-Poul Anderson, Mother Of Kings (New York, 2003), Book Six, Chapter XVIII, p. 536.
We look for at least one more sense and find it in the last sentence of quite a long descriptive paragraph:
"Thyme lent a slight sharpness to sweet earth-smells." (p. 537)
Later, because of Harald's ill-advised and ill-fated expedition, Gunnhild and her two surviving sons must go into exile in the Orkneys for the third time and the pathetic fallacy returns:
"The wind howled louder. Rain roared. A burst of hail rattled over shingles and timber. This was the first bad weather in a mild and bountiful summer. It was as if the land were casting them out."
-Chapter XXII, p. 552.
Or is it fully the pathetic fallacy when the author points it out instead of leaving it to the reader to notice it?
"...folk streamed to welcome Harald Grenska and join his host...the North had risen on behalf of its Jarl..."
-Chapter XXII, p. 550.
Despite this overwhelming popular vote of no confidence, Gunnhild's sons plan long term to reconquer Norway. I would be ashamed to assert my right to rule after such a decisive rejection.
Gunnhild prays for a sign. If if is from Christ, then she will suppress paganism. If it is from Odin, then she will burn churches. If it is from the elements, then she will go easier on the Finns. It is to be hoped that the gods and powers unite to reply, "No sign."
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I found it interesting to remember how the exiled Louis XVIII of France handled an analogous situation after he became titular king in 1795. He was constantly being forced to move around Europe as Revolutionary and then Napoleonic armies advanced into or near one of his refuges. What Louis did was to keep up a constant correspondence with his agents, friends, and sympathizers in and out of France. The king persistently reminded them that there was an ALTERNATIVE to either the brutal fanaticism of the Jacobins or the cynical opportunism of Napoleon. For one thing, he had undisputed dynastic legitimacy. And, for another, as time passed he let it be known that he was willing to accept the more harmless or even useful changes brought by the Revolution and Napoleon. Which meant that by the time Napoleon first fell from power in 1814, many in France were willing to accept the Restoration of Louis XVIII, and the more so as he offered a constitutional monarchy in his Charter of 1814. And this remained true even during and after the Hundred Days of Napoleon's second usurpation of the throne in 1815.
Louis XVIII showed patience, resolution, and a willingness to forgive and reconcile sadly lacking in Queen Gunnhild.
Sean
I should have added that my comments above were based on Philip Mansel's biography LOUIS XVIII (Sutton Publishing: 1981, 1999).
Sean
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