Poul Anderson's single-sentence account of Tharasmund's last sight of the Wanderer is so striking that, of course, I have already quoted it twice, once as an example of a parting:
- and the second time as an example of a farewell:
With their father dead, the narrative has moved nearer to the time when it is Hathawulf and Solbern who must decide whether and when to attack Ermanaric. And this present narrative section headed 366-372 brings us back full circle to the opening section that had been headed 372. After this:
in 1935, Manse Everard tells Carl that he must complete a causal circle;
in 372, Carl completes the circle;
(another) 372 recounts the consequences for Carl's surviving descendant, Alawin;
43 is the consequences for Carl and Laurie;
374 is the consequences for Ermanaric.
And after that we are back into reading or rereading the second Time Patrol instalment about Northern European mythology, "Star of the Sea."
But tomorrow we will pick up some dangling details about "The Sorrow..."
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Ideally, Carl should have been yanked back by his superiors in the Patrol from interacting with his Teuring descendants no later than the birth of Hathawulf in 347. Hathawulf and his brother would very likely still have resolved to attack King Ermanaric. Alawin/Erp would probably have survived, one way or another.
Ad astra! Sean
Correction, the above comment belongs more properly to the immediately preceding blog post.
Sean
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