Re: How many Argraths?

From: Jane Williams <janewilliams20_at_y0uidnAmE1M1GvK2r975SavYV1-mpHHlgx2iaMvf3obXFobc4RqczuKTm9jyN>
Date: Sat, 24 Mar 2007 07:06:33 +0000 (GMT)

Very true, and a very good point. The Saga is even worse, and the other smaller documents, while probably less intended to deliberately decieve, are all from one very personalised and limited viewpoint.

> That the many Argrath events described therein have
> mostly been
> done by one Argrath is IMO an illusion created by
> the compiler in
> order to further glorify Argrath.

But, CHDP has the one advantage of being a document presented to Argrath at his wedding, read there, and thereby forced to be literally true to the knowledge of those listening. Yes, every single statement has to be examined for what it's intended to hide, or in what way it's designed to mislead. But there will be facts in there.

> Garrath - A pavic hero whose most famous act was
> defending
> the cradle. However after it left Corflu, he was
> killed while
> defending it. Harreksaga does mention various
> things that
> Argrath said or did on his circumnavigation epic but
> these are
> all things said or done by Arkati shipmates of whom
> there are a few.

Could well be. We get references later to "Argrath" being friends with Harrek, but that could be due to fighting alongside each with Broyan in the Holy Country. I've never seen Harreksaga - what further clues do we get?

Oh, and ISTR we have one of Garrath's Pavis followers mentioned by Min. Blue. "1628 — Jarang Bladesong leads us against wolf pirates in Hendrikiland. No combat."

Probably another case of "old friend of Harrek".

> Argrath WhiteBull is a howling mad beserk who
> unifies the
> tribes of Prax to oust the Lunars. He sacks New
> Pavis
> and later seeks to sack Dragon Pass but is killed in
> doing so.

Also an entirely possible description. Not the story I prefer, but just as valid as mine.

> Argrath of Pavis is a minor figure who is chiefly
> famous for turning New Pavis over to the Praxians.

We do know a bit about him, enough to get a picture of an unpleasant and self-serving personality.

> He may or may not have married Kallyr

I'd have placed him as the least likely of the Argraths to do so. I doubt if they were ever in contact, and any marriage with Kallyr is likely to be for political purposes in any case. What political reason could there have been for a marriage with the petty ruler of a far-off city?  

> Argrath of Saird is a hero who fights against the
> Lunars
> there. One or two of his epic feats have become
> conflated into the Argrath saga.

This is going further into the future than I usually look. He's the one who courted infant princesses?

> Argrath of Sartar is the Argrath that succeeds
> Kallyr as King of Sartar.

Once Harrek has killed her for him. It does look as if this Argrath (whichever it was) was an old friend of Harrek, somehow. Maybe they met in the Holy Country, maybe this is Garrath or one of his followers, maybe it's just some random wolf pirate. Maybe it's a PC. Whoever it is knows how to get Harrek to do their dirty work for them.

And Minaryth Blue at least thought he knew which Agrath this was. "1631 — Argrath Maniskisson elected Prince of Sartar." Still, all we know for certain about Maniskisson is that that's the ancestry claimed in CHDP by whoever it was who claimed to have lit the Flame (and didn't).

> He is little known before then and
> is ashamed of his lack of glory in the early years
> of
> the war against the Lunar Empire. Although a brave
> and resourceful heroquester, his principal flaw is
> pathological boasting about doing things most people
> know that he never did.

Fair enough.

Any guesses which one ended up marrying the FHQ? Maniskisson?
Let me just check what the FHQ list says. "The eighth, called "Reaches All," was High Queen of all Dragon Pass, for she chose her husband wisely. The ceremony of celebration was the most grand known to mankind, and the guests devoured the whole of Voriof's Herd when he brought it, and all the ale from the Giant's Cauldron."

You know, I do wonder how she measures "wisely". "Very rich" is obviously a good point. But "does exactly what I tell him" would be another. Maybe she's the brains behind the propaganda?

Giant's Cauldron - that's another link with Garrath, isn't it? Or with one of his followers.                                   



New Yahoo! Mail is the ultimate force in competitive emailing. Find out more at the Yahoo! Mail Championships. Plus: play games and win prizes. http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44106/*http://mail.yahoo.net/uk            

Powered by hypermail