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How Far to Bethlehem?
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How Far to Bethlehem Group Read 2020
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Peggy
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Nov 28, 2020 04:01PM
This is to start the thread for our December 2020 discussion.
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thank you, Peggy, and thank you to Jenny for leading it. I have decided not to read it again this year but plan to read your comments. it's odd how it feels like I just read the book (it was a first time read for me) AND it feels like it was another lifetime, back in 2019!
I think this my all time favorite book and I used to read it every December, then every other December. Now I read it about every 5 years perhaps. I know it pretty well now!When I lived in England it was quite easy to find in secondhand book shops (which I scoured constantly for NL books) and I often bought copies to give to friends. I still give it out as a present, but now to American friends.
I was just contemplating lending my copy to a neighbour when I saw that you will be reading it, so I checked Amazon to see if there were any cheap copies to be had ... I am currently eyeballing a hardback first edition for under $10 ...
Well, here we are, on our way to Bethlehem. Can we start by asking whether this book is new to any of us? If so, then we'll take care to use spoiler tags, but if not, we needn't - so speak up, nobody wants to spoil a first read for anybody.I suggest concentrating on about a quarter of the book each week of December to give us a bit of focus: that means the first three chapters, 'Nazareth' 'Pyongyang' and 'Bethphage', to start with.
What we have here is an example of one of NL's favourite devices - the story told from many points of view. It particularly reminds me of Road to Revelation (aka Winter Harvest) in that they both take a situation and focus on each of the people involved, showing how they came to be in that situation and how their lives up till then shaped they way they responded to it and what it meant to them. Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) does the same thing with the collapse of a bridge in Peru and I have wondered whether NL was influenced by that.This, 'The Christmas Story', is at heart a well-known one, the subject of countless paintings, children's plays, carols and greeting cards; it's easy to think we've heard it all before and there's nothing new to say. What I love about HFTB is the way NL moves a magnifying glass over the conventional picture, showing up all the tiny details of each part in turn that get missed when you look at the whole scene from a distance. The cardboard cut-outs become real people.
I love the start of this book. The timelessness of people looking after the necessities of life. The feeling of time unravelling with the path around the hill evolving as the women use it year after year.
It is a simple description but it paints a vast canvass for me as NL sets the scene before introducing Mary to us.
In this first chapter we see clearly the pros and cons of village life, don't we? The solidarity of the communal water-fetching, the way nobody could be ill or otherwise fail to turn up without someone noticing, the way that path was built up over the years by small increments, the way the women rallied round to help the landowner's wife - but also the dangers of putting a foot wrong, as poor Michal did.We see all too clearly the fate that would have been in store for Mary if Joseph hadn't stood by her.
Great start, Jenny! I also like Lofts' device of telling this story through many points of view. We are familiar with her theme of following a certain location through the years (Bless This House comes to mind), but Road to Revelation or Winter Harvest is a good comparison.So we immediately are drawn into the story, starting with Mary, of course. The little homely bits, like going to the well for water, Mary's parents checking the eggs for freshness and cleaning them, Joseph's bachelor home--all help make the characters so real to me.
What I especially love about this book is that I truly feel we are taking a journey. Lofts describes all the different locations so vividly.
Jenny wrote: "In this first chapter we see clearly the pros and cons of village life, don't we? The solidarity of the communal water-fetching, the way nobody could be ill or otherwise fail to turn up without som..."This is such a good point Jenny and so very NL who never paints rural/village life as some sort of untrammeled peaceful idyll, though she clearly loved it .
I love the well scenario, though it is with dread I read - or rather pass over - the donkeys and the hill path and the goad . The donkey motif is so well done I think.
Perhaps Pyongyang is my favourite scenario, though I am not sure why as I'm not usually into female unrequited devotion, lol.
Peggy wrote: "Great start, Jenny! I also like Lofts' device of telling this story through many points of view. We are familiar with her theme of following a certain location through the years (Bless This House c..."That is so true too Peggy. Right away we know this is a journey, both physical and spiritual and we are made aware of the very different motivations of all the travellers. It is perhaps unique in that we the readers , even if we have never read this actual book before , know the ending and can see signs and portents and characters known to us but as yet totally unknown to the travellers , even Mary to some extent.
I love your comparison with Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey", Jenny...one of my all time favourites, with a strong spiritual undercurrent...How could NL not have read it ? It was on everyone's bookshelves at the time...Yes, NL sees the whole story as a chessboard, or a map, and she, already, in the first part, sets the main scene in three very different locations, with different characters in each.
Through the book, more locations will be added, with all the characters - with Mary and Joseph as the focus - leading to the same point...the stable in Bethlehem.
Do read or re-read T.S.Eliot's The Journey of the Magi.....it is magical..
I'm very bad at this sort of thing...could someone kindly post the poem ?
Tanya wrote: "Do read or re-read T.S.Eliot's The Journey of the Magi.....it is magical..I'm very bad at this sort of thing...could someone kindly post the poem ?..."
Here it is!
“The Journey of the Magi” by T. S. EliotA cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
Thank you, Marie, so much !I often think how appropriate it was that the angel Gabriel visited Mary in march, at the beginning of spring, after a lingering winter...foretelling promise and new life...Mary is already picked out from her fellows, by her difference of character and spirit.
It is particularly touching how Joseph, although he doubts Mary's account of what had happened, blames it all on the vigorous young pack boy ( who had delivered his goods to him ) and forgives Mary, because of her innocence, and resolves to stand by her, and then has all his doubts dissolved when Gabriel visits him himself, and he understands why Mary had been so calm, because she trusted in God and the miracle that had occured.
When we move to Pyongyang, in Korea, 1600 miles away, and then to Jexal, 700 miles away ( Balthazar, in Edessa, 400 mles away, is still to come ) I wondered what validity these 3 locations had in history....
Did NL invent them completely ?
That she sets the scenes so beautifully , given that there are very few domestic historical details available to us from so long ago, is extraordinary....
I have always been grateful that NL never tried to describe Gabriel's visit to Mary. Something like that would be beyond description. NL's description of just before was very similar to descriptions of taking LSD! Tasting colour, seeing smells and that sort of thing! I was glad she stopped when she did.I love the visit between Mary and Joseph - it was perfect. I think NL really nails it - most people can believe what has passed and what is in the future, but the here and now? That's tough!
Mary's mother, Anne is brilliant! She is the unwitting reason for the way so many things happen - if only she knew!
I've just started the section on Melchior and this is where I start looking at maps.My book says 6000 miles for Pyongyang, not 1600 miles. When I google it, I get 5000 miles as the crow flies.
Melchior must have travelled on the Silk Road, which would add miles to the journey, but was an established route.
Tanya wrote: "When we move to Pyongyang, in Korea, 1600 miles away, and then to Jexal, 700 miles away ( Balthazar, in Edessa, 400 mles away, is still to come ) I wondered what validity these 3 locations had in history....Did NL invent them completely ?
Hang, on, we're not up to Jexal yet! But It is a fictitious place - last time when we read it I tried to work out where it would have been on an atlas, and found the clues contradictory. Pyongyang and Edessa are real places, though - Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea to this day.
That she sets the scenes so beautifully , given that there are very few domestic historical details available to us from so long ago, is extraordinary......."
Yes, that's struck me this read too: I don't suppose NL really knew much, if anything, about life in Korea 2000 years ago, but she writes so convincingly that it's easy to believe she did. I love the idea of the disposable shopping baskets created as a charitable work creation project!
Just wanted to mention in this book folder, we have a thread that we started 7 years ago that is dedicated to points about the journey if anyone wants to take a look at it.
Djo wrote: "I have always been grateful that NL never tried to describe Gabriel's visit to Mary..."Yes, but it does depend on the reader knowing the story, doesn't it? We don't find out from the novel what that visit was about until part of the way through Mary's conversation with Joseph! It would be quite mystifying to anybody not familiar with the gospel story.
Jenny,Books often keep us in suspense over details. While I am aware of the details of what Gabriel said to Mary, I'd have to refer to the Bible to check the details of what was said to Joseph.
I think it works whether we know the details or not - that is part of the beauty of NL's skills.
Hello everyone, It's been awhile since I have been able to take part here, and it looks like I am already a bit late to the party. I just finished reading about when Joseph asked Mary to marry him now and not wait months. It has been decades since I first read this book, so it all seems new now. I will try to keep up !!
Robert wrote: "...It has been decades since I first read this book, so it all seems new now..."Do you need us to use spoiler tags? Nobody else so far has said it's a first read, but we can if it would be better for you.
I always find the chapter in Pyongyang absolutely heart-rending - poor Senya, devoting her whole life to Melchior (who would have starved without her) and undergoing cold, starvation and humiliation while he takes it all for granted - not even letting her kill the pig, in case he ever needed to sell it to get another piece of paper. Having to take on extra work outside the house to feed them both, all without him, or anyone, finding out - having to take the long way home, even when exhausted, to spare him the shame of having it known that his slave was reduced to begging.
And then for her to feel it was all worth it for the sake of one brief embrace, not even a kiss. I really want to slap Melchior. I do hope the University was kind to her and really let her retire in comfort as Melchior promised.
And the poor little pig! Of course, we knew it was doomed to be killed and eaten anyway - but not even to get fed before that!
Desperate poverty is something NL does well, isn't it? You really feel as you read how bitterly cold it is and how urgent it is for Senya to find something - anything - to eat, and fuel to cook it on (with Melchior thinking "What's she worrying about? There's plenty of food" not realising that that's because he's got half her share as well as his own). And not being able to wash Melchior's winter robe till Spring, unless he stays in bed for a day, because he's only got the one.
Those are details it's hard to imagine unless you've been in such a situation.
Senya may well be the character that stayed with me the most, I think. Melchior did not deserve such devotion.
One has only to be away for a few days to come back to such riches. What wonderful comment , I really have nothing to add to any of them, except thank you.I love Senya too, selfless contriving for another's benefit without ever seeming like a plaster saint ( to skip a few centuries forward as it were) . I do like the, ultimately tragic,scene where she pretends to be a fortune teller to get food and suffers a combination of really bad luck and a wickedly mean spirited cook.
Jenny wrote: "Robert wrote: "...It has been decades since I first read this book, so it all seems new now..."Do you need us to use spoiler tags? Nobody else so far has said it's a first read, but we can if it ..."
No need for spoiler alerts for me !
That's the first week - let's move on now to the next quarter, which takes us to Jexal, Edessa and the Nameless Village, up to where Melchior's party is complete and ready to set out as a threesome. No reason not to say anything we still want to about the first section, though.In fact another thought has occurred to me about Melchior and Senya: there he is, thinking "Yes, I know we're in dire straits, and I'm sorry poor, silly Senya is worried, but my Great Work must come first!" - and all the time it's Senya toiling away who's making the Great Work possible. If she hadn't been working the extra hours to feed them both, he would either have starved to death or had to give up and take on the teaching job much sooner, but he thinks he did it all by himself.
SPOILER ALERT! (Just in case--)* * * * *
Yes, I was disappointed at the end when Melchior agreed to go home with Gaspar rather than returning to Korea.
While I agree with Barbara about not being a fan of selfless feminine devotion to the male, I do find Senya's love over 50 years for the now 75 year old Melchior heartrending...from the time she put perfume in the palms of her hands and flowers in her hair as a young slave, praying the young master would notice her and take her to bed, to now, when she toils for him with no reward except knowing that Melchior has " taken the sky as his bride ", so she at least has the consolation of not having an earthly rival for her love for him.Jenny is quite right in saying that Melchior's great work could never have been accomplished without her tending to his few earthly needs....
I especially love the description of Elizabeth's garden, and how she has tended it over all these years...it is very appropriate that these 2 women, Mary and Elizabeth, should meet and share their news in this fruitful little paradise, knowing that each of them bear other and even richer fruit in their wombs....the future saviour of the world, and his forerunner....
I think the whole passage about Elizabeth is one of my favorites. I love the counterbalance of the pain of childlessness and the joy of building the garden.I love the idea that the unborn babies recognized each other. And again, NL, finds a practical way to make Mary visit Elizabeth that seems feasible for the time.
Djo wrote: "I think the whole passage about Elizabeth is one of my favorites. ..."I'm glad to hear that - I'd been thinking "What is this section doing here?" I didn't feel it really fitted in with the rest and was probably only there because it was in Luke's gospel so NL thought she shouldn't leave it out.
But it is a very vivid little sketch, isn't it? All the work Elisabeth (spelt with an S in my edition, which I thought a little strange) puts into her garden, with every detail - stones out, muck, topsoil and water in; Elisabeth's embarrassment at risking being thought deluded; the logistics of getting Mary there and back; and many others.
Though you can't help wondering, after many re-reads, why if (according to the chapter heading) Elisabeth's house was less than 2 miles from Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph should be finding themselves in dire traits for accommodation! You'd think fixing themselves up to stay with her and her husband would have been an obvious precaution - or at least considering it. Though of course, they both knew Mary at least would be in Bethlehem when the baby was born. That's a little plot hole that's only just occurred to me after I don't know how many years, though. And in fact, according to Google Maps, Bethphage is really about 7 miles from Bethlehem.
Jenny wrote: "... I'd been thinking "What is this section doing here?" I didn't feel it really fitted in with..."Don't forget that Mary said that Gabriel told her that Elisabeth was pregnant! So that is the string pulling it in, I think. I can imagine NL just itching to write that gorgeous little story about Zacharias being struck dumb! Such potential for a good storyline.
I would be surprised if NL left a plot hole - we will have to watch for that nearer the time.
I nearly forgot - when Senya was telling fortunes, did you notice that she denied knowing Melchior twice! Was the third denial when she deliberately walked away from the tower?And then, when she saw what was in the basket, she wept.
All so much like Peter a few decades later.
Oh boy, it's 4am and I have been delving down wormholes of where Jexal could be. Time for bed!!
Jexal is interesting because I think it's the only example in NL's work of a place and a culture that is wholly imaginary. Beyond its geographical space - somewhere in SE Europe or NW Asia - and the historical constraint which would limit technology, she's had a completely free hand to make of it what she likes.So she's given us a wealthy, sophisticated, hedonistic culture, which is nevertheless patriarchal (Malchus clearly regards his sister as his to protect, but also to dispose of and even kill if he so decides) and has its wealth very unevenly distributed (Malchus, even though working at a skilled trade is still poorly clothed, and before Gaspar's conquest there were enough beggars to constitute a problem).
The city when we discover it is undergoing a culture clash, between the cultured, civilised, polytheistic and materialistic Jexalians and the barbaric, militaristic, irreligious and frugal people who have invaded them. It's interesting to see how, although the two peoples despise each other, they are nevertheless beginning to learn from each other - Gaspar being at the centre of the change.
Djo wrote: "Don't forget that Mary said that Gabriel told her that Elisabeth was pregnant! So that is the string pulling it in, I think. ..."Yes, I appreciate that. And it introduces the 'rose jekkal', the coin that will feature so largely later in the story. But all the other parts are about the people who are in or making their way to Bethlehem, and that doesn't apply to Zechariah and Elisabeth. We have this little interlude and then they vanish from the story.
Djo wrote: "I nearly forgot - when Senya was telling fortunes, did you notice that she denied knowing Melchior twice! Was the third denial when she deliberately walked away from the tower?And then, when she s..."
No, I've never noticed that! Well spotted.
As Dio said, there are many echoes of Bible stories...when Mary is carrying the donkey's load up the hill, she realises that part of the load is nails which are poking out...her betrothed, Joseph, uses them for his work...and then she recalls that the Romans have another use for them : crucifixion...and wonders if this horrible thought is making her breath come short and the way so hard....And then, pain leaps through her...this is obviously the conception of her baby...she swoons, and has the same experience ( forgive me, but NL uses practically the same words to describe it ) as Damask does in The Afternoon of an Autocrat....when Danny jilts her, and she swoons at home and finds herself " in this wonderful place where beauty was one and indivisible..." ...only, Damask is deceived in her vision, and Mary in truth sees an angel....
I also think that Mary's visit to Elizabeth was essential ( although Elizabeth disappears from the novel, as does Senya, and Anne...tho' I really miss acerbic Anne ! ) for many reasons : Mary was so very young; and so very alone; Elizabeth had always been a kindred spirit, although she was so much older...didn't she just want the comfort of her company and, above all, to confide in her ( as she certainly couldn't with her own parents: Anne would say : maybe you were hit on the head ! And then she hears the wonderful news of Elizabeth's pregnancy, and the bond between them is further strengthened...
NL puts it beautifully - to be recognized; exalted; by Elizabeth takes a huge weight off Mary's heart - she is raised to another plain, and welcomes it by bursting into the beauty of the Magnificat......
NL says, " the visit to Elizabeth had bridged the gulf between the real and what seemed unreal ", so, to Anne's torrent of advice when Mary tells her of her pregnancy on her return from Elizabeth's house, Mary says nothing : she knows she will be far away at the time of the birth, and THEN the world will know what she already knows : who the child really is.
And then, in one of NL's most beautiful lines, " she turned upon her worried parents " the smile that was to embrace the world ."
I've been thinking about the three ... well, what do we call them? The traditional title is 'Three Wise Men' or 'Three Kings' but none of them is a king (even Gaspar rejects the title) and are any of them wise? Are they perhaps becoming wise on their journey? Do they each have different kinds of wisdom, perhaps? I'm not really sure.But they do have things in common. First and most noticeably, they are all alone, confirmed bachelors and not close to anybody; and central to their lives are issues of power and self-respect.
Melchior has had power - in the form of wealth - but has thrown it away for the sake of his single-minded pursuit of astronomy; and he has been greatly loved, without even noticing for the same reason. Yet he is happy, because he has attained the learning he has been seeking and knows that he is a, if not the, top-level expert in his field - and he can use this expertise to fulfil a vital mission. However, this is at risk because of his physical frailty, his poverty and his lack of 'people skills'.
Gaspar certainly has power, as the ruler of Jexal and leader of the 500. He knows he has the respect of the 500, and is gaining that of the Jexalians, and is confident in his skills as leader and (while he is a healthy man in the prime of life) as a fighter; but he knows only too well that that won't last and some day he will be defeated by a challenger. He is always constantly on the alert for threats to his power, whether from his followers or from the risk of becoming 'soft' like the Jexalians and, crucially, dare not risk making himself personally vulnerable by loving; it's the potential threat to his power from the Romans and from love that send him on his journey. Melchior accepts his company as one able to support and protect him.
Balthasar is characterised by his powerlessness, his impotency in every sense of the word. He takes pride in his skills, his integrity and in his value, but his writing skill is threatened by the damage to his hand and as a slave, he can't use his worth to better his position (for example by choosing an employer that respects it). As a eunuch he can't form a sexual relationship and as one occupying a unique place in the household, without workmates, he can't easily form close friendships; the closest he came to it was with Metellus, but lost it on Metellus' death. He embarks on the journey because he longs for connection and is accepted by the others for his knowledge and skills.
Tanya wrote: "And then, pain leaps through her...this is obviously the conception of her baby..."I'm not so sure about that. This happens before Mary faints and sees the angel and though I can't answer for NL's understanding of it, in Christian theology Mary's consent is absolutely essential to the Annunciation story. The conception of Jesus is not just something that happens to Mary, but something she freely consents to - her words in scripture are "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done unto me according to thy word". This is important because it reverses the sin of Eve, who disobeyed God on behalf of humanity, while Mary submits on its behalf.
It's possible that NL didn't know that, of course, but it rather detracts from the story if Mary is impregnated first and only told about it afterwards. And why should conception, even parthogenetic, be excruciatingly painful?
After much pouring over maps, ancient and modern, measuring distances and checking the history of various places ... I come to the conclusion that NL borrowed the details she wanted from different times and places to create Jexal.I feel it has to be Babylon or Ur in earlier, more prosperous and peaceful times. They are both too far away from Jerusalem by about 200 miles - but if you can move the time, you can move the place!
It has to be in the Mesopotamia area for it to have that level of culture that existed then. To me, it sounds more sophisticated than the Roman and Greek cultures - but we don't get much detail really, mainly Gasper's nomadic view, which isn't very cultured!
So, Gasper, of the red hair and blue eyes ... A nomadic warrior whose ancestors came from the north east - obviously with Mongolian roots; the horsemanship, the yurts. While he is a very basic man, he is also sensitive and vulnerable. Jenny sums him up very well.
Again, I went down wormholes with the whole red hair/blue eyes thing.
In previous discussions the Tarim mummies are discussed - and they are totally fascinating. It seems that they may have European heritage as some of them were wearing tartan. The Beauty of Loulan just sends me off into some historical imaginative land I inhabit. I can gaze at her face for hours.
Another possible origin for Gasper are the Kipchaks - again she would have had to move their times around, but they had red hair and blue eyes, so it is possible.
It is amazing the way NL can get under the skin of a man like Gasper. How does she get there from the conservative 1950/60s? (One of my pet hates with historical books are those that credit modern feelings/thoughts with historical characters)
I'm guessing that Jexal must be on one of the Silk Road routes - perhaps not a major one, but one that Melchior took ...
Melchior is very minimalist in his needs, but is such an incredible character. Astronomy/astrology is too big a wormhole for me, just before Christmas - but he was in the forefront of that career. I think he would have loved to converse with the Greeks/Romans who also studied the stars, but who were more advanced, I don't know.For me, it is still breath-taking that whatever Melchior saw, he was prepared to stake the rest of his life on it. It all goes into that subject of predestination - such a complex subject.
Melchior is such an innocent. I want to hug him as much as I want to hug Gasper - although both are probably a bit smelly!
I would love to hear Gasper and Melchior in deep conversation about what they believe or understand - that would be so interesting.
I wonder how long it took Melchior to reach Jexal. Do we understand the birth of the star to be 9 months from the birth of Jesus? Could it be the birth of knowledge for Melchior - which could have given him more time to travel.
I haven't done the wormhole of how long it would take to travel the Silk Route by camel to Jexal. Google maps didn't like it. Melchior would have made good use of it though.
Bravo, Djo...you really have gotten under the skin of the book....How about a possible link with the Persians for Gaspar ? Both races being worshippers of the sun ?I find the " rivalry " for toughness between Gaspar and Melchior rather touching....the way the old gentleman Says to him courteously, " you may find my way somewhat tiring " and, Gaspar, all thoughts of love and possible enemies forgotten, says, like a young boy, " Ride ahead, my friend. And when you are tired, let me know "...
It is also telling that Balthazar's tribe offers yearly sacrifices of virgins to their crocodile god, N'Zana, to appease and woo him, and how this tradition of offering virgins is common to so many civilisations, from Andromedea chained on the rock to Iphigenia being offered to bring the wind for the Greek fleet in the Trojan war, to the virgin in the forest used to lure the unicorn to its death .I do agree too that it is astonishing the way NL re-creates - or creates - Jexal, although it has much in common with the Babylon that Alexander the Great conquered....
Tanya wrote: "I find the " rivalry " for toughness between Gaspar and Melchior rather touching..."I think it's hilarious!
But the tension between strength and wisdom is interesting, isn't it? You'd expect Gaspar, the young warrior, to have the strength and Melchior, the old scholar, to have the wisdom, but it's more like the other way round. Melchior is the one starving himself and exhausting his poor camel in his urge to get on and make speed (though he doesn't remotely care about his image); while Gaspar is the one with the common sense to stop and rest when necessary in order to make better time later (but is too proud to be shown up by this old codger) .
Djo wrote: "So, Gasper, of the red hair and blue eyes ... A nomadic warrior whose ancestors came from the north east - obviously with Mongolian roots; the horsemanship, the yurts. While he is a very basic man..."
And isn't it amazing that NL, with minimal access to such research as even existed at the time could weave such a tale with such astonishing historicity !
The three travellers will forever be , for me, just as NL portrays them . I do not want to admit to other people's versions, no matter how scholarly or susceptible to proof! Our HFTB three are perfectly conceived as far as I am concerned, and once again I salute her masterly character creation/depiction .
Tanya wrote: "It is also telling that Balthazar's tribe offers yearly sacrifices of virgins to their crocodile god, N'Zana, to appease and woo him, and how this tradition of offering virgins is common to so many..."Yes indeed, the notion of virginity, especially female, as power is such an ancient and broadly held tradition. I much prefer the even more ancient , possibly apocryphal, idea of birth and female fecundify and wisdom in general as being the most powerful of forces of course!
