-Poul Anderson, Mother Of Kings (New York, 2003), Book Four, Chapter XXX, p. 397.
Sunlight and white clouds appeal to sight, crying seafowl to hearing, coolness to physical sensation and salt to taste. It must be possible to taste the salt on the breeze from the sea.
Once again, King Haakon and his men drive off a greater number of Eiriksson invaders, killing many, including Gunnhild's two brothers, but this time Haakon dies from an arrow wound. Here, fantasy is skillfully woven, in a behind the scenes role, into the historical fiction. Historically, all that needs to be said is that Haakon died from an arrow wound. However, Anderson additionally informs us that the Witch-Queen, Gunnhild, had worked magic on the arrow.
Thus ends the reign of Haakon and the fourth of the sixth Book in Mother Of Kings. I suggested earlier that whether Haakon ate sacrificed food should be a matter only between him and his confessor. However, the Church hierarchy had made it their business, excommunicating him. But, according to a skald, he is welcomed into Valhalla. Back in Midgard, the Church will back the bloodthirsty Eirikssons, who are nominally Christian.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I've only just started rereading MOTHER OF KINGS, but I have wondered if King Haakon made a bad mistake when he did not send ambassadors and envoys to the Jarls of Orkney and Archbishop Oskytel of York, to attempt counteracting the intrigues of Queen Gunnhild and argue for their king's side of the quarrel between him and the Eiriksons. The archbishop, at least, might have been less willing to side with Queen Gunnhlld if he had known more of King Haakon's difficulties.
And it might have been a good idea to send envoys to the English Kings Eadwig and then Edgar to see if an alliance against Queen Gunnhild and her sons could be reached. Did Poul Anderson make any mention of King Haakon attempting diplomacy of this kind?
Sean
Sean,
Don't think so.
Paul.
Sean,
Remember he was excommunicated so that didn't help.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, but King Haakon could have appealed against the excommunication on the grounds of it being based on misleading, biased, and slanted "information" supplied by his enemies. That's why I think embassies should have been sent to the Orkneys, the archbishop of York, and the English kings.
Sean
Post a Comment