Saturday, 5 August 2023

Dahut And Nemeta

The Dog And The Wolf, XVIII, 1.

Dahut can pursue her vengeance as far as the tidal waters reach up the rivers. Yesterday, walking by the River Lune, we met two Coast Guards whose work extends as far as the tidal waters reach up the river. 

Nemeta is content to remain a witch with her cats in the woods, especially since Dahut cannot reach here there. Nemeta tells Gratillonius:

"'Father, 'tis you I sometimes weep for.'
"Wind moaned in the trees. The first raindrops fell down it." (p. 358)

The wind is going to moan, isn't it, when Gratillonius' daughter talks about weeping for him? And the rain falls in sympathy. Nemeta is the last worshipper of the Three of Ys and the first witch of the Dark Ages. The narrative moves gradually from the last days of the Western Roman Empire to the earliest days of the subsequent history that is already known to us. 

4 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I wonder, tho, how seriously Nemeta took the "gods" of Ys after their creature Dahut ruined her arm?

Ad astra! Sean

Jim Baerg said...

In her position that would make me take them very seriously indeed, as evil beings to oppose.

S.M. Stirling said...

Different attitude to Gods, here. Nobody in this context disputes the -reality- of various Gods.

That's true in the 'imaginarium' of the Ys series, so for the reader's purposes it's 'true'.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Jim and Mr. Stirling!

In different ways I agree with you both.

Ad astra! Sean