HRT : Larani : The Passage of Souls : Annotations

[This file contains the annotations for the document The Passage of Souls; the section headings are those of that document.]

Introduction

1316 SA : Tuzyn Reckoning is not generally used in Kanday; instead the Peonian calendar is most widespread, with the Laranian calendar also being used by the Order of the Checkered Shield and the Order of Hyvrik. To convert dates from the Peonian calendar (which gives the year in the Second Age, dated from the reforms of the Aerlathos) to Tuzyn Reckoning, simply subtract 600 years from the Peonian date.

Yebael of Tolfane : Yebael is the wife of Syman of Tolfane, the Chabla of the Order of the Checkered Shield. She was born Yebael Cassean, younger sister of the current Earl of Heroth, Sinel Cassean.

tapestry : In point of fact, the work was an embroided decoration of a red cloth using fine gold threads worked in Holbein stitch; this is a simple style using lines and some filling (with thread).

decorate the Laranian chapel : More specifically, the tapestry was to act as a covering for one of the chapel windows. It was in fact planned to be significantly larger than the other such hangings, due to the large amount of detail Yebael wished to include.

Menekod Castle : Since 1295, Menekod has been the headquarters of the Laranian fighting order, the Order of the Checkered Shield.

Passage of Souls : This is the usual name for these depictions; works (in various media) have been so titled for at least one hundred and fifty years in western Hârn.

Valdamin : Valdamin was a Peonian priest of rare education and learning. Living in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, he wrote several works on various subjects; his most famous work is Meditations, which is a large collection of chants, prayers and mantras which he believed aided in communing with the Goddess. It is not known where Valdamin lived; several Peonian monasteries claim him as one of their own. The only reliable reference comes from the Annals of Kand, which says: It was in this year also [1123] that the saintly Valdamin entered the city [Aleath], speaking to the people who gathered in great numbers to see him. Nothing further is recorded in this work about the man, who it can only be assumed is in fact the same Valdamin.

In Pursuit of Dreams : More information on this text is given in the section entitled Valdamin's Text.

read by the young Yebael : During the six year period of her betrothal, from 1283-1289, Yebael journeyed around much of Kanday with her aunt, Brygyne, visiting holy sites and becoming educated. While visiting Korri Abbey she came across the Valdamin manuscript and read it.

1287 : It must be noted, in light of the subsequent disappearance of this volume, that only two years later Korri Abbey was ransacked by the invading Rethemi army. This does not explain the absence of its record in the Abbey catalogue (see below) but does perhaps explain its absence from the shelves.

Suloran of Korri Abbey : The Suloran at this time was Claune of Horbin, who had been appointed to the position in 1315, after serving as Matakea at Erone Abbey.

catalogues in the Abbey : Most collections of manuscripts, whether held by laypeople or clerics, had an accompanying catalogue which lists the works available, their contents, the date of their addition to the collection, details of the benefactor, if any, and so forth. It is this fact that makes the disappearance of the text so mysterious; the attack of the Rethemi in 1289 might well have led to the destruction or theft of the codex, but it should still have been listed in the catalogue.

Aunt Brygyne : Yebael's aunt was born Revekka Cassean, but took the name Brygyne when she joined Harchesa Abbey at the age of fifteen, in 1261. At the age of 34 she became Abbess. Three years later, and at her own insistence, her niece Yebael came to live with her. Together the two women spent much of their time travelling about Kanday, for both political and educational reasons.

Harchesa Abbey : This Abbey is situated west of Quivum and Erone Abbey, and is held by the Order of Hyvrik. The Abbess is Brygyne, formerly Revekka Cassean.

Saint Peloran : Saint Peloran was born before the Theocracy of Tekhos, and lived well into the thirteenth century. He joined the Laranian Church as a middle-aged man after the collapse of the Theocracy, and it was only in those last years that he took to writing.

Valdamin's Text

early twelfth century : This supposition is based both on the dates for Valdamin himself (see above) and the list of owners on one of the pages of the Korri Abbey manuscript. This list, which gives both names and dates, has three entries; the first of these is given as Arkon Dail, given on the Evening of Baryne the Holy Founder of the Enlightened Brotherhood Seeking Truth, Inspiration for the Venemous Skirmish Under the Pillars of the World in the Battle of Endless Sorrows during the Siege of Dolithor, in the Campaign Waged Under Starred Heaven. Given the nature of the Laranian Calendar (in which system the date is given), particular interpretations differ slightly; however it gives a rough date of around the 3rd Belsirase of Diolkgarwch in 1127 S.A. Although it cannot be firmly established that the Korri Abbey manuscript is the original text, given the proximity of this date to the author's own lifetime, it is likely to be close to the date it was first 'published'.

[The use of the Laranian Calendar at this time is unusual, given that it was officially abandoned in favour of the Peonian calendar in 1071. However, its continued use even sixty years later in somewhere as far from the ecclesiastical centre as western Hârn should not be considered in any way extraordinary.]

the Divine : Though a Peonian, Valdamin uses this term to refer to any divinity, whether God or Goddess, and also to any manifestation or concomitant circumstance of such entities. It is probable that Valdamin's intention in using this word was to include both Goddesses, Peoni and Larani, without distinction. Such is not now the usual custom.

the Pilgrim : This refers, evidently, to a Laranian saint - the text introducing the dream refers to the Pilgrim as a saint, and the dream clearly refers to Larani, though she is nowhere mentioned by name (see the discussion of specific points below). Unfortunately, there are several Laranian saints who have taken this epithet, and it is difficult to decide which one is being refered to. The three possible candidates are: Saint Cathin, Saint Théamese, and Saint Tîrenir.

Saint Cathin is certainly the most widely-known of the three, though perhaps not as famous in western Hârn. He is said to be the one who brough knowledge of Larani to Hârn, travelling the isle from end to end in his fervour. It is commonly thought that it is for this great endeavour that he is named "the Pilgrim", but in fact it was his return to the continent and subsequent visits to many of the most holy sites there, that earned him the name.

Saint Théamese was born in , in the Corani Empire. It is very unlikely, though possible, that she is the one referred to, simply because of her sex. The dream is written in the first person, and there is no direct information about whether the dreamer is male or female; however, the encounter with the beautiful woman in Tirithor (see below) and the test that she embodies would strongly indicate, if not prove, that the Pilgrim was male. Also relevant is the fact that the account of the meeting emphasises the woman's smallness, and the Pilgrim chopping the wood for her might also indicate a man rather than another woman.

Saint Tîrenir was another native of Hârn, though it is not known where he was born. He lived during the eleventh century.

slept :

I saw visions :

all was black : There are three main interpretations put forward to give context to the landscape of darkness of the first half of the dream. The first of these is that it is symbolic of the mortal world we live in, in which we are unable to fully see or comprehend the Goddess, and are constantly wandering about to no useful end.

The second claims that this is the place Elossinor, the contemplative world where holy visions are the only reality, the time of sleep and death. Those who hold to this theory also point to the dreamer's act of meditation later in the text, on which see below.

The third major theory is that this whole dream is shows the forgiving nature of the Goddess to those who have sinned, and holds out the hope that even those who have led impure lives can be redeemed. Believers of this interpretation claim that the darkness is the Boiling Plains of Barashnak, and the Pilgrim's path leads him eventually out of this unholy place and into Tirithor. Then, in the second half of the dream, he is required to undergo certain tests, by which he is to prove his true faith and devotion and worthy of acceptance into Dolithor. For why, it is argued, would a holy man need to undergo the tests in Tirithor that he had successfully passed on Kethira?

One obvious objection to this view is that the darkness encountered by the Pilgrim is cold, while the warmth is a Holy Radiance; an image quite out of keeping with the nature of the Boiling Plains of Barashnak. However, it might also be argued that this same inverted imagery causes problems for all three theories.

It has also been argued that the place is simply the limbo state of death, before it is decided where the soul journeys to - Tirithor, Valon, or Barashnak. This avoids some of the problems of the third theory, but is unsupported by any other writings, which universally claim an instant transition between the time of death and the soul's voyage to one of the three places of spiritual life.

wonderful warmth : As becomes clear later in the text, this warmth is associated with the Goddess Larani. This is quite an unusual piece of symbolism, particularly given the association of light (see below) with temptation/sin/Agrik. Normally this imagery is reversed. Note, however, that at no point is the warmth described as being like a flame, one of the symbols of Agrik.

cover my hands : The significance of the hands being covered first is unclear.

silent heat : The description of the heat or warmth as silent is not obvious. One possible explanation is that it is not possible to properly hear the Goddess' voice until one has left the darkness (the world?); note that later in the vision he cries out and cannot hear his own voice.

lifted me up : Given that the speaker is already standing, this must mean have a non-literal meaning. Given his earlier reluctance to move, this might refer solely to the burgeoning of spirits that removed the fear of the darkness.

seeking the source : This is the first indication that the heat is coming from a particular location (as noted above, the physical metaphor is sustained throughout this description); there seems to be no difficulty in following the path of the warmth to its source, beyond what is described in the passage. This path is of course the Path of Virtue and Holiness.

light to my left : This distracting light at first tempts, then confuses and bewilders the Pilgrim. It is here associated with temptation, worldliness, and stands for the Demon Agrik himself, the Deceiving Light.

though it illuminated nothing : This serves two functions on the metaphorical level. Firstly, it makes it clear that the light is not to be associated with Larani, while the wonderful warmth is. Secondly, it shows that it is not a true guide to living in the world, as the warmth is, but instead merely confuses and leads astray those who follow it; the darkness is still darkness (see below).

flickered constantly : Another indication that the light is not the Holy Brilliance of Larani, but in fact the smoky flames of Agrik.

I could feel nothing before me : An intimation, perhaps, that the Holy Path cannot be grasped by thought and sense alone, but rather requires the traveller to cleave to a higher level of experience. It is not possible to so easily tell where the True Way exactly lies. Though this is only a hint, it is a dangerous thought, implying as it does a personal relationship between the individual and the Goddess, in which the dreamer must be guided directly by the Goddess. What then is the place of the holy writings, and the advice and guidance of priests?

nowhere did I hear the echo of my voice : Again the silence of this place is remarked upon.

now cold once more : Having left the True Path, he is now able to realise his former state of Godlessness, which previously he had been unaware of; no mention of being cold is made before he encounters the warmth.

lost in the darkness forever : A fear which seems to be contradicted in the very next statement about the light being everywhere (see below). However, as was mentioned above, the light gave off no light.

everywhere the flickering light was before me, as many as the stars : Once one has wandered from the Path of Virtue, the temptations and dangers of the world seem multiplied beyond count; there is no longer any place which is free from this, save on the Path to Redemption.

I turned my back on the lights that still hung there : He here begins to meditate, to practice Ethelan, the Sindarin way of entering Elossinor. He has rejected that which has tempted and attacked him, and though the lights are all about him, he has removed himself from their presence through his trance.

let the darkness consume me : Though he has turned away from the lights, he has not withdrawn wholly into himself; rather, this statement shows that he is embracing the world, but from a position of greater enlightenment.

the light returned to tempt me : Once more it is shown that even those on the Path of Wisdom are not free from the guiles of those who would have them stray from it. Only at the last moment, when the heat is all-consuming, is there no chance for weakness and corruption, for then the Goddess is fully present.

only an instant later : This marks the beginning of the second half of the dream, in which the Pilgrim wanders through Tirithor, facing the tests that stand between him and his reunion with the Goddess at Dolithor. That no time passes between his consumption in the heat and 'awakening' in Tirithor is natural; the Goddess is outside the limits of time.

High above me : This might be simply a literal remark, or a reference to the Pilgrim's change in circumstance. Where before he was enveloped by the warmth, now that same warmth, in the form of the sun, is separate from him - he has moved away from the Goddess, and can see the two as distinct. See the notes for the rest of this paragraph below.

the sun shone full on my face : This marks the close link between the Pilgrim's previous state of being burned in the heat, totally immersed, and the current situation, where the change is only one of distance (see above).

its light was pure and bright : Obviously in contrast to the tempting lights in the darkness, which were the workings of the Unholy Lord of the Smoking Flame. Larani's light illuminates, rather than obscures; it burns away impurity, rather than causing it.

sun's face became that of a beautiful woman : This is a clear example of the sun and the Goddess being associated because of their similar attributes. Larani's face in the sun is now such a common image that it is not always realised that it is a relatively recent addition to the iconography; prior to perhaps this passage itself (though the question of the text's date is still unanswered), the two were associated, but not linked so intimately and so powerfully. The combined image of sun and Goddess forms the centre of Yebael's tapestry.

It is also worth pointing out that, contrary to when one is clothed in an earthly body, the sun is able to be looked upon - the Divine Radiance does not strike blind those who have passed through into Tirithor.

I tried to rise to greet her, but could not : One interpretation claims that this is because his individual soul has not yet been returned to his spiritual body; the Goddess must first separate his soul from her own being, through the kiss she gives him.

the lady : The Goddess is of course The Lady; the use of the word here provides a contrast to the woman of the second trial (see below).

blowing her breath softly between my lips : This is not the usual form a kiss takes; as mentioned above, this might be the means by which the Goddess effects the return of the individual soul to the spiritual body.

burning sphere : This is another indication that the previous warmth is to be associated with the Goddess.

a low green hill : The first of several such, each higher than the last, which mark the boundaries between the trials that the Pilgrim must pass. They are of course verdant simply due to the resplendant nature of all that lies within Tirithor.

an inn : This inn is named The Golden Hart in one of the glosses of the Harchesa Abbey manuscript of Saint Peloran's Trials of Heaven. For further information on this, see the section on this work.

with the head of a wolf : It is unlikely that this is meant to imply that the innkeeper is a robber or murderer; rather, it is the wolf's quality of ravenous hunger that is the meaning behind the image.

a great thirst came over me : Thus showing the danger of giving in to temptation; once one has given in to animal lusts, the appetite is not sated, but rather inflamed. Well was it said that "every sin is a temptation to commit sin".

wolfed down the rest : An obvious reference to the bartender; the perils of even a single drink is made quite clear in this one phrase.

A beautiful woman : This woman is given a number of names in both the text of Saint Peloran's Trials of Heaven and the long gloss at this point in the Harchesa Abbey copy of this work. Three names given in the gloss stand out: Halea, Quesailuáu and Jaleîknargs. The use of the first is clear, given the nature of that figure. The remaining two, however, require a little explanation. They are listed together in the gloss, and are described simply as "disguised". Quesailuáu and Jaleîknargs are, respectively, the female and male natures of the Goddess' hermaphroditic servant Gotáumaþa, and are presumably disguised so as not to reveal their true nature. The only reason for such an unlikely theory is the not unreasonable assumption - which is indeed mentioned in the text - that women undergoing this trial would find, not a woman, as did the Pilgrim, but a man.

smiled, showing her white teeth : Is there a link between this smile and that of the Goddess previously?

cut the logs into firewood :

drawing water :

knelt before my knee : The traditional posture of supplication, whether in swearing fealty, praying before the Goddess, begging for mercy as a captive, or asking for another's hand in marriage.

woman : In contrast to the Goddess, who is always described as a lady, this figure is always described as a woman. This does not necessarily imply that the woman is to be negatively regarded; merely that she is of lesser stature than the Goddess.

proposed to me : Not marriage, in this instance, though perhaps it would have led to that. There is no indication given that the intention of the woman was for the Pilgrim to stay only a single night.

With only the light from the fire I had helped to make to guide me : An example of how doing good begets good, despite all other circumstances.

summit : This may be the same hill from which Ael Ambrathas looked down upon Dolithor for the first time, as recorded in the Gest of Ambrathas.

horizon of white mountains : This is in keeping with the ever-increasing height of the hills as the Pilgrim progresses on his journey. It might also be a reference to the mountains that form a crescent around the Fields of Valon, though there are few other Peonian references in the vision. The mountains are white because of the snow on their peaks, and also because they mark the boundary of a pure land.

rested gently on a green hill : This hill is called Athallata, the World Centre. The Goddess herself rested on this hill when she first wandered the land; while she dozed there, Dolithor grew up around her out of the very earth.

trees, magnificent in both size and colour : These are the famous Kalamin trees of Dolithor, which grow throughout the castle. These trees are the most beloved of the Goddess, and they are considered sacred; their sap and leaves are used in Laranian rituals.

Saint Peloran's Text

greatest work : His other works are for the most part sermons, except the short Ills of Evil (a graphic description of the sufferings induced by the Demon Agrik, and the grim treatments they require) and the uncharacteristically pleasant description of his stay at Biscor Abbey, Reflections.

even unto destruction : It is Saint Peloran's belief that the most evil of those souls in Agrik's service were those who failed such tests; weaker souls, such as those of Peonians, could not rise to be strong under Agrik. This is quite the opposite of the majority view on the matter.

anonymous gloss : From the records kept at Harchesa Abbey, the manuscript was copied in 1262, by the monk Grandel. However, it is clear that the gloss was written in a different hand. Comparison between it and other texts made by those at the Abbey in the years following 1262 might reveal whose hand it is, but this would be a time-consuming task, even were it thought interesting or necessary, and it has not been attempted.

Yebael's Tapestry

standard chapel windows : There are seven such windows: three on the west wall, and two on the north and east. The two remaining windows, of smaller size, are on the south wall.