Re-reads

[traboule.livejournal.com]

So I'm sure I'm not the only one who decided to spend my Valentine's Day with Gen, but in the process of re-reading, I discovered a tiny point I'd forgotten and I wondered if anyone had discussed that here, and what conclusions anyone had come to.

In the short story at the end of KoA, Periphys refers to Helen as "the last Eddis."

???

I don't remember seeing any other references to Helen as the last Queen of Eddis, but I might have missed them. I guess the odds are good that she'll marry Sophos and the whole peninsula will end up united in the deserving hands of the Annux* but I thought it was an interesting moment.

Sidenote: Has anyone else seen I, Claudius? And does that mean that, for anyone else, Attendant Sejanus looks like Patrick Stewart Sejanus? (scroll down for a longer shot as well; there are two) Maybe he only sticks in my head because it's one of the few times where a historical name matches up to the historical person...but either way, it's a bit weird.

*My only gripe with these three books is the Annux vs. Basileus split. I know it's an older word and has different connotations and all, but I cannot, cannot take the King of Kings seriously if it sounds like he has conquored the new addition on the back of the house. I'd like to think Gen would agree with me, but since he's actually fluent in Archaic (and probably Linear B), I doubt it.

Comments

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen I Claudius, but every time that MWT!Sejanus appears I think of Tacitus!Sejanus, and vice-versa. Because, you know, Gen is a bit like Tiberius: secretive, a dissembler, incomprehensible to the nobility and disdainful of them... just not, you know, secretly the most evil thing since sliced bread. As his Sejanus was supposed to be like Tiberius' Sejanus, only he failed miserably. So maybe Gen is what Tiberius would have been if Sejanus hadn't gained that pernicious influence over him?

I cannot, cannot take the King of Kings seriously if it sounds like he has conquered the new addition on the back of the house.

Haha. Yeah, I wish that MWT had stuck with the Homeric Anax, or even the pre-digammaless Wanax (although that isn't necessarily any less silly).

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm friending you back now too.

I actually haven't read Tacitus on Sejanus - my sources are all fairly questionable historical novels - but that's pretty funny too. Good point on the Tiberius/Gen parallels, though; I hadn't thought of that. Man, that line between lovably eccentric and cracked-out crazy is a fine one.

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

...Wait: you can recommend questionable historical novels about Sejanus? I keep meaning to read I Claudius, and have dipped into Ben Johnson's play, but I can never seem to find a bad good novel about early imperial Rome.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Argh. You know, I went and thought about that and realized that I'm wrong, and the only historical fiction I've read about Sejanus was I, Claudius. Although it's been a while, so now I'm even having trouble detaching the book from the mini in my head. Hmm.

Sorry. Got nothin. Pity Mary Renault never decided to write about the Julio-Claudians. I think she would have done a fantastic job.

PS

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

Your gingerbread cathedral is AWESOME! (I hope you don't mind that I friended you.)

[cleo]

In the short story at the end of KoA, Periphys refers to Helen as "the last Eddis."

Well, there's the whole prophetic vision that Eddis is going to be destroyed when the volcano erupts...

That is my take on it, at least, but I think there are several ways we can read that line.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Oooh, point. I'd forgotten about that. But does it entail the destruction of the kingship? And is it happening during Helen's reign?

Hmm. Well. Time to re-read QoA and double check on that destruction thing.

[keestone.livejournal.com]

IIRC, they don't know when the volcano is going to happen but Helen believes they will be given adequate warning when it does.

I haven't read the short story, but could being "the last Eddis" be a reference to the fact that the historical mode of succession ended when Helen destroyed Hamiathes' gift?

[traboule.livejournal.com]

could being "the last Eddis" be a reference to the fact that the historical mode of succession ended when Helen destroyed Hamiathes' gift?

I like that explanation much better than Eddis being destroyed by volcanic fire...

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

We don't know when it will happen, but both Gen and Eddis have been warned by the gods in their dreams, which suggests they will have to deal with it at some point, so no doubt during their lifetime.

[inkasrain.livejournal.com]

Yes, the "last Eddis" comment... I don't know what to think. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence, and I am rather inclined to fear the worst. Megan has a theme of the bitter accompanying the sweet, and the dissolution of Eddis would most definitely cast a pall on any eventual victories awaiting Gen and the Attolians.

At the same time though, the ruler presiding at the time of his or her civilization's fall is rarely a competent figure, much less a queen of Eddis's excellence. It doesn't make a lot of logical sense, at least to me, for the country to collapse while Eddis's reign continues to be viewed positively-- which would lead me to consider the dissolution of all three countries into one nation under Eugenides. (Though this presents issues as well, as I really can't imagine Eddis, Attolia or Sounis being willing to relinquish their exclusive claim to their sliver of country.)

Really, it's a puzzle.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

My theory has always been that the sacred mountain will explode, and Helen will die in the eruption. I think Gen and Irene would come in to make sure there wasn't a civil war when Eddis fell. That's two countries.

But I desperatly hope I am wrong, and my dearest Helen lives a long and happy life.

And ends up with Sophos.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

My theory has always been that the sacred mountain will explode, and Helen will die in the eruption.

!!!

I'm going to hope you're wrong. But then, I spent four years believing Lee Scoresby was still alive, so you can see that my capacity for self-delusion is great.

[thelasteddis.livejournal.com]

I desperately hope I am wrong, too. But I've spent countless hours meditating on it, and it keeps coming back to me...

[zumie-ashlen.livejournal.com]

I always thought it might be because she may ally herself with another country... probably Sounis, and the two will merge to become another country, hence the end of this particular line.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

That's sort of what I'm hoping for too. But it's so ominously Macbeth that it caught me and a got a bit worried.

[tygrestick.livejournal.com]

My impression is that Gen is going to unite the three kingdoms... in which case, she would indeed be the last Eddis! But I could be wrong. :-D

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

That icon...ROCKS. :D

[tygrestick.livejournal.com]

haha thanks! llamas are my favorite <3

[reader-marie.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear. All these visions of destruction...it does seem logical that the volcano will have something to do with it.

It is hard, however, to escape the conclusion that Gen will end up ruling more than one country, which probably includes Eddis. Especially with all this stuff about needing to be united to drive out the Medes. However, if Helen and Sophos end up together (presuming Sophos is alive and this is a desirable outcome--in my mind both are true), that would pretty much assimilate Eddis and Sounis together, unless Sophos has managed to get himself disinherited while pretending to be dead.

We're also pretty sure that Gen is the last Thief of Eddis, which suggests some fairly crucial changes to the structure of the country in the future. Hopefully without too much doom and destruction.

Thinking Happy Thoughts

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

IIRC...and I probably don't...the destruction of Eddis by volcano was seen by both Helen and Gen. But I thought that Helen said something about it maybe not even necessarily happening in their lifetimes. Just sometime in the future. And the gods had warned them so they would have time to prepare. So I'm gonna go with Helen being prepared, not dead. And I figure all the foreshadowing about an Annux bears out Reader Marie's hypothesis of Gen ruling more than just Attolia. So I'm just going to keep on laughing and scratching in my happy place if that's ok with everyone...:-D.

[sgwordy.livejournal.com]

Would it be possible that Gen will not necessarily rule three united kingdoms but serve as the leader needed to unite them in defense whilst they keep their individuality?

Also, could Helen and Sophos (hope, hope, hoping he's alive) marry thus strengthening Eddis and Sounis through unity but then when the mountain erupts the citizens of Eddis take refuge in Sounis? After that Eddis may or may not be sustainable as its own country...thus making Helen the last Eddis without dying and without a crazy Sounis takeover.