The Aesir are the Norse pantheon. As As is a god. "Aesir" is the plural: "gods." Asgard is the enclosure of the gods. Thus, a dweller in Asgard is an As, not an "Asgardian," as in Marvel Comics.
Imric the elf-earl:
hears Thor ("Thunder...great wheels across the sky...," III, p. 23);
sees Odin ("...long gray beard...shadowing hat...spear...single eye...," p. 24);
receives Skirnir ("...messenger of the Aesir...," IV, p. 25).
Although I did not remember Skirnir's name, Wikipedia reminds us that he is in both Eddas.
Odin will reappear in this novel.
The omniscient narrator informs us that gods, giants and trolls are "...others..." (ibid.) of the same sort as elves, whatever sort that is. This sort has in common that they do not age and have:
"...few children, centuries apart..." (ibid.)
The text proceeds to mention dwarves, sprites, gnomes, goblins, a faun, Pan, the new god, dryads, nymphs and Olympians. For some of these beings, see:
17 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
IIRC the dryads/nymphs had become refugees fleeing a Greece which had become inhospitable to them. And that Pan had died.
Ad astra! Sean
Correct.
Kaor, Paul!
Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem "A Musical Instrument" renders a terrible but just judgement on Pan.
Ad astra! Sean
I am just going out so anything else will have to wait.
Well, Barrett's poem is metaphorical. "Making a poet out of a man", is a commentary on artistic creation and what it does to the creator.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Certainly, but I was thinking of lines like this from the first stanza telling us what Pan was doing: "Spreading ruin and scattering ban," before plucking a reed from the river. After cutting the reed short the fourth stanza has this: "Then drew the pith, like the heart of a man,/Steadily from the outside ring,/And notched the poor dry empty thing/In holes, as he sate by the river."
The last stanza gives a harsh judgement of Pan:
"Yet half a beast is the great god Pan,
To laugh as he sits by the river,
Making a poet out of a man:
The true gods sigh for the cost and the pain,--
For the reed which grows nevermore again
As a reed with the reeds in the river."
The very first time I came across this poem was half a century ago, reading A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS, when Aycharaych quoted this stanza to Flandry. It stuck with me and got me interested in Barrett's poetry.
Ad astra! Sean
Barrett's poetry is very good. Better than her husband's, IMHO.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I can only say I liked what I read of EBB's poetry and that I can't comment on her husband's poetry, not having read it.
I still remember with irritation the introduction to the collection of EBB's poetry that I have, because the editor tried to force into her poems ideas/beliefs EBB simply did not have. E.g., IIRC Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a devout Anglican. Almost verboten these days!
Ad astra! Sean
Being a devout Anglican is not forbidden these days!
Kaor, Paul!
Of course not, but in these woke, Politically Correct days, when so many "mainstream" Protestant churches have watered down their faith to mush, a devout Anglican who takes Christianity seriously stands out.
Ad astra! Sean
Well, I'm a devout High Church Anglican atheist... 8-).
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Ha, true! But you take far more after Anderson, who treated honest Christians and Jews with respect.
Ad astra! Sean
Well, I don't expect my POV to ever prevail with most people.
I've known plenty of highly intelligent relgious people, too.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I can certainly believe that, from similarly highly intelligent religious believers in your stories. I recall how Anderson had only the deepest respect for the Catholic Anthony Boucher, one of the founding co-editors of THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION. And he spoke well of Pope John Paull II.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: I've become convinced that religious belief has nothing to do with IQ -- it's a matter of emotional prelidiction. I lack a few common human emotions, which means I had to study them consciously to write convincing characters.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I at least half agree with you--emotional predilection plus deliberate intellectual assent. It's the usual Catholic thing, it's not an "either/or" it's both "X and Y."
And that deliberate effort to understand what you don't naturally or feel is commendable! That effort is what helps to keep some from becoming psychopathic, conscienceless monsters. One of the most alarming books I ever read was Taylor Caldwell's novel WICKED ANGEL, an all too convincing examination of a sociopathic boy with no conscience, no empathy, no capability for regret/remorse, etc.
Ad astra! Sean
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