Gene Wolfe: The Knight

Ben, look at this first.

I have been reading through the first part of this letter, and there are an awful lot of names you will not know. So I have listed most of them here. If you come across one and wonder who that is, or where it is, you can look here. You would be wasting your time to read this now. It is just to look the names up in.

If a name is not here, I missed it or I do not know either, or I knew you would know already. Here they are.

ABLE

This is the name I use here. It was also the name of Bold Berthold’s brother.

AELF

Fifth-world people. They do not work much, protect trees and so forth, and see certain things differently.

AELFRICE

The fifth world, under Mythgarthr.

AGR

He was Marder’s marshal, and I have known worse people.

ALVIT

One of the shield-maidens who ride for the Valfather.

ANGRBORN

The giants who got forced out of Skai. All of them are descended from a famous giantess named Angr, or say they are.

ARNTHOR

The king of Celidon. His picture was on the money. Disiri gave me a message for him.

ATL

One of Thunrolf’s servants.

AUD

Thunrolf’s steward.

BAKI

A Fire Aelf girl I met at the Tower of Glas. She and Uri said they were my slaves.

BALDIG

One of the peasants who used to live in Griffinsford.

BATTLEMAID

Ravd’s sword. Swords get names, like ships.

BATTLEWITCH

Garvaon’s sword.

BEAW

One of Garvaon’s men-at-arms. He was a good guy too.

BEEL

The baron Arnthor sent to Jotunland.

BEN

My brother back in America, who I still miss. Did you read this, Ben?

BLACKMANE

Ravd’s charger.

BLUESTONE CASTLE

Indign’s castle. Some Osterling pirates wrecked it.

BLUESTONE ISLAND

A high, rocky island about a quarter of a mile from the mainland.

BODACHAN BOLD

Earth Aelf. They are one of the small clans.

BERTHOLD

The peasant from Griffinsford who let me cook my grouse and live with him in his hut. We said we were brothers, and he believed it.

BREGA

A peasant woman who lived in Glennidam.

BYMIR

The first Angrborn I ever saw.

CASPAR

The head warder at Sheerwall Castle.

CELIDON

A big country, longer than it is wide, on the west coast of the mainland. Irringsmouth, Forcetti, and Kingsdoom are all towns in Celidon.

COLLINS

My old English teacher.

CROL

Beel’s herald.

DISIRA

Seaxneat’s wife.

DISIRI

The queen of the Moss Aelf.

DOLLOP AND SCALLOP

The inn where we stayed in Forcetti.

DUNS

Uns’ older brother.

EAST HALL

Woddet’s manor.

EGIL

One of the outlaws.

EGR

One of Beel’s upper servants.

ETERNE

The Mother of Swords.

FINEFIELD

Garvaon’s manor.

FIRE AELF

The clan Setr took over completely.

FORCETTI

Marder’s town, a seaport.

FREE COMPANIES

Outlaw gangs. This was the polite name.

FROST GIANTS

The Angrborn, especially the raiders.

GARSECG

The name Setr was using when I met him.

GARVAON

Beel’s best knight.

GAYNOR

Arnthor’s wife, the queen of Celidon.

GERDA

The girl Bold Berthold was going to marry.

GERI

The girl you were dating when I lost America.

GILLING

The king of the Angrborn.

GLENNIDAM

The village where Ulfa and Toug were born.

GORN

The innkeeper at the Dollop and Scallop.

GRENGARM

The dragon who had Eterne.

GRIFFIN

The little river running past Griffmsford and into the Irring.

GRIFFINSFORD

A village the Angrborn wiped out.

GYLF

My dog. The Valfather lost him, and I got to keep him until the Valfather wanted him back.

HEIMIE

Gerda’s son by Hymir. It made him a Mouse.

HEI

The Overcyn woman in charge of death.

HELA

Gerda’s daughter by Hymir, Heimir’s sister.

HERMAD

One of Marder’s knights.

HOB

One of Caspar’s warders.

HOEDSVIN

The cook on the Western Trader.

HULTA

A woman in Glennidam.

HYMIR

The Angrborn who got Gerda.

HYNDLE

Hymir’s Angrborn son.

IDNN

Beel’s daughter, pretty small and next to beautiful. Her voice and big dark eyes were what you remembered.

INDIGN

A duke Osterlings killed. Bluestone Castle was his.

IRRING

A big river.

IRRINGSMOUTH

Indign’s town, where the Irring empties into the sea. Osterlings had burned a lot of it.

JER

The head of an outlaw gang.

JOTUNLAND

The Angrborn country, north of the mountains.

KELPIES

Sea Aelf girls.

KERL

The first mate on the Western Trader.

KINGSDOOM

The capital of Celidon, a seaport.

KLEOS

The second world, above Skai.

KULILI

The person responsible for the Aelf.

LADY

The Valfather’s youngest daughter. No one is supposed to use her name in ordinary talk, so we say the Lady.

LUD

One of Marder’s knights.

LUT

The smith who forged Battlemaid.

MAG