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The Rot

Page 43

by Siri Pettersen


  Graal

  one of the blind

  Hirka

  the tailless girl

  Isac

  a blood slave

  Jay

  Hirka’s friend

  Naiell

  one of the blind

  Nils

  an associate of Stefan’s

  Silvio Sanuto

  Allegra’s ailing husband

  Stefan Barone

  a hunter

  CHARACTERS IN YM

  Damayanti

  a dancer

  Eirik Viljarsón

  chieftain of Ravnhov

  Hlosnian

  a stone carver and stone whisperer

  Ilume An-Elderin

  Rime’s grandmother; a deceased councillor

  Kuro

  a raven

  Lindri

  a teahouse owner

  Northree

  a shepherd in the library

  Svarteld

  master of Kolkagga

  Sylja Glimmeråsen

  the wealthiest girl in Elveroa

  Tein

  son of Eirik of Ravnhov

  Urd Vanfarinn

  a former councillor

  Vetle

  a simple boy; Ramoja’s son

  COUNCILLORS

  Rime An-Elderin

  Sigra Kleiv

  Jarladin An-Sarin

  Leivlugn Taid

  Miane Fell

  Noldhe Saurpassarid

  Freid Vangard

  Eir Kobb

  Garm Darkdaggar

  Saulhe Jakinnin

  Tyrme Jekense

  PLACES IN YM

  the Alldjup

  a gorge with the River Stryfe running through it

  Blindból

  a forbidden mountain range

  Bromfjell

  a mountain near Ravnhov, home to the stone circle where Urd opened the gateway for the blind

  Eisvaldr

  a walled city within Mannfalla; the home of the Council

  Elveroa

  a small village where Hirka and Rime spent some of their childhoods

  Mannfalla

  the biggest city in Ym

  the Ora

  a river running through Mannfalla

  Ravnhov

  an independent settlement in the region of Foggard

  the Rite Hall

  a large ceremonial hall built around an old stone circle where the Rite occurred each year

  CONCEPTS

  binding

  the act of using or drawing upon the Might

  blindcraft

  the feared and forbidden way in which the blind use the Might

  the Book of the Seer

  the official history of Ym

  the blind

  an ancient people feared throughout Ym. Synonymous with deadborn, nábyrn, and Umpiri

  child of Odin

  someone from a world beyond Ym, born without a tail, who cannot bind the Might. Synonymous with embling and menskr

  the Council

  the twelve individuals who interpret the word of the Seer and govern all of Ym

  Dreyri

  high-born Umpiri

  the forgotten

  blood slaves abandoned by their master

  Kolkagga

  the Council’s assassins

  the Might

  a powerful current of energy that can be drawn upon for strength

  the Rite

  a coming-of-age ceremony during which young people were given the Seer’s blessing and protection

  the rot

  a disease believed by ymlings to be carried by children of Odin. Also a derogatory term used to refer to them

  Slokna

  where the dead go to rest

  the Seer’s tree

  a tree of glass and stone where the Seer was believed to live, destroyed by Rime

  twalif

  a low-ranking military commander

  the Twelve

  the warriors who—with the help of the Seer—once defended Ym against the blind

  Vardar

  blood slaves still in their master’s favor

  ymlings

  people from the land of Ym; those born with tails and the ability to bind the Might

  THE LANGUAGE OF THE BLIND

  Headwords unless otherwise noted are:

  For nouns nom. sing., for verbs present infinitive (see Abbreviations below glossary). Nouns are listed with grammatical gender after the headword (m., f., or n.). Verbs are listed with inflectional class (v1, v2, or v3).

  Entry

  Explanation

  dósem v3

  to be, copular verb; to exist

  esse acc. sing.

  you (implying that the object is of lower social status): acc. sing. of iss

  koy interj. indec.

  see! (corresponds to Latin ecce!, English lo!)

  koyem v1

  to sense, to perceive with the senses

  kroyo loc. sing.

  where (referring to place): locative singular of krai

  kwainsair n.

  cruel imprisonment; prison cell, prison

  óz

  I

  ozá

  I (implying that the speaker is of higher social status)

  sulni m.

  mayfly, small harmless insect

  umkhadari m.

  brother (formal)

  umǫni m.

  the Language, the Tongue (mostly when referring to the language of the First; other languages are called umþéles); i.e. “something closely related to the tongue”

  waiad n.

  my, n. sing. of wai my, m. sing.

  Abbreviations

  acc.

  accusative

  f.

  feminine

  ind.

  indeclinable

  interj.

  interjection

  loc.

  locative

  m.

  masculine

  n.

  neuter

  nom.

  nominative

  pl.

  plural

  sing.

  singular

  v1–v3

  verb, inflectional class 1–3

  The list is just a taste of the language of the blind, which was developed in collaboration with linguist Alexander K. Lykke.

  Siri Pettersen made her sensational debut in 2013 with the Norwegian publication of Odin’s Child, the first book in The Raven Rings trilogy, which has earned numerous awards and nominations at home and abroad. Siri has a background as a designer and comics creator. Her roots are in Finnsnes and Trondheim, but she now lives in Oslo, where you’re likely to find her in a coffee shop. According to fellow writers, her superpower is “mega motivation”—the ability to inspire other creative souls. Visit her at SiriPettersen.com, or follow her on Twitter or Instagram @SiriPettersen.

  Siân Mackie is a translator of Scandinavian literature into English. They were born in Scotland and have an MA in Scandinavian Studies and an MSc in Literary Translation as a Creative Practice from the University of Edinburgh. They have translated a wide range of works, from young adult and children’s literature—including Ingunn Thon’s A Postcard for Ollis, which was nominated for the 2021 Carnegie Medal—to thrillers and nonfiction. They live in Southampton on the south coast of England.

  Paul Russell Garrett translates from Norwegian and Danish, with drama holding a particular interest for him. He has translated a dozen plays and has a further ten published translations to his name, including Lars Mytting’s The Sixteen Trees of the Somme, long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award, and a pair of novels by Christina Hesselholdt, Companions and Vivian. Originally from Vancouver, Paul is based in east London.

  Siân and Paul have previously collaborated on a translation of A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, which was commissioned by Foreign Affairs theater company and performed in 2015 in east London. They hope their shared passion for bringi
ng Norwegian literature to English-speaking audiences will continue in future collaborations, and they are currently translating the next book in the Raven Rings series.

 

 

 


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