Hauau, the were-seal, foresees that a mortal woman will bear him a son but will then marry a man who will kill both him and the son:
"'I'm na afeared. Sad for the bairn, aye. Yet in those days Faerie will be a last thin glimmer ere it fades oot fore'er. Thus I can believe 'tis a mercy for him; and mysel', I'll be at one wi' the waters.'" (III, p. 88)
Thus, Hauau anticipates the end of Faerie, which Poul Anderson had already predicted:
"As for those who were still alive at the end of [The Broken Sword], and the sword, and Faerie itself - which obviously no longer exists on Earth - that is another tale which may someday be told."
-Poul Anderson, The Broken Sword (London, 1977), FOREWORD, p. 12.
But it was not, despite Anderson's prolificity. However, The Merman's Children moves the inter-textual narrative much closer to that end. Most Mediterranean countries are inhospitable to merfolk. Only one, eastern, shore is otherwise. In Dalmatia:
"...Faerie was not wiped out as it had been in, say, Spain." (I, p. 75)
Vanimen's merfolk had tried to cross the Atlantic in their stolen ship but the (cursed?) storm has driven them the other way, towards the Mediterranean. Thus, Book Two at last links back to the Dalmatian Prologue.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I hope Hauau will be proven wrong. To say nothing of the skepticism I have for anyone claiming to have foresights of the future.
Btw, how do you even pronounce a name like Hauau? Something like HAW-AW?
Yes, while Anderson later revised THE BROKEN SWORD, he never wrote a sequel to it. Pity!
We see that idea about the fading of Faerie as well in Tolkien's Middle Earth legendarium. As the Third Age advanced the Elves more and more foresaw that their time in Middle Earth would end as mortal Men became more and more dominant. If any Elves tried to stay they would more and more fade away, slowly to forget and be forgotten. Better to leave after the Downfall of Sauron.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: roughly like Hauuu-auuu, I think. Personal preference!
I think Poul had a sequel in mind, with an alternate world in which Faerie endured, and a crossover. Unfortunately, no time to write it! So many books, so little time...
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Your preference re "Hauau" is as good as mine! (Smiles)
Now that is interesting, you thinking PA possibly had in mind a sequel to THE BROKEN SWORD! Maybe set in the OPERATION universe? Yes, even a writer as prolific as Anderson could only write "so many" stories.
Eagerly anticipating soon starting to read your THE LORDS OF CREATION.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: keep in mind that that trilogy is my tribute to the 'pulps', Burroughs and Brackett and Kline and the rest.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I'm glad! I love ERB's Barsoom stories.
Ad astra! Sean
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