In Dominic Flandry's luxury spaceship, the Hooligan:
"...you might listen to recorded Lysarcian bells, sip Namorian maoth and taste Terran grapes." (p. 47)
Can we make anything of this? Lysarc, or Lysarcia, and Namor, or Namoria, sound as if they might be genuine and significant place names. However, googling reveals little.
LYSARC is the Lymphona Academic Research Organization.
Namor McKenzie is the Marvel Comics superhero, the Sub-Mariner.
"Maoth" is an Irish adjective.
Although it is always satisfying to find resonances between fictional universes, I doubt that Poul Anderson intended any cross-reference to the Sub-Mariner.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember those names from my recent reading of WE CLAIM THESE STARS. I think we are supposed to understand "Lysarc" and "Namor" to be planets elsewhere in the Empire. With at least a hundred thousand worlds in regular contact with the Imperium and each other, there would be plenty of planets we never see anything about tin the Flandry stories. And "Maoth" was obviously a drink imported from Namor/Namoria.
Such small, one off details helps to add depth, realism, and "texture" to the stories.
Ad astra! Sean
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