Reflections On The War On Diomedes II

Since we have recently mentioned demons, it is appropriate to remark that bat-winged Diomedeans wielding flame-throwers are very like demons.

On Earth, when a half-ton stone from a ballista sinks a canoe, its crew goes into the water. On Diomedes, they whirl up - but then the aerial command pounces. Van Rijn dances with the ballista captain, bawling:

"'Du bist mein Sonnenchein...'" (XII, p. 466) (For full reference, see here.)

I did start to deduce the meaning of that phrase as I was googling it.

Posting while rereading, I now find that Anderson writes:

"Bat-winged devils sought each other's lives through one red chaos." (p. 469)

Not only are the Diomedeans devils but "...one red chaos..." sounds like Hell and particularly like Anderson's chaotic Hell in Operation Chaos. (Scroll down the post, past the long Milton quote.)

In Mid-Battle

The Man Who Counts XVII, see here.

Thrilling battle scenes:

canoes circle ice ships like wolves around a buffalo herd;

arrows, catapult bolts, flung stones and exploding oil jugs hit the ships;

but flying Lannachska with buckets douse the burning sails;

one ship is dismasted but its crew flies to others;

Lannachska air power hammers the canoes;

ships, ramming and burning the canoes, approach the Drak'ho Fleet of interlinked rafts which pulls into war formation with churning oars;

"The sea itself burned and smoked behind; ahead lay the great rafts." (p. 468);

"...the massed rafts became a storm... Bat-winged devils sought each other's lives through one red chaos... whirling, shrieking destruction." (p. 469);

"Red-stained water, littered with dropped spears and bows..." (p. 470);

when the mast on van Rijn's flag ship ignites, he cuts it loose so that it falls onto and burns a Drak'ho raft;

Lannachska ships follow van Rijn's into the Fleet where the wooden rafts burn whereas the ice ships do not;

the next move is not to burn a raft but to capture it;

but the Drak'ho Expeditionary Forces approaches;

the chapter ends...

Gods And Devils On Diomedes

The Man Who Counts, XVII.

Wace thinks of miserly gods (p. 258) and the flying, fighting Diomedeans resemble "Bat-winged demons..." (p. 255)  Thus, the Diomedean sea battle suggests a battle in Hell and such a battle, i.e., in Hell, does occur in Poul Anderson's Operation Chaos:

List Descriptions

A Demon Lord And Horst's Orderly 

Matuchek's Moment Of Realization

Two Air Fights With Demons

Rescue From Hell

 

Parallel sf and fantasy narratives, Anderson addressing every option.