Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II is:
"...the man called stupor mundi, 'the amazement of the world.'" (p. 396)
"His hair tossed auburn-gold from beneath a feathered cap. The low sunlight made a halo of it... for that instant, he looked somewhat like a god." (p. 398)
Another halo. See Lorenzo.
We should also backtrack to Wanda's first sight of Lorenzo in 1146 A.D.:
"Suddenly everything focused on a single face... I'd pay attention to looks like that anytime in the universe, flashed through her - Apollo lineaments, dark-amber eyes - and this is hung on Lorenzo. Got to be Lorenzo, who'd have changed history nine years ago at Rignano..." (pp. 382-383)
Instantly noticeable appearance and a pivotal role in history: is there something here that the Patrol does not understand? A similarly mysterious figure is Veleda who has an innate gift of leadership while it seems that the time stream bears her along.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I think it was Chesterton who suggested that, in the context of Frederick II, "stupor mundi" would be translated as the "stupefaction of the world." The Emperor, with his many and very real talents, does seem to have affected his contemporaries that way.
Ad astra! Sean
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