In Gahood's spaceship, the stone basin of a fountain, weathered by centuries outdoors, is carved exquisitely whereas, "In startling contrast..." (XV, p. 484), the bulkheads are coloured jarringly and tastelessly. Poul Anderson prepares us for the discovery that the current dominant species on Gahood's home planet is a race of usurpers, ruling among the ruins of an older civilization. Here, Anderson gives us a massive clue which I completely missed on my first reading of this novel.
When Falkayn first sees Gahood, he thinks:
"...Minotaur." (XV, p. 485)
- then he thinks:
"No...not that exactly...any more than Adzel was exactly a dragon. The impression was archetypal rather than literal. Yet as such it was overwhelming." (XVI, p. 485)
But, of course, because of these initial descriptions, we continue to think, "Adzel, dragon; Gahood, Minotaur," even though we have been told that they are not exactly that. They are alien and that is the main fact about them. Thus they should appear to us in any visual adaptation.
5 comments:
Gahood is -behaviorally- like a Minotaur.
He's an alpha male in a species that has extremely high sexual dimorphism -- much more so than its parent species, incidentally.
He's also from a species that -was- herbivorous, but is moving in evolutionary terms rather rapidly toward being a predatory omnivore.
That's what we are, too, of course... but over a much longer period, so we've had time to settle into it.
Gahood's breed still have a lot more rough edges.
Incidentally, pigs are another. And as anyone who's been around them when they're not confined can tell you, pigs are dangerous and dangerously smart.
Kaor, Paul!
That beautifully carved stone basin reminded me of how Stirling/Drake mentioned a similarly carved fountain battered and damaged by barbarians in one of their THE GENERAL BOOKS. In the second volume of the Raj Whitehall series.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
And I have read that pigs are smart enough to realize what is going to happen to them when they get to the slaughter house. Which makes them even more dangerous!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: well, if I realized that the people in charge were planning on killing and eating me, I'd be violent, too.
Mind you, a pig tried to eat -me- when I was a toddler.
Can't leave it hanging like that ... who prevented it?
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