Fallowblade (73 page)

Medieval-style dentistry:
From ‘Medieval teeth better than Baldric’s, an online article by Jane Elliott of the BBC News Online health staff’: ‘A paper published in the British Dental Journal shows that medieval (twelfth-fourteenth century) literature even makes reference to creating false teeth . . . dentures made of human teeth or cow bone. They also knew how to fill cavities . . . ’

Reference to gold used in dentistry goes as far back as the Etruscans in 450 BC, and in Pope Julius’s Museum in Rome there is a gold dental appliance (a gold cap) surviving from ancient times.

To readers of the Bitterbynde Trilogy:
Some themes in
Fallowblade
and
The Battle of Evernight
run parallel. This is typical of fairytales and folklore, which often repeat certain motifs. In hindsight I have also perceived the influence of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ upon this tale, amongst other classic Märchen.

Manx Gaelic in its written form to me looks perfect as a goblin language, although to my regret I have never heard it spoken. My usage of Manx Gaelic is not grammatically correct. Here is a guide to the way I have dealt with the language:

‘
Glashtinsluight ny beealeraght lesh sheelnaue
.’ This translates roughly as ‘Goblinkind do not love to chatter with human beings.’

Aachionard
: lieutenant-commander

Ard-veoir armyn
: King of Arms

Armyn
: weaponry

Bannaght lhiat
: farewell, goodbye

Bee dty host, jouylleen!
: Hold your peace, imp/villain!

Beishtyn
: vermin

Ben drultagh
: enchantress

Boanlagh ny theayee
: scum of the earth

Boanlagh
: rubbish

Boddagh
: boor

Brouteraght
: dirt

Chiarn
: lord

Cloie yn ommidan
: fool

Cooilleeneyder
: revenger

Crooagen
: lice, weevils

Crout ghraney
: shabby trick

Donnanyn mooar
: great wretches

Drammane
: a fine mist

Feiosagh
: weakling

Flaieen
: imps

Liannyn
: goblin women

Meeylen
: bugs, insects

Ny hashoonyn mooarey
: the great powers

Ooyl villish
: dessert apple

Peearen ayns lavender
: pears in/with lavender

Rag-rannee
: good-for-nothing

Red ommidjagh
: piece of folly

Sallagh
: dirty

Slane vie
: very well

Sneeuane ushtey
: water spiders

T’eh lhien!
: thumbs up!

Y Hiarn
: my lord

The kobolds’ song:

‘T’ fuill-yiarg er yiarn, t’ glassoil er copuir, t’ gormaghey er kobolt, t’ geayney er nickyl.’

‘Iron is blood-red, copper is greenish, cobalt is blue, nickel is green.’

King Uabhar views the deployment of his troops:
This paragraph was adapted from
The White Company
, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in
Cornhill Magazine
, 1891.

‘Close at the heels of the horses came two score archers, bearded and burley, their round targets on their backs and their yellow bows, the most deadly weapon that the wit of man had yet devised, thrusting forth from behind their shoulders. From each man’s girdle hung sword or axe, according to his humour, and over the right hip there jutted out the leathern quiver, with its bristle of goose, pigeon and peacock feathers. Behind the bowmen strode two drummers beating their nakirs, and two trumpeters in particoloured clothes. After them came twenty-seven sumpter-horses carrying tent-poles, cloth, spare arms, spurs, wedges, cooking kettles, horse-shoes, bags of nails, and the hundred other things which experience had shown to be needful in a harried and hostile country.’

Animal rights:
‘Compassionate people have to show opposition to cruelty, and at times we have to run the risk of having unflattering labels placed on us, because there are some things for which we should display no tolerance.’ This quote is not my own, but I have been unable to find the source.

The pixie at the Sillerway Bridge:
This passage ended up in
Weatherwitch
, but it was inspired by the story, ‘The Pixie at the Ockerry’, from William Crossing’s
Tales of the Dartmoor Pixies: Glimpses of Elfin Haunts and Antics
, WH Hood, London, 1890.

At the gate of Ironstone Keep:
The tale of Halvdan, Kieran and Conall Gearnach is inspired by part of the story ‘Deirdre’, an ancient Celtic legend. This tale, also known as ‘The Exile of the Children of Uisnach’, is often related as a prologue to the oldest prose epic known to Western literature: ‘The Cattle Raid of Cooley’ (Tain Bo Cuailgne). It has existed by word of mouth since the first century AD and was written down by Irish scholars during the seventh century AD. The story has been rewritten many times in the form of books and plays, and remains popular to the present day.

The names of Uabhar’s weapons:
King Uabhar’s weapons are named after the weapons of King Conchobar in the Celtic legend ‘Deirdre’. ‘My shield, Ocean; my knife, Victorious; my spear, Slaughter; and my sword Gorm Glas, the blue-green.’

‘
How many bitter hours . . .
’ I wrote this poem after listening to Metallica’s song ‘Unforgiven’, while the rhythms and the haunting, gothic melody were still in my head. It is partly inspired by a verse from Joanna Baillie’s ‘Orra: A Tragedy’ and also influenced by a chapter in Sir Walter Scott’s
Ivanhoe
.

‘
There stands a fastness high against the stars . . .
’ This poem was greatly influenced by lines 593–602 of Keats’s ‘Endymion’ Book II, and borrows some phrases here and there.

The verse ‘If it’s going to rain’:

‘If it’s going to rain, it’ll rain,

And if it’s going to shine, it’s going to shine,

And if you’re going insane, you’ll go insane.

Now you’ve lost your mind.’

Lyrics from a song by Courtney Egan.

Inspirations from the classics:

(i) ‘The horde drew together . . . and recoiled from their forward line.’

(ii) ‘Have mercy on me, proud sir . . . All the more shame to those who let you live so long.’

Inspired by passages in Sir Walter Scott’s
Ivanhoe
.

The goblin king:
The concept of the goblin king was probably inspired by Jim Henson’s marvellous movie,
The Labyrinth
, which will always be one of my favourites.

Again, Tanith Lee’s ‘Flat Earth’ series also influenced the creation of Zaravaz.

Names of goblin dishes:
‘As if to Celebrate, I Discovered a Mountain Blooming with Red Flowers’ is the title of a 1981 sculpture by Anish Kapoor.

‘Here is a Lush Situation’ was inspired by the title of a 1958 painting by Richard Hamilton, ‘Hers is a Lush Situation’.

‘The Passion for Pepper Burns Like a Flame of Love’ is adapted from a comment by Joseph Conrad.

Goblin philosophy:

a) Sections of Zaravaz’s declaration are inspired by an article by Ingrid E Newkirk, founder of PETA.
Animal Times
, Summer 2003, p. 2.

b) ‘More troubling is the implication that our respect for other species should be measured in proportion to how amazingly humanlike their abilities are.’ This statement, made by Drew Rendall and John Vokey of University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, inspired some of the goblin philosophy.
New Scientist
magazine 2457, 24 July 2004, pp. 28–29.

Avalloc’s letter to Asr
ă
thiel in Chapter 7:
This was partly inspired by journalists’ reports of the euphoria that broke out in Tasmania in 2006, at the news that two gold miners trapped by a rock fall were still alive.

Mining:
Some of the knocker guilds are named after silver miners’ guilds at Cesky Krumlov.

Verse:

‘My arms reached upward. I was not to blame.

For all my heart seemed hungering to feel

The strange delight that made my senses reel.

It seemed so strange that pleasure should be pain,

And yet I fain would suffer once again.’

This is an extract from ‘The Merry Little Maid and Wicked Little Monk’. It is very old and catalogued as ‘An anonymous poem’.

Ronin’s advice:
‘To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage.’ Confucius, 551–479 BC.

‘A good leader inspires others with confidence in him, a great leader inspired them with confidence in themselves.’ Unknown.

Animal Experiments:
Many scientists now acknowledge that testing on animals is futile, because their physiology differs radically from ours. It is also profoundly cruel and inhumane. You can read more about it on the Internet at
http://www.members.optushome.com.au/neptune3/animals3.html
but be warned, it is distressing material. Fortunately the MAWA Trust—Medical Advances Without Animals—a registered charity comprising a body of scientists, is working on solutions to appalling laboratory practices. With your support they can do much more.

The MAA Trust

PO Box 4203

Weston Creek

ACT 2611 Australia

Telephone +61 2 6287 1980, email
[email protected]
Boycott companies that test on animals. Do not buy their products. Lists of these companies (and lists of the kind ones!) can be found at Caring Consumer: a Guide to Kind Living,
www.caringconsumer.com/resources_companies.asp

More (and more uplifting) information on animal rights can be viewed at PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals—
www.peta.org