"The man held forth his hand in Terran wise. Tachwyr clasped it between warm dry fingers and leathery palm. They had no further amicable gesture to exchange, since Flandry lacked a tail."
-Poul Anderson, A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows IN Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight Of Terra (Riverdale, NY, 2012), pp. 339-606 AT IX, p. 454.
In the Psychotechnic History, when the Nomads are about to escape, Esperero of the Alori asks to shake the captain's hand. Joachim, reflecting that this might be a trick of some kind, nevertheless complies:
"Esperero's hand was small and supple, with a warm strength, in his own clasp."
-The Peregrine, CHAPTER XX, p. 179.
There is no trick. It is a genuine gesture of friendship. So now we know what Merseian and Alori hands feel like. And whether hands exist anywhere other than on Earth is another matter.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
But Merseians and Alori might well have another amicable gesture in common with mankind: bowing. Recall how Admiral Enriques gave Dragoika a full formal bow when introduced to her in ENSIGN FLANDRY.
Btw, this coronavirus pandemic might kill the handshake, due to a desire to lessen chances of infection. Maybe we will see bows coming back into wide spread use as a gesture of amicability and courtesy?
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Someone in our Zen group saw on TV that, in Japan, shop assistants bow deeper to someone who has spent more money. He thought, "We bow but not for that reason!"
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I thought of Japan as well! But more along the lines of how people of lower rank/status will bow more deeply to those of higher rank/status than to those of the same rank and status.
So bowing is not completely gone in the UK?
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
The Zen groups are hardly typical.
Paul.
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