Another maybe disconcerting feature of the Merseians is that their personal pictures and souvenirs:
"...showed a taste more austere and abstract than was likely in a human spacehand."
-CHAPTER ELEVEN, p. 268.
Think of human sea hands, then think "...austere and abstract..." Merseians do not just look different.
On board the ship, Flandry thanks Broch (Second Mate) Tryntaf the Tall with the salute of gratitude. On Talwin, he thanks Datholch Ydwyr the Seeker with the salute of honor, insofar as a human being is capable of this. Morioch addresses Ydwyr in the aristocratic-deferential form whereas Ydwyr replies:
"...with the merely polite verbal construction."
-CHAPTER TWELVE, p. 276.
Ydwyr terminates an argument with Morioch by exercising his hereditary right to raise a hand with palm down and strike it on his chest. This suffices to make Morioch bend his head, fold his hands and beg forgiveness, which is usually very unMerseian-like.
When Flandry struggles to address the datholch correctly, Ydwyr reiterates that simple forms of respect will usually suffice in the base on Talwin. A datholch is an aristocratic head of an enterprise to expand the Race's frontiers. Ydwyr's own frontiers are xenological but other datholchs might expand trade, influence, territory etc. When asked to explain his own standing, Ydwyr reverts to the utmost formality. He stands, touches his brow and says, first, that he is of the Vach Urdiolch and, secondly, that:
"'...it is my high honor that a brother of my late noble father is, in the glory of the God, Almighty Roidhun of Merseia, the Race, and all holdings, dominions, and subordinates of the Race.'" (pp. 281-282)
Although Flandry and Djana are seated on the floor, Flandry knows that they should leap to their feet and salute, Djana following Flandry's example. The salutes will have to be devised if and when the series is filmed.
Hands of Vachs and heads of other Merseian states elect the Roidhun from the one landless Vach. He alone stands for the God and the unity of the Race. The Wilwidh Merseians have spared themselves any church-state conflict.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I have speculated that some of the Merseians who eventually settled on Dennitza descended from losers in the three cornered struggle between rival vachs, other Merseian nations, and the Gethfennu in the civil wars leading to the rise of the Roidhunate. And that these included Merseians who did not agree with the culture and people of the Wilwidh Ocean who came to dominate and unify the planet.
True, we see no mention in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS that political malcontents were among those Merseians who settled on Dennitza. But some might also be descended from the Star Believers (people friendly to non-Merseians) we see mentioned in "Day of Burning." I am only speculating!
Ad astra and Happy New Year! Sean
Japanese has a similar set of status-related forms of address and language -- half or more of the words in a sentence can be different depending on the relative status of the speakers, not to mention differences in tone and pronunciation.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I think I came across similar comments about the Japanese in works like MURASAKI, a shared world anthology of stories set on a single planet. Even gestures like bowing can be "inflected," from merely polite, deferential, to the sardonic, etc.
Ad astra! Sean
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