(urth) Back to Inter Library Loan - prob some spoilers

David Duffy David.Duffy at qimrberghofer.edu.au
Thu Sep 2 01:51:42 PDT 2021


Hi All. 

Finally finished this. Since the Ploughman's level of story does seem rather full of trapdoors, as someone apparently epigrammatized about Wolfe, I have gone straight to the onomastics, mainly via Wikipedia !!?!

The first kicker for me was that Fevre is an "Occupational surname for ironworkers and Smiths" - hmmph.

Barry is Finnbarr is the King of the Dead, Adah is Dawn, and Chandra is Moon. 

"Finvarra is a benevolent figure who ensures good harvests, a master at chess, strong horses, and great riches to those who will assist him. However, he also frequently kidnaps human women."

As Ern himself comments, Ern is the Sea-Eagle, but other meanings in Gaelic are "grieve", "mourn", "pain", "run".  Lichholm is pretty straightforward, along with the Jingle Bells House.

Note that "True Humans" are perfectly bilaterally symmetric, so reclones are easy to pick. Note that there is a big literature on "fluctuating asymmetry" in biology,
where asymmetry is a marker (a "soft sign") in humans and other species for assorted genetic disorders. I am sure that Wolfe knew that, given his love of wonky older science. But here, it is a further pointer to being of the Tuatha, some benevolent, some bipolar ;) I am reminded of _Castleview_, but also Waugh's _Decline and Fall_...

Cheers, David Duffy.


More information about the Urth mailing list