The Wind II

CS Lewis' spiritual autobiography, Surprised By Joy (London, 1964), has this quotation from Wordsworth on its title page:

"Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind."

(That second clause puts rather a different meaning on the line.)

Poul Anderson's "The Sorrow Of Odin The Goth" begins:

"Wind gusted out of twilight as the door opened." (Time Patrol, p. 333)

Carl's dealings with his fourth century Goths end thus:

"He strode through the shadows, out the door, into the rain and the wind." (p. 459)

Earlier, Carl had made a full sensory recording of his meeting with the historical figure, Ulfilas. When he views the recording, he thinks:

"Was it really me looming over him, lean, gray, cloaked, doomed and resigned to foreknowledge - yon figure out of darkness and the wind?" (p. 403)

I think that, in these three passages, the wind signifies the hostile elements of Northern Europe, also human survival despite their hostility. The Wanderer strides through the darkness, rain and wind; they do not overcome him.

However, when he offers to help the Goths against the Vandals but adds that, "'...it must be in my own way...'" (p. 368):

"Nobody cheered. A sound like the wind passed down the shadowy length of the hall." (ibid.)

There is no human response. Instead, something wordless and non-human passes through the hall. The Goths experience the presence of Wodan.