The Tale of Hespira and Horreon
I had the most enlightening reading experience with the Queen of Attolia recently. After multiple times of reading this book, I finally think I grasp the larger significance of the story of Hespira and Horreon that Eddis tells to the Magus. Even then, there are two interpretations.
I've always read the tale as a stand-alone, and didn't think too hard about why it was being included in QOA. This last time around, though, I thought I understood it at the point where it appears in the story. Eddis tells the tale to Gen and the Magus right after Gen has stolen the Magus, but before we readers know what Gen's plans are. Thinking of Gen listening to the story, he seemed to be a parallel to the blacksmith, Horreon, who was terrifying to mortals and lived alone in a dank cave. In Gen's mind, who would want to marry him, with his black moods and maimed hand? Attolia was like Hespira, let to marry someone she wouldn't want to. And then at the end of the story Hespira actually chooses to marry Horreon, rather like Attolia choosing to marry Gen. A neat allegory, right?
However, by the end of QOA, I reversed this allegory in my head completely. Is it not more accurate to say that the Queen of Attolia is like the ugly blacksmith Horreon, alone in her remote tower, and Eddis grieves to send Gen to marry her, just like Hespira's mother grieved to see Hespira choose Horreon? But the point of the story is that Hespira chose and was not tricked. The final act of the book QOA is about Irene realizing that Gen truly wants to marry her, truly cares about her, and can be trusted. So Irene was the monster in the cave whom Gen wanted to save.
I've always read the tale as a stand-alone, and didn't think too hard about why it was being included in QOA. This last time around, though, I thought I understood it at the point where it appears in the story. Eddis tells the tale to Gen and the Magus right after Gen has stolen the Magus, but before we readers know what Gen's plans are. Thinking of Gen listening to the story, he seemed to be a parallel to the blacksmith, Horreon, who was terrifying to mortals and lived alone in a dank cave. In Gen's mind, who would want to marry him, with his black moods and maimed hand? Attolia was like Hespira, let to marry someone she wouldn't want to. And then at the end of the story Hespira actually chooses to marry Horreon, rather like Attolia choosing to marry Gen. A neat allegory, right?
However, by the end of QOA, I reversed this allegory in my head completely. Is it not more accurate to say that the Queen of Attolia is like the ugly blacksmith Horreon, alone in her remote tower, and Eddis grieves to send Gen to marry her, just like Hespira's mother grieved to see Hespira choose Horreon? But the point of the story is that Hespira chose and was not tricked. The final act of the book QOA is about Irene realizing that Gen truly wants to marry her, truly cares about her, and can be trusted. So Irene was the monster in the cave whom Gen wanted to save.