It takes Golias about a page and a half to cover a lot of territory ...
got mixed up in the Calydonian Boar Hunt
ended up dining with Briciu: In the Irish tales of the Cuchulain cycle, Bricriu is the cunning, acid-tongued mischief-maker. As Golias says, "He's a bastard, but the rest of the company was good."
went to King Fisherman's, on a Sunday: And a good day for it, too. The Fisher King is a very Christian figure, though not necessarily Christ. He was the keeper of the Grail. See also the Mystical WWW.
bivouacked a couple of nights with Arjuna, Bhima and the rest of the Hindu gods. The Bhagavad-Gita (English translation)
visited Pwyll, a Prince of the Welsh myth cycle, the Mabinogion. For a more archaic read, try Pwyll, Prince of Dyved
he wasn't there, as a matter of fact, but Arawn's a good fellow: Arawn was the Lord of the Underworld in Welsh mythology. Arawn once persuaded Pwyll to trade places with him for a year and a day; Golias seems to have happened by during that period.
ran into Orlando, absolutely off his rocker: Orlando Furioso, the medieval classic, modern English translation.
came to the Terne Wathelyne: Another location in the adventures of King Arthur.
Graelent had a beautiful friend: Graelent is a romantic figure in the Breton version of the Arthurian saga.
cut across the Troyan prairie
near got myself killed with Igor: I am not sure which Igor this is. Fred Lerner believes it is the hero of Kievan Russia celebrated in the Russian epic poem The Host of Prince Igor, c. 1186.
Tilbury town: The imaginary New England village where Edward Arlington Robinson set many of his Collected Poems.
dined at Woodlands with Johnny Quae Genus: The History of Johnny Quae Genus, by William Combe, was published in 1822. A picture from the book.
After Silverlock fills him in on his own adventures, Golias presents a plan for the future. Toward the end of his own travels he met a young man in need of assistance. Shandon's habits of a lifetime cause him to hesitate at taking further risks for a stranger, but the presence of Beowulf makes him ashamed to refuse. In Chapter 11 we will be introduced to Lucius Gil Jones and begin the Way of Choice.
More to come ...
Silverlock by John Myers Myers ISBN 0-441-76674-9 Ace Fantasy Books The Berkely Publishing Group 200 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10016 | A Silverlock Companion: The Life and Works of John Myers Myers edited by Fred Lerner ISBN 0-910619-02-6 Niekas Publications, 1988 email order from <edmund.meskys@gsel.org> |