(Heidhin is Veleda's foremost man but, since he is entirely fictional, we stay with images of Veleda.)
"Star of the Sea," 18.
The fire in a trench down the middle of the floor scarcely warms the house, its smoke hazes the air and its red light does not penetrate the darkness between pillars and beams yet, despite all this, Heidhin's house is "...as grand as many a royal hall"! (p. 616)
The historical Burhmund and the fictional Heidhin discuss a political intervention by Everard whom we but not they know to be a Time Patrolman. At this stage, we read pure historical fiction. However, before long, Veleda arrives mysteriously, having been borne on the timecycle/holy bull. The diverse genres blend seamlessly.
(Addendum, 3 Sept 2020: When I say "the historical Burhmund," we are referring to the German with the Latin name, Claudius Civilis. The Patrol has learned that his name at home is Burhmund.)
Veleda's tower and Heidhin's house deserve our attention as well-realized fictional settings.
2 comments:
At that time, nobody but Romans could even come close to making what we’d think of as a comfortable house — Romans (the elite, of course) even had underfloor duct heating. Throw in glass windows and running water. In most other places, even kings didn’t have that much.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I recall how Churchill made similar observations about the comforts enjoyed by Romano/Britons of the Empire circa AD 400 and compared them to how squalidly the Anglo Saxons were living in this outpost of the fallen Empire later on (HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLES).
Ad astra! Sean
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