In Poul Anderson's Ensign Flandry, Lord Hauksberg, Max Abrams, Brechdan Ironrede and the title character have all been viewpoint characters. Surprisingly, when all four meet, the pov is that of Brechdan, the Merseian.
In Ardaig, the original capital, Merseia's eternal city, the Terran Embassy is on Qgoth Heights, where it had originally been a mere legation outside the limits of the since-grown city. Now, Lord Oliveira of Ganymede, Imperial Ambassador to his Supremacy the Roidhun, speaking Eriau, introduces his Majesty's envoy, Lord Markus Hauksberg, Viscount of Ny Kalmar. Brechdan notices:
lanquid manner but good physical condition;
eyes watching closely;
good grasp of Eriau.
Next to be presented is Commander Max Abrams who intones:
"'The Hand of the Vach Ynvory is my shield.'"
-Poul Anderson, Young Flandry (New York, 2010), p. 94.
To Abrams, the Hand is precisely the opposite of a shield but he knows the right thing to say! Brechdan notices:
dense accent but fluent Eriau;
both words and gestures exactly correct;
a dignified greeting from one near in rank to his master who is your equal (how status-conscious can these Merseians be?);
"Handle with care." (ibid.)
Abrams' aide, Flandry, is alert but young and junior. The ones to watch are Hauksberg and Abrams...
Brechdan hopes that he will not have to visit Starkad because it is easier to use a planet if you have not seen its people... So even the Protector of the Roidhun's Grand Council can have qualms of conscience. The Merseians are not a moral lost cause but we know this from Dennitza. Also, Dwyr is conscious of enslaving another race.
Oliveira, courteous to Merseian custom, has excluded females from the reception which means that Hauksberg's concubine, Persis d'Io, having traveled from Terra via Starkad, cannot be present. The Empire is indeed preferable to the Roidhunate.
1 comment:
Hi, Paul!
I don't know if you have noticed, but Hauksberg's peerage, Viscount of Ny Kalmar is Danish. And in one of her essays Sandra Miesel thinks we should remember how that name recalls the illfated Union of Kalmar, Queen Margaret I's of Denmark attempt at unifying Denmark, Norway, and Sweden into a united kingdom.
And your last paragraph, about deferring to the Merseian custom of excluding females from receptions and soirees reminds me of how women are treated in Muslim countries. "Ideally," women will see no males who are not close relatives and are not present at parties and similar social occasions.
And, yes, I too prefer the Empire to the Roidhunate!
Sean
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