Politically, a Christian minister in Ys will satisfy the Empire and, hopefully, will not be one to interfere in Ysan affairs.
Secondly, Gratillonius will seek elevation to Father in the Mystery so that he can found a Mithraeum in Ys. This is compatible with him being high priest and Incarnation of Taranis although inwardly he has forsworn the Three. Much further conflict still lies ahead.
5 comments:
Though actually linguistic and other historical evidence is against the "Euphemerist" interpretation of later Nordic religion in THE GOLDEN SLAVE.
The Norse pantheon is a fairly obvious development of its Proto-Indo-European antecedents.
Tiwaz is Sky Father, and Thor is Perkunaz, the classic thunder-God.
Though as -fiction-, Poul's fully entitled to entertain the hypothesis for the purpose of a book.
Kaor, Paul!
Paul: And that Britanno-Roman warlord should be understood as having some remnants of the Roman army, and struggling to fend off the invading barbarians.
And those cataphracts were the origins of King Arthur's knights of the Round Table.
I suspect, however, Gratillonius was feeding some soothing pablum to the Ysan pagans! In determination and forcefulness of character, the Christian priest he found was a lot like St. Ambrose of Milan. Part of his quiet campaign to whittle down pagan opposition to him.
Ad astra! Sean
Although I might add that my own, private opinion of "forceful" people who don't mind their own business and keep themselves to themselves is that they should immediately be set on fire or knifed and left for the vultures... 8-).
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
And you reminded me of heroic martyrs and confessors who resisted tyranny by the State: such as Pope Martin I who, during the Monothelite controversy, wad dragged off into captivity, abuse, and exile by Constans II. Or St. John Fisher, who preferred to die at the hands of Henry VIII rather than yield to his "Supremacy." Or popes like Pius VI and Pius VII, exiled and imprisoned by the French Revolution and Napoleon, for being being insufficiently submissive to their demands.
Ad astra! Sean
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