Leaving no stone unturned in this extraordinary chapter, we find that much relevant ground has already been covered earlier on the blog.
What Arinnian and Tabitha eat and drink in the Phoenix House is listed in In The Phoenix House.
That and their dialogue in the Nest is summarized in In The Nest.
The Nest is also the setting for one of Poul Anderson's trademark pathetic fallacies. See The Pathetic Fallacy On Avalon.
Tabitha rightly says that any human being who tries to be an Ythrian is a rattlewing and also that she and Arinnian cannot communicate fully through Planha because they lack feathers. However, she also concedes:
"'Damn, sometimes it is easier to say things in Planha!'" (p. 503)
Tabitha's earlier life is summarized in Tabitha. We also learn about Arinnian's earlier life. He hid from his parents for a year "...in the surf-besieged Shielding Islands..." (ibid.) and once fought a spathodont (scroll down) on the ground with a spear when his companion was wing-broken. As with Ivar Frederiksen (see also Ivar Frederiksen's Early Life), their earlier lives could have been novelized.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I am not sure how it easier to say some things in Planha if you don't have the feathers to properly use it. I'm reminded of how Eriau has concepts that would be insulting unless words from another language is used. E.g., "bachelor" is offensive in Eriau but not in Anglic.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment