The Wizard Knight Companion Read online

  Onomastics: Middle Dutch word for “curly-headed.” Also Polish Krol, an occupational name for someone who worked in a royal household.

  Dandun a baron of Celidon freed by Able from the dungeon of Thortower (II, chap. 35, 419).

  Onomastics: perhaps Dan (“a Dane”) plus the Dutch dun (“slender”) for “slender Dane.”

  Daunte “Duchess of Daunte” is one of Gaynor’s titles. English word for enduring, obstinate.

  Deif a villager of Griffinsford who was bitten by a two-headed turtle (II, chap. 22, 264).

  Onomastics: Middle Scots word for “deaf.”

  Dirmaid see spell of divination.

  Disira Seaxneat’s wife, mother of Ossar (I, chap. 6, 53). She is small, with black hair and very white skin (54). To Ravd her name is disturbingly close to Disiri. One wonders if she might be a priestess of the Moss Queen, particularly since Ulfa mentions that there are rites the villagers perform but cannot speak of (I, chap. 8, 62). Disiri, for her part, seems to set Able to protect Disira and Ossar. Later Seaxneat kills her while Able is out hunting (I, chap. 10, 76).

  Disiri the queen of the Moss Aelf (I, chap. 7, 57). She was worshipped in Glennidam: Able says to young Toug, “Some people in your village pray to Disiri. Your sister told me” (II, chap. 3, 35). Disira’s name is a strong indication of this.

  Piecing the puzzle together, it appears that before Griffinsford fell, Disiri took the real Able away, probably to the Isle of Glas to visit his mother. Then she switched Arthur Ormsby (of America) with the real Able. After Able delivers the message to Arnthor, he regains memories of childhood: playing with Disiri when both were young children (II, chap. 33, 404).

  Myth: (Norse) Dísir are female supernatural beings; goddesses (Davidson).

  Dollop and Scallop the inn where Able and Pouk stay in Forcetti (I, chap. 33, 205). Owned by Gorn.

  Don Quixote (cross-reference from Quixote and Dunsany, Lord) a Spanish novel in two parts, first published in 1605 and 1615, and long considered a founding work of modern Western literature.

  The hero is a middle-aged man who, having read too much chivalric romance, decides to live the life himself. In this form of literary-madness, he gives himself a title (“Don Quixote”), decides a farm girl is his lady love, declares his bony horse a magnificent charger, etc.

  In the first book, his concerned friends try to cure him of his madness. In the second book, he returns to reality with a life-threatening melancholy, so that the concerned friends must try to engage his happy mania again. They cannot, and he dies, sane in mind but broken in spirit.

  Commentary: because of the two-book nature of Don Quixote, and Able’s possible madness, The Wizard Knight itself may be only a delusion of Arthur Ormsby, wounded or ill in an ambulance in America.

  Drakoritter Able’s name among the Overcyns (II, chap. 20, 235). Able’s twenty-year career in Skai includes a number of details, not the least of which is that Overcyns often thought Ler was his brother. He visited the Bridge of Swords, which is something Hermod did in Norse myth. Able was at the siege of Nastrond. For a time he was on loan to the Lady. He was with Thunnor on the adventure where the place they had camped in turned out to be a giant’s glove.

  Onomastics: (Germanic) “dragon-rider,” where “ritter” is a term signifying “knight.”

  Dream another world on the fourth level, next to Mythgarthr (II, chap. 5, 53).

  Duach see names on the wind.

  Duke the upper nobility, second only to royalty, the ruler of a duchy. From Latin dux, a military commander. Dukes in the text include Bahart, Coth, Indign, Marder, and Thoas.

  Duns Uns’s older brother (mentioned in I, chap. 35, 222; and met in I, chap. 38, 234). He is expected to inherit the farm. Org broke his arms when Duns tried to catch the ogre.

  Onomastics: close to the English male name Dun, meaning “dark.” Or a possible pun on “dunce.” Also the word duns is the plural of dun, an Irish hill fort. (For a similar case, see lis, lady.)

  Dunsany, Lord the author to whom The Wizard is dedicated. Lord Dunsany (1878–1957) was an author of fantasy works. His poem “The Riders,” quoted at the beginning of The Knight, was first published in Fifty Poems (1929) and collected in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy title Beyond the Fields We Know. “The Riders” mentions Quixote, for which see entry on don quixote.

  Earl Marshal see escan.

  East Hall Woddet’s manor (I, chap. 34, 209).

  Egil one of the outlaws near Glennidam (I, chap. 6, 52), the one who knocked Brega down (53).

  Myth: (Norse) “inspires fright.” There are two characters with this name in Norse mythology. One is a brother of mighty smith Volund (also known as weland) and the husband of Valkyrie Olrun, said by some sources to be an excellent archer. The other is a character who took care of Thor’s goats while he was on expedition to visit the giant hymir.

  Egr one of Beel’s upper servants, who is in charge of the baggage train (I, chap. 47, 293).

  Onomastics: possibly the Russian name Egor, form of George (“farmer”); or the Old Norse Ægir, meaning “sea.”

  Eilhart see names on the wind.

  Eluned, Dame the wife of Sir Owan, who asks the Earl Marshal for judgment (II, chap. 29, 352).

  Onomastics: (Welsh) name, from eilun, meaning “image, idol.”

  Elysion the world where the Most High God lives, above all the rest (II, chap. 7, 83). See cosmology.

  Myth: (Greek) the name of a section of the Underworld reserved for the souls of the heroic and virtuous. Latinized as Elysium; the Elysian Fields.

  Erac one of Arnthor’s own knights. He and Manasen escort Able to the dungeon below Thortower (II, chap. 33, 398).

  Onomastics: close to the Irish name Erc, which means “red.”

  Arthuriana: a knight of the Round Table, also known as Errak(e), husband of Enid.

  Escan the Earl Marshall, a nobleman of many titles (II, chap. 29, 351). He has an estate at Brighthills (II, chap. 31, 377). He has four manors and a castle (379); the castle is Sevengates (II, chap. 36, 425). He goes to Aelfrice with Able by way of the dungeons of Thortower (II, chap. 35, 419–24). Payn is his bastard (425).

  In Aelfrice he says, “I wish I could sit here forever” (424), and even though he returns to Mythgarthr, he leaves a physical reflection behind in Aelfrice. This spirit twin seems alive, which makes it something like a changeling, doppleganger, or clone. In this regard, see mag.

  Arthuriana: Escan was the Duke or Earl of Cambenic in the early days of Arthur’s reign. Along with a number of other kings, he revolted against Arthur, and suffered defeat at the battle of Bedegraine. Escan came back to Arthur’s side to expel the Saxons.

  Etela a slave girl owned by the giant Logi, a smith in the town outside of Utgard (II, chap. 16, 185). Toug narrowly stops Org from killing her, and she tells Toug that the giants are making picks and shovels. Vil is her father or her stepfather, Lynnet her mother. According to Vil, Etela fears him because he is a conjurer and he told her if she was bad he would turn her into a doll (II, chap. 22, 271–72).

  Onomastics: (Hebrew) Etel means “noble.”

  Eterne the Mother of all Swords, the seventh brand Weland made. Eterne is haunted and commands the ghosts of those who bore it unworthily (I, chap. 9, 69). Hunbalt was one, and Skoll was the last to bear her before Grengarm captured her. When Able uses his final question to ask Michael what question he should ask, Michael says, “You should ask whence came the tongs that grasped Eterne. Notice, please, that I did not say I would answer you” (I, chap. 44, 277). See also zio.

  Onomastics: [ih-TURN] archaic adjective meaning “eternal.” Middle English, from Old French, from Latin aeturnus.

  baldig

  beel

  bergelmir

  black caan

  black knight

  borda

  brega

  C

  chaus

  coldcliff

  coth

  d

  disiri

  drakoritterr />
  e

  eilhart

  eterne

  F

  Farvan Able’s puppy in Aelfrice (II, chap. 40, 477). Its head is white with red ears.

  Onomastics: (Scottish Gaelic) farbhonn (inner sole of a shoe) or barbheann (mountain with cliffs).

  Myth: (Scotland) name of a fairy dog loosed upon Hugh MacLeod when he stole a treasured cup from the Realm of Fairy.

  Commentary: the pup’s coloration matches the pattern for Celto-British hell hounds (they are either all black or white with red ears).

  Father Able, in trying to establish his social ranking in Celidon, says that his father sold hardware (I, chap. 47, 294). This finds a parallel with Black Berthold, who was probably a blacksmith.

  Fenrir “as bad as the Giants of Winter and Old Night ever get. He bit off the arm of an Overcyn” (II, glossary) (II, chap. 3, 36).

  Myth: (Norse) “fen dweller,” mythic name for a monster wolf said to be son of Loki by Angrboda. It was bound by Tyr, but it bit off his arm, and will break free at Ragnarok.

  Fiach a warder in the dungeon under Thortower (II, chap. 33, 400). Able tries to make a deal with him, offering two years of gold rent upfront. Fiach wants to do it the old way. Able lets Org eat him.

  Onomastics: (Irish) a mythic name, derived from a word for “raven.”

  Finefield Garvaon’s manor, a big house with a wall around it and a tower (I, chap. 57, 356).

  Fire Aelf the clan Setr took over completely (I, chap. 23, 144). The human smith Weland had been their king, but, as the armorer in Forcetti says, the Dragon got him. (Thus Setr must have killed Weland.) Baki and Uri are Fire Aelf. Bold Berthold was sometimes bothered by Fire Aelf, and Baki’s behavior with the blind smith Vil is probably a good example of what this is like.

  Five Fates the old Caan’s wife, having been barren, suddenly gave birth to six boys. As each came forth, he was marked with a colored ribbon around his ankle: red, brown, white, gold, blue, and black. The fates of the six were foretold: Red to be crushed, Brown would be trod into mire, White to die at the hands of his followers, Golden would perish in a gold fortress, Blue to drown, and Black would be run through with the Aelf sword the old Caan wore the day the prophesy was made (II, chap. 37, 441–43). Five of the deaths happened at the Battle of Five Fates.

  Commentary: the colors and their sequence seem relevant to the color symbolism of the Mongols and Central Asian people in general. Red is the color of the south; white is the color of the west; blue is the color of the east; black is the color of the north; and gold is the color of the center. For the Mongol Empire, their western-most territory was initially divided into White Horde and Blue Horde (west and east); when these were united through conquest, it became the Golden Horde (center/combined). Historically there were White Khans, Blue Khans, and Golden Khans (but never Red Khans nor Black Khans).

  The tijanamirs include brown, the only one that is not a direction color. While there is no center number in an even-numbered series, it is very interesting to see that Wolfe places the golden tijanamir between, or in the center of, white and blue.

  Five Realms the gold coins of Able’s loot from Jotunland are of “five realms” (II, chap. 28, 347). Presumably these realms are:

  1. Celidon.

  2. Osterland.

  3. Realm of the Dragon, land of Lothurlings.

  4. Jotunland.

  5. Unnamed southern realm, located south of the Greenflood.

  Flintwal a giant stronghold owned by Thiaz (II, chap. 8, 88).

  Folkvanger the Lady’s house (II, chap. 3, 39).

  Myth: (Norse) Folkvang (“field of the host”) is the abode of the goddess Freyja.

  Forcetti Marder’s town, a seaport near Sheerwall Castle (I, chap. 4, 42). Said to be named after an Overcyn (II, chap. 3, 36). It is located far enough to the north to guarantee that seasonal ice will form in the harbor (estimated to be around 40° north latitude).

  Geography: Forcett is a village in north Yorkshire.

  Onomastics: an Italian surname [for-CHEH-tee].

  Myth: (Norse) Forseti, a law god, is son of Baldr and Nanna. His name means “chairman.” At his father’s hall, “Forseti/ spends all day long/ settling all suits-at-law” (Prose Edda, 55).

  Forest Fight a battle between the Osterlings and the Celidonian forces, told by Woddet (II, chap. 38, 457) and dreamed about by Able (459). Duke Marder and half-giant Heimer were there, so it was after the Battle of Utgard, and presumably while Able was in the dungeon at Thortower. It occurs after the Battle of Five Fates. “The Black Caan won it, in the end, but his camp had been sacked, and the war that seemed nearly over had become a long struggle” (II, chap. 39, 459). Following this setback, the Black Caan outflanks Arnthor and takes Kingsdoom and Thortower, sacking them both and butchering thousands.

  Fox, the a Lothurling god referred to by Stonebowl (II, chap. 39, 465). Probably Lothur himself, whom Able described as being “clever and cruel as a den of foxes” (II, chap. 37, 449).

  Free Companies the polite name for outlaw gangs (I, chap. 4, 40).

  Frigg the Valfather’s queen and Thunor’s mother (II, chap. 3, 36). “She is a beautiful quiet lady everybody loves” (II, glossary).

  Myth: (Norse) wife of Odin and Queen of Asgard, associated with fertility. She is not so clearly the mother of Thor, who is said to be Earth herself.

  Frost Giants the Angrborn, especially the raiders (I, chap. 5, 47). They come in the cold weather because they cannot tolerate heat.

  fiach

  five realms

  fox, the

  g

  Galaad a knight Able knew in Skai, along with Gamuret (II, chap. 13, 154).

  Arthuriana: Galahad, the son of Lancelot and the perfect Grail knight.

  Galene a beggar woman Able found in ruinous Kingsdoom after it had fallen to the Osterlings (II, chap. 36, 429).

  Myth: (Greek) a sea nymph or goddess, her name means “calm seas.”

  Gamuret a knight Able knew in Skai, along with Galaad (II, chap. 13, 154).

  Arthuriana: Parsifal’s father.

  Garsecg a name used by Setr when he meets Able (I, chap. 22, 137). It is his water name. (First mentioned in I, chap. 1, 21.) An early aside that he taught Able strength and speed (I, chap. 13, 93). As the old Sea Aelf he is similar to Proteus of Greek myth.

  Onomastics: (Old English) poetic term for “ocean.” Davidson says it literally means “spear-man.”

  Garvaon Beel’s best knight. He teaches Able how to fight with a sword (I, chap. 55, 340–43; Garvaon is also mentioned in I, chap. 13, 93 and I, chap. 47, 293). He is 38 years old (I, chap. 57, 355), 22 years older than Idnn, who is 16. Finefield is his manor (I, chap. 49, 306). His emblem is a tree. His wife died two years before he met Able (355). He loves Idnn and hopes to win her, asking Able not to be his rival, but he doesn’t realize her fate until rather late.

  Just before the battle against Setr, Able seems to say that Garvaon killed Gilling: “What you did I judge to be no crime. Neither the first time nor the second time” (II, chap. 26, 324). More specifically, Able says that just before the discovery of Gilling’s body, Garvaon’s men had been frightened by something they had just seen a moment before (II, chap. 20, 244), i.e., they had seen Garvaon strike Gilling the second time.

  Garvaon is part of the group that kills Setr, and with his dying breath he seems to confess to Able that he killed Gilling: “You knew. Tell her I loved her” (326). It seems odd since he was fighting against giants at the time of Gilling’s first stabbing (II, chap. 12, 140–41), but in addition to other mundane angles, there is also the paradoxical possibility that Garvaon revisted the scene from Skai, just as Able as a green knight visited himself drinking water at Bluestone Island.

  Onomastics: The Old English gar means spear and wine means friend, so Garvaon might be “spear-friend,” a variant of Garvin (“friend in battle”).

  Gawain “I did not speak; but in my mind Gawain knelt again, baring his neck” (II, chap. 26, 316). Able�
�s role as a “green knight” seems to have extended to his being the Green Knight, or re-enacting the role in Skai. See green knight.

  Arthuriana: the hero of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (ca. a.d. 1400).

  Gaynor Arnthor’s wife, the Queen of Celidon (mentioned in I, chap. 19, 123; met in II, chap. 31, 377). Her titles include Countess of Chaus and Duchess of Daunte (II, chap. 33, 394). She is nearly the same age as Idnn, who is 16; they were friends at court and grew up together (II, chap. 31, 377).

  Arthuriana: Guenevere, wife of King Arthur and mistress of Lancelot du Lac. Forms of her name include Guinevere, Gwenhwyfar (Welsh), Guenhumare, Ginevra, and Gaynour (Middle English).

  Ged a warder in the dungeon under Thortower (II, chap. 35, 411).

  Onomastics: the pet form of the English name Gerard, “spear strong.”

  Gerda the girl Bold Berthold was going to marry, she was taken by giants in a raid (met in I, chap. 64, 395; named in I, chap. 65, 401). When she meets Able she can see “the old lady” with him, presumably the witch-ghost Huld. She has two teenage-seeming children, half-giants Heimir and Hela, by the giant Hymir. She is owned by Hymir’s son Hyndle when Able meets her. Her name and position echo that of Geri (Ben’s girlfriend in America), yet through the magic helm, while Able sees that Bold Berthold looks like Ben, Gerda does not look like Geri; she looks like a younger Gerda.

  Myth: (Norse) Gerda (Gerdr, Gerth, or Gerthr), daughter of the frost giant Gymir and Angurboda, was so beautiful she attracted the god Frey. He despaired of winning her since the giants were his enemies. His clever servant won her for him. Her union with Frey is seen as the surrender of frost to spring.

  Geri the girl Ben was dating when Able lost America (I, chap. 1, 19).

  Myth: (Norse) one of two wolves, Freki and Geri, to whom Odin gives his food when he sits and feasts with the warriors of the Einherjar in Valhall.

  Geror a god or goddess of the giants (II, chap. 15, 169).