Trodhwyr is:
"...an old-fashioned pagan ychan..."
-Poul Anderson, A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows IN Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: The Last Knight Of Terra (Riverdale, NY, March 2012), pp. 339-606 AT II, p. 366 -
- from the Black Ocean. As such, he invokes:
"'Aferdhi of the Deeps, Blyn of the winds, Haawan who lairs on the reefs...'" (p. 365)
These beings must be neither worshipped nor obeyed but just "'...held afar...'" so that they "'...trouble us not in our rest.'" (p. 366) (!)
This has to be the most primitive form of paganism: fear of the elements. Some monotheists would say that Aferdhi etc are demons.
A zmay as sophisticated as Kyrwhedin is not going to be a pagan but what then is he? He will not subscribe to the supremacist monotheism of the Roidhunate but is there a more universal Merseian momotheism? Or have educated zmayi become secularists either of their own accord or under human influence? But the human culture on Dennitza is Orthochristian so have any of the zmayi converted to that?
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I can see why some human Dennitzans could think Merseians resemble dragons--two legged, wingless dragons anyhow!
Trodhwyr's paganism reminds me of the almost equally primitive paganism of the Kursovikan Tigeries seen in ENSIGN FLANDRY.
Maybe Kyrwedhin at least descended from the Star Believers we see in "Day of Burning"? Some of them might have fled to Dennitza as the Roidhunate was arising.
For all we know some Zmayi could have converted to Christianity. Mention was made of how a youthful and devout Kossara Vymezal possibly trying to convert Trodhwyr. Other Dennitzan Merseians might have converted even tho he did not.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment