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i_read_whatSo last time, well, Donal still aggravated me but not as much as usual, so...progress? Also Niall's got a ceremony to get started!
So, in an earlier chapter, the book brought up i'toshaa-ni, or the cleansing ceremony, and I said that the series never went into detail about what it entails. I was wrong, because this chapter starts by telling us about i'toshaa-ni.
It is a mystery to most men because the Cheysuli keep it that way, desiring no profanation. It has always been a mystery to me, not because I am not Cheysuli, but because it is a highly personal thing, an expression of the intense need for the cleansing of flesh, spirit, mind, heart and soul.
For Ian, the need had come upon him twice: once, during the rituals associated with the Ceremony of Honors; again, when he had been so soiled by Lillith’s Ihlini sorcery. He did not speak of his experiences to me, saying only that I would be born out of smoke and sweat and pain to be a man again, new-made, as no other man can be. Certainly not a Homanan.
I'm really appreciating this greater look at Cheysuli culture. I'm still a little frustrated that we know absolutely nothing about non-Cheysuli Homanan culture and religion. I appreciate that Carillon was very secular by nature, and Alix...well, Shapechangers was just a terrible book so there wasn't going to be anything useful there, but I feel like it's a missed opportunity.
From this point on, the main characters will all be culturally Cheysuli and their spouses will be from other countries. (Erinnish, mostly.) So we'll never really know about the non-Cheysuli part of the country.
But anyway, back to the ceremony. It seems there are parts to it. First, Niall goes out into the forest, at dawn, builds a shelter out of saplings/vines/leaves. He builds a firecairn in the center, out of rocks. Then he lights a fire with herbs. He shaves, strips, leaves clothing and lir outside, and sits beside the fire.
Okay, it's a sweating ritual! That makes sense. Though god knows where the smoke from the fire actually vents. It'd be oddly fitting if the prophecy ended here because one of the princes accidently died of smoke inhalation.
...wait, it wouldn't end here anyway. Brennan and Hart have already been born. Shit.
It looks like dreams/visions are part of the deal too. He imagines himself in the Great Hall, and Carillon is there. Niall, of course, wasn't even born when Carillon dies, but he recognizes him as a very old version of himself. This version of Carillon is much wiser than the real thing:
“I come to you because I am a part of you, as I am a part of your mother, your sons, the children yet to come. I am in them as much as I am in you, and so it will ever be. You can rid yourself of me no more than you can shed your flesh and become another man.”
“Not another man,” I agreed, “but an animal. I am Cheysuli, grandsire.”
“And in animal form, do you become someone who is not Niall?”
I frowned at him. “No, grandsire—of course not. I am still myself.”
He smiled. And then the shadows swallowed him, and I was back in my smoky shelter.
Okay, well, apparently it's not JUST a sweating ceremony. Because egads:
On the second day, naked, lirless, alone, with only a snare and a knife to my name, I caught and slew a young ruddy-colored wolf. He fought his death. He fought me. He left weals upon my flesh and anguish in my heart, thinking of Serri, but I slew him. And then I bathed in the blood and ate the still-warm heart, to vanquish that portion of myself that might be suborned by the freedom of the lir-shape.
...so this ritual involves sweating, hunting an animal, and eating its heart raw. Okay, that's a) fucking hardcore, and b) really fucking unsanitary!
Niall then dreams of Ceinn, who tells him to get out of the Throne and rants at him. Niall, in the dream, yields the seat to Ceinn. But the Lion's head moves, opens its mouth, and bites Ceinn's head off.
Hardcore.
The third day is anticlimactic. Niall finds a pool of water, bathes, and puts on fresh leathers, before heading back to camp.
So now, Niall's in the clan pavilion. There are warriors and women surrounding him, and we're told that it's not everyone. The pavilion isn't large enough for that (a lovely contrast with Shapechangers), but this is the ruling council of the Cheysuli.
Oh! So there ARE women on the Council? Neat! Imagine if we'd actually gotten a chance to see the Council in Shapechangers. Or gotten a better look at Cheysuli culture in general, as opposed to all the repetitive nonsense we had gotten.
But let's stop talking about a bad book in the midst of this much better one.
So anyway, it's evening now. Most of the ceremony has passed, but the most important part remains: the bestowing of lir-gold. Rylan gives a speech, but it's the end part that's interesting:
Rylan’s eyes held mine steadily. “For you, I must be very clear: the lir-bond requires payment, even from those who rule. You will be two men, warrior and Mujhar, but the bond will constrain you still. Should Serri die, my lord, you will be required to renounce the Lion and go alone among the beasts.”
The exact nature of the ritual suicide of lirless warriors hasn't been told to us. But it sounds like it's simply a matter of going alone and allowing the animals to kill you. Given what we saw of Ian in Atvia, or Niall after Ceinn's attack, I can see why a lirless man would allow it to happen.
Niall thinks about his father, who had been too young, when accepting the responsibilities of the lir-bond.
And I thought: It is not a thing done lightly.
No, Serri agreed, and no man will force you to it.
Now the first thought that comes to mind is poor Rowan, but it occurs to me that while Rowan faced a lot of shit from Finn, Duncan (indirectly) and especially Donal, we've never actually heard what the lir themselves think of Rowan's choice.
So there's some vow exchange, then the shar tahl, whose name, we're told, is Arlen comes forward. (We're told that the shar tahl is the highest of the clan members, as he is totally dedicated to serving the prophecies and histories of the Cheysuli.)
He brings forth a roll of bleached deer skin, and this is apparently a genealogy of sorts. He quotes the prophecy ("One day a man of all blood shall unite, in peace, four warring realms and two magic races") and points out the various names we know: Hale, Duncan, Carillon, Alix, Donal, Niall. There's a blank space for Niall's sons.
Niall hasn't met his sons yet, but he has names for them. The oldest is Brennan. The younger is Hart. They're added to the list.
The next step is the gold. Clan leader Rylan tells Niall that it's customary for a new warrior to choose a "shu'maii" or sponsor from his fellow warriors. The sponsor will pierce the new Cheysuli's ear and place the earring in. He'll also place the bands around his arms. It's an important role, and the shu'maii and new warrior have a bond of honor.
Niall thinks about it. He might have named Donal, but Donal has already gone back to Homana-Mujhar. He's got good reason, but he's also useless, so fuck him. Ian is the most obvious and appropriate choice...but Ian's already his liege man.
So Niall does something that's either very clever or very stupid.
And so I looked at Rylan. “I name the name of Ceinn.”
He glances at Ian, to make sure Ian's not hurt. But Ian has a tiny smile. He gets what Niall is doing.
And as for Ceinn:
His face was a mask to me, but his eyes were not. From out of the mask they stared, hard and cold and yellow, and in their depths blazed the flame of fanaticism. Oh, aye, he would accept. In the face of his dedication to clan and custom, he could not do otherwise.
“Ja’hai-na,” he said only, and rose to make his way through the others to the cairn. He sat down on my right side; Serri was at my left.
He accepts, resentfully. But as much as Ceinn is a fanatic, he's also a traditionalist and Niall's trapped him nicely. But the tone does change a little as the ritual donning of gold starts to get to Niall. And Ceinn notices. At the end of the ceremony, Niall has some affectionate words for his siblings (who both, endearingly, forget proprieties and embrace him outright. Aw), then he speaks alone with Ceinn.
“Shu’maii,” I said quietly, “when a man cannot make a friend of an enemy, he takes the enemy from his friends.”
After a moment, he shrugged. “Why not?” he asked dully. “You have already taken his cheysula.”
“’Solde does as ’Solde chooses; surely you understand that better than most. But I would not have it said she cannot change her mind.”
Ceinn asks if she would. Niall admits he doesn't know and can't speak for his sister. BUT, he points out, Isolde left Ceinn because he was a'saii. Now he's shu'maii.
I mean, technically, I think Isolde left Ceinn because he didn't give a shit about how his plans would hurt her, but maybe Ceinn has gotten a wakeup call. Or not. He tells Niall that he believed in what he did, and that if Niall were still a lirless man, he'd do it again.
But Niall is not lirless anymore. He doesn't condone what Ceinn did to him, but he can comprehend, and he thinks he needs men like Ceinn to help him rule Homana when the time comes.
Ceinn, very begrudgingly, accepts. And the chapter ends.
So Ceinn gets a karma houdini of sorts. But it might work. Ceinn has his own ambitions, but he's a true believer type of fanatic. And Niall has tradition on his side now. We'll see if that's enough.
So, in an earlier chapter, the book brought up i'toshaa-ni, or the cleansing ceremony, and I said that the series never went into detail about what it entails. I was wrong, because this chapter starts by telling us about i'toshaa-ni.
It is a mystery to most men because the Cheysuli keep it that way, desiring no profanation. It has always been a mystery to me, not because I am not Cheysuli, but because it is a highly personal thing, an expression of the intense need for the cleansing of flesh, spirit, mind, heart and soul.
For Ian, the need had come upon him twice: once, during the rituals associated with the Ceremony of Honors; again, when he had been so soiled by Lillith’s Ihlini sorcery. He did not speak of his experiences to me, saying only that I would be born out of smoke and sweat and pain to be a man again, new-made, as no other man can be. Certainly not a Homanan.
I'm really appreciating this greater look at Cheysuli culture. I'm still a little frustrated that we know absolutely nothing about non-Cheysuli Homanan culture and religion. I appreciate that Carillon was very secular by nature, and Alix...well, Shapechangers was just a terrible book so there wasn't going to be anything useful there, but I feel like it's a missed opportunity.
From this point on, the main characters will all be culturally Cheysuli and their spouses will be from other countries. (Erinnish, mostly.) So we'll never really know about the non-Cheysuli part of the country.
But anyway, back to the ceremony. It seems there are parts to it. First, Niall goes out into the forest, at dawn, builds a shelter out of saplings/vines/leaves. He builds a firecairn in the center, out of rocks. Then he lights a fire with herbs. He shaves, strips, leaves clothing and lir outside, and sits beside the fire.
Okay, it's a sweating ritual! That makes sense. Though god knows where the smoke from the fire actually vents. It'd be oddly fitting if the prophecy ended here because one of the princes accidently died of smoke inhalation.
...wait, it wouldn't end here anyway. Brennan and Hart have already been born. Shit.
It looks like dreams/visions are part of the deal too. He imagines himself in the Great Hall, and Carillon is there. Niall, of course, wasn't even born when Carillon dies, but he recognizes him as a very old version of himself. This version of Carillon is much wiser than the real thing:
“I come to you because I am a part of you, as I am a part of your mother, your sons, the children yet to come. I am in them as much as I am in you, and so it will ever be. You can rid yourself of me no more than you can shed your flesh and become another man.”
“Not another man,” I agreed, “but an animal. I am Cheysuli, grandsire.”
“And in animal form, do you become someone who is not Niall?”
I frowned at him. “No, grandsire—of course not. I am still myself.”
He smiled. And then the shadows swallowed him, and I was back in my smoky shelter.
Okay, well, apparently it's not JUST a sweating ceremony. Because egads:
On the second day, naked, lirless, alone, with only a snare and a knife to my name, I caught and slew a young ruddy-colored wolf. He fought his death. He fought me. He left weals upon my flesh and anguish in my heart, thinking of Serri, but I slew him. And then I bathed in the blood and ate the still-warm heart, to vanquish that portion of myself that might be suborned by the freedom of the lir-shape.
...so this ritual involves sweating, hunting an animal, and eating its heart raw. Okay, that's a) fucking hardcore, and b) really fucking unsanitary!
Niall then dreams of Ceinn, who tells him to get out of the Throne and rants at him. Niall, in the dream, yields the seat to Ceinn. But the Lion's head moves, opens its mouth, and bites Ceinn's head off.
Hardcore.
The third day is anticlimactic. Niall finds a pool of water, bathes, and puts on fresh leathers, before heading back to camp.
So now, Niall's in the clan pavilion. There are warriors and women surrounding him, and we're told that it's not everyone. The pavilion isn't large enough for that (a lovely contrast with Shapechangers), but this is the ruling council of the Cheysuli.
Oh! So there ARE women on the Council? Neat! Imagine if we'd actually gotten a chance to see the Council in Shapechangers. Or gotten a better look at Cheysuli culture in general, as opposed to all the repetitive nonsense we had gotten.
But let's stop talking about a bad book in the midst of this much better one.
So anyway, it's evening now. Most of the ceremony has passed, but the most important part remains: the bestowing of lir-gold. Rylan gives a speech, but it's the end part that's interesting:
Rylan’s eyes held mine steadily. “For you, I must be very clear: the lir-bond requires payment, even from those who rule. You will be two men, warrior and Mujhar, but the bond will constrain you still. Should Serri die, my lord, you will be required to renounce the Lion and go alone among the beasts.”
The exact nature of the ritual suicide of lirless warriors hasn't been told to us. But it sounds like it's simply a matter of going alone and allowing the animals to kill you. Given what we saw of Ian in Atvia, or Niall after Ceinn's attack, I can see why a lirless man would allow it to happen.
Niall thinks about his father, who had been too young, when accepting the responsibilities of the lir-bond.
And I thought: It is not a thing done lightly.
No, Serri agreed, and no man will force you to it.
Now the first thought that comes to mind is poor Rowan, but it occurs to me that while Rowan faced a lot of shit from Finn, Duncan (indirectly) and especially Donal, we've never actually heard what the lir themselves think of Rowan's choice.
So there's some vow exchange, then the shar tahl, whose name, we're told, is Arlen comes forward. (We're told that the shar tahl is the highest of the clan members, as he is totally dedicated to serving the prophecies and histories of the Cheysuli.)
He brings forth a roll of bleached deer skin, and this is apparently a genealogy of sorts. He quotes the prophecy ("One day a man of all blood shall unite, in peace, four warring realms and two magic races") and points out the various names we know: Hale, Duncan, Carillon, Alix, Donal, Niall. There's a blank space for Niall's sons.
Niall hasn't met his sons yet, but he has names for them. The oldest is Brennan. The younger is Hart. They're added to the list.
The next step is the gold. Clan leader Rylan tells Niall that it's customary for a new warrior to choose a "shu'maii" or sponsor from his fellow warriors. The sponsor will pierce the new Cheysuli's ear and place the earring in. He'll also place the bands around his arms. It's an important role, and the shu'maii and new warrior have a bond of honor.
Niall thinks about it. He might have named Donal, but Donal has already gone back to Homana-Mujhar. He's got good reason, but he's also useless, so fuck him. Ian is the most obvious and appropriate choice...but Ian's already his liege man.
So Niall does something that's either very clever or very stupid.
And so I looked at Rylan. “I name the name of Ceinn.”
He glances at Ian, to make sure Ian's not hurt. But Ian has a tiny smile. He gets what Niall is doing.
And as for Ceinn:
His face was a mask to me, but his eyes were not. From out of the mask they stared, hard and cold and yellow, and in their depths blazed the flame of fanaticism. Oh, aye, he would accept. In the face of his dedication to clan and custom, he could not do otherwise.
“Ja’hai-na,” he said only, and rose to make his way through the others to the cairn. He sat down on my right side; Serri was at my left.
He accepts, resentfully. But as much as Ceinn is a fanatic, he's also a traditionalist and Niall's trapped him nicely. But the tone does change a little as the ritual donning of gold starts to get to Niall. And Ceinn notices. At the end of the ceremony, Niall has some affectionate words for his siblings (who both, endearingly, forget proprieties and embrace him outright. Aw), then he speaks alone with Ceinn.
“Shu’maii,” I said quietly, “when a man cannot make a friend of an enemy, he takes the enemy from his friends.”
After a moment, he shrugged. “Why not?” he asked dully. “You have already taken his cheysula.”
“’Solde does as ’Solde chooses; surely you understand that better than most. But I would not have it said she cannot change her mind.”
Ceinn asks if she would. Niall admits he doesn't know and can't speak for his sister. BUT, he points out, Isolde left Ceinn because he was a'saii. Now he's shu'maii.
I mean, technically, I think Isolde left Ceinn because he didn't give a shit about how his plans would hurt her, but maybe Ceinn has gotten a wakeup call. Or not. He tells Niall that he believed in what he did, and that if Niall were still a lirless man, he'd do it again.
But Niall is not lirless anymore. He doesn't condone what Ceinn did to him, but he can comprehend, and he thinks he needs men like Ceinn to help him rule Homana when the time comes.
Ceinn, very begrudgingly, accepts. And the chapter ends.
So Ceinn gets a karma houdini of sorts. But it might work. Ceinn has his own ambitions, but he's a true believer type of fanatic. And Niall has tradition on his side now. We'll see if that's enough.
[snickergiggle]
Date: 2022-08-14 01:24 am (UTC)= Multi-Facets.