When Skafloc, returned from Jotunheim, rides to the Erlking:
his horse is gaunt and hungry;
his clothes are ragged and faded;
his armour is battered and rusty;
his cloak is worn thin;
his weight is down;
great muscles lie under tight skin over big bones;
his face is lined and aged;
his fair hair is wind-tossed.
"So might Loki look, riding to Vigrid plain on the last evening of the world." (p. 167)
I think that that is an authentic touch. In the Sagas, a comparison would be made with a mythic story.
Next comes a description of nature:
air is chill;
wind is strong;
spring wind frolicks and shouts;
sky is high and blue;
sun strikes through clouds;
wet grass gleams and sparkles;
thunder rolls;
the southeast is dark;
a rainbow shines;
geese honk;
a thrush sings;
squirrels play;
warm days, light nights, green woods and nodding flowers approach;
Skafloc remembers Freda.
Don't read past. Reread.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Both are well worth rereading--albeit more impatient readers might well skip over the nature descriptions.
Ad astra! Sean
Weather and nature are more important to people in this situation than they are to us.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I never thought of that before, but it makes sense. People living in the 900's did not have amenities we take for granted, like central heating, piped water/plumbing, and ACs. In fact, I ordered a 14,000 BTU AC to replace an ancient, worn-out AC today. To say nothing of how my "horseless carriage" has powered windows, heating, and its own AC!
People in Skafloc's time had to pay more attention to how hard it was to travel, and to endure extreme discomfort from heat or cold. Compared to them we live in the lap of sybaritic luxury!
Ad astra! Sean
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