Who’s Queen?

S01 — Session 30

1626


Season, Week, Day

Dramatis Personae

…and introducing the squeebabies, Gwydir ap Tiwr and Gwrych ap Tiwr

[Hail, Eris. If you don’t know what that means look it up later. By now you know me, and you’ll probably have heard rumours about my esteemed colleague Dr Tomm. Let me lay those to rest by saying he is alive and well, and the tree missed him by a very short distance, although it has destroyed his car and much of his collection of wargames and minature buildings. I will be filling in, until he can once more fill his own boots. Once they have been cleaned, of couse.

The various sagas we have … you have…. been studying have largely been in chronological order, until now, but I am going to invite you to look at one poem in detail this week, and one particular part. Berra JarangsdottirHumaktiSaga. I will want you to produce a two thousand word essay on the Niyall Conjecture – that it is a teaching method for Humakti. With that in mind, let us examine first, another work entirely, that of Goldman, whose impressive work in the records of the Nochet Battalion almost makes up for her obnoxious personality. You may quote me on that.]

1.02 > and furthermore let it XXX
1.03 > without doubt a [trustworthy]
1.04 > foe be a friend in guestkeeping
1.05 > so [this is] the path [of Honour]
1.06 > that sword be laid aside or
1.07 > oakward be kept either
1.08 > that my host shall [know]]
1.09 > XXXXXXXXXX
1.10 > XXXXX fight alongside
1.11 > this is my vow and Honour
1.12 > helpless or helping

[Compare this with Jarangsdottir Humakti Saga and the infamous insult. Is it an insult? What else in Goldman’s works might be used to support or attack this thinking? Am I in fact messing with your heads?]

Pale Palace-pursers
Berra Sword-stayed
Direly dagger shield dropped
For Varanis Vingan

[This would of course indicate a bodyguard’s position, unless you had been paying attention to …. oh, I see there was no lesson last week. Still, it may be that Berra took the forefront in anger, not in protection. Did she already serve Varanis? Is Varanis the same as Varena? You may wish to cover this in your essays.]

Wine lip-wetting
Unthroatsaking sipped
Pretty pass to paragon
Insulted injury included

[And, as you may require some help for context, please ignore the following stanza, which Niyall … well, perhaps you should not ignore the following stanza.]

Speech swiftly styled
Word-chiding champion1Presumably by Varanis or some other famous speaker
Humbled Humakti
Nameless atonement not needed

[Essays. You’ll have noticed that it is early in our lesson, and there is no homework to be set, as once more Dr Tomm is unavailable for marking. Two thousand words. Get going.]

Events

What Really Happened

Session Quotes

  • 1
    Presumably by Varanis or some other famous speaker