Seoman Snowlock
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Seoman Snowlock is a fictional character in Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. He is variously known as Simon Mooncalf, Snowlock, and Seoman. His birth name, given to him by his mother, is Seoman, meaning 'waiting' in Erkynlandish. 'Simon' is the Westerling version of that name.
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[edit] Background
Seoman was the only child of Susanna, a maid in the Hayholt, and of Eahlferth, a local fisherman and descendent of Eahlstan, the former Fisher King of the Hayholt. Both died, Susanna whilst giving birth to him, and Eahlferth in a boating accident before the birth. Simon was taken in by Rachel the Dragon, the strict but kindly chamber maid mistress.
Soon after Simon's fourteenth birthday, events take place which affect both Simon and the realm of Osten Ard, and the boy is soon flung into a series of misfortunes as enemies both mortal and immortal conspire to destroy both Simon and the world as he knows it.
[edit] The Hayholt
Simon works as a kitchen boy in the great castle called Hayholt. His daily nemesis is his caretaker, Rachel the Dragon who despairs that the boy will ever amount to anything. She is grateful when Doctor Morgenes, the local castle doctor and historian [as well as magician and alchemist] ask to have Simon assist him in his chambers. Simon is ecstatic until he learns that Morgenes doesn't mean to teach him magic, but how to read and write.
Then old King John Presbyter dies at last at a great age and his eldest son Elias becomes king. There is strive and tension between Elias and his younger brother Prince Josua, which Simon accidentally one day witness in the nave of the church. There he sees a slender dark haired youth spying on the two princes. Later he catches this spy who names himself Malachias. After the first year of Elias' reign, things begin to go inexplicably downhill in the kingdom and Prince Josua disappears.
During all these intrigues, Simon works as a labourer as well as working on his apprenticeship with Doctor Morgenes. While roving the castel, as he is wont to do, Simon stumbles upon a terrible secret; Prince Josua is held prisoner by the evil alchemist and pries, Pryrates, who is also the king's closest counsellor. He rush to Morgenes with the news and together they set Josua free. Morgenes had to employe magic, what he calls the Art, to do so however which is as good as leaving a signature. Josua escapes through the tunnels beneath Hayholt which is actually the ruins of the old Sithi castle, Asu'a. He is only a couple of hours gone, when Pryrates appears at Morgenes' chambers accompanied by soldiers. Morgenes is killed in a magical battle with Pryrates, allowing Simon to escape through the same tunnels to freedom, giving him only his work on the life of King John, a work which also contain much other information. Driven almost mad by thirst, shock and sadness, as well as the constantly whispering voices in the dark, Simon at last after hours in the earth, stumble up into the lichyard beyond the castle and town.
There on the hill of Thisterborg, he witnesses a rite of evil magic performed by Pryrates. The king is also there as well as several white-faced, white-haired demon creatures. One robed figure is there also, one that fills Simon with more fear than all the others together. Half-crazed with terror and horror, Simon runs aways from the scene into Aldheorte forest.
[edit] Aldheorte Forest
Simon stumbles through the forest, full of fear and more mundane hunger. He had never had to provide for himself and is quite helpless while he travels away from Hayholt. He decided to go to Josua at his castle Naglimund, towards the north but the road is far longer than he anticipated. Almost two weeks later, he sneaks to a cottage to try and steal some food, when he hears a rustling noise near the cottage. Investigating, he sees a strange human-like creature caught in the cotsman's trap and unable to get loose. With sudden insight, Simon realise that the creature before him is a Sitha man, one of the ancient lost folk. Looking like a human but with golden cat eyes, gold-brown skin, lavender hair and odd bird-like movements. Simon tries to free him but is interrupted by the cotsman returning. The man tries to kill the Sitha who fights valiantly back, but on sudden impulse Simon kills the cotsman with a stone and frees the Sitha. The Sitha runs away then but not before shooting a white arrow at Simon. A new voice then advise Simon to take the arrow, as it signifies a debt from the Sitha towards Simon.
The new voice belongs to Binabik, a troll from the far north. The trolls, or Qanuk in their own tongue, look like small humans, child-sized but strong, usually with black hair, black eyes and brown skin. They live far in the north in the mountains called the Trollfells and are only rarely seen by humans. Binabik though was apprenticed to Ookequk, his people's Singing Man [shaman] until his master's death. Upon that death, Binabik decided to complete his master's errand to the south rather than return to his home. One of those errands was to take care of Simon, a last message from Morgenes to Ookequk. Binabik accompanies Simon on his road to Naglimund.
While travelling towards the house of Geloë, a witch who knew Ookequk and Morgenes, they save Malachias and a young girl, Leleth, from a pack of hounds. At the house of Geloë, it is revealed that Malachias is actually a girl named Marya who is taking a message to Josua from his niece, the princess Miriamele. Leleth was a handmaiden to the princess and left the castel with Marya. She was savaged by the hounds however and stays with Geloë to heal. The three then continue towards Naglimund, chased by hunters of the king with hounds bearing the mark of Stormspike, the home of the Norns in the furtherest North. Binabik is wounded by an arrow in his chest and with great difficulty Simon and Marya get Binabik and themselves to Naglimund.
[edit] Naglimund
Upon arrival in Naglimund, Binabik is healed and Simon is sent to train as a soldier by Josua. It is then that Josua calls a raed [council] to decide what they may do against Elias. There it is revealed that Marya is actually the Princess Miriamele herself, to the dismay of Simon who had started to have feelings for Marya. It is on one of these raed nights, that everyone is surprised by the arrival of an old man named Jarnauga. He is a member of the League of the Scroll, to which Morgenes and Ookequk had also belonged and to which Binabik now belongs after his master's death. They are keepers of knowledge and lore and secretly works to protect Osten Ard against the evil in the north. Their founder, King Eahlstan Fiskerne, had found evidence that the Sithi prince Ineluki had not truly died but assumed an undead form and is now gathering his forces in Nakkiga amongst the Norns. He now rules as the Stormking, a creature held together by hate and a thirst for vengeance. Jarnauga is the one who tells the assembled people the history of the Sithi and the fall of Asu'a, as well as what the nature of the enemy is that face them now. Simon is terribly excited by it all, not yet realising the dangers they will all face.
It is found in Morgenes' book however that three swords exist that can combat this supernatural evil, three swords that were made not of the substance of Osten Ard. First is the sword Minneyar, made from the last iron from the vanished west from whence the Rimmersmen came; the second is the sword Thorn, made from the metal of a fallen star; and the third is Sorrow, made by Ineluki by blending witchwood and iron, to substances which are anathema to each other. An ancient riddle written by the mad monk Nisses, tells of the three swords and how the swords "must come again", apparently to save Osten Ard. That night Simon dreams of Morgenes who tells him to beware the "false messenger".
It is known that from what Simon had seen the night of escape, that Sorrow is now in the hands of King Elias, the seal to his unholy bargain with Ineluki. Thorn is thought lost in the sea with the great knight Camaris and no-one knows what became of Minneyar. Towser, old King John's jester however, informs them that Thorn isn't lost and that it went into the north with a squire of Camaris'. It is then decided that a small group must go into the unmapped north to retrieve the sword Thorn On this mission goes Binabik, Simon and four other soldiers. One of the soldiers is Sludig, a Rimmersman who are ancient enemies of the Qanuk.
In the northern end of Aldheorte forest, they are attacked and one of the soldiers killed. They are saved by a group of Sithi and taken to the Sithi's hunting lodge. There Simon again sees the Sitha he had saved, who turns out to be the son of the ruling House, Jiriki. Prince Jiriki and his kinsman An'nai travel with the small band to the north, partially in payment of the debt Jiriki owes Simon.
[edit] Yiqanuk
Upon reaching the mountain where Thorn is said to have been taken, they find the remains of a camp and there they also find Thorn, frozen fast to the ground. While trying to dislodge the black sword, the ice dragon, Igjarjuk, appears and attacks them. Simon bravely defends against the dragon with Thorn that he had managed to free, but is burned by the dragon's blood. He awakes in the fastness of Yiqanuk, ancestral home of the trolls, where Jiriki names him Snowlock and shows him where the dragon had marked him, a long burn scar on the side of his face and swathe of white hair.
He is also horrified to hear that both Binabik and Sludig is being held prisoner with a death-sentence over them. Sludig for being one of the hated Rimmersmen and Binabik for apparent oath-breaking. Jiriki leaves for his home in Aldheorte since he was summoned by his parents but Simon fights in the court for Binabik and Sludig. At last it is Binabik's betrothed Sisqui who helps them and his friends are freed. They now travel south again with the sword towards the Stone of Farewell, called Sesuad'ra in the Sithi language.
After entering the northern part of Aldheorte again, they are attacked by a witchgirl and separated when Simon charges into the night. After long fruitless searching, Binabik and Sludig continue on towards Josua and the Stone with the sword Thorn. Simon is busy dying from cold and hunger when he is rescued by Aditu, the sister of Jiriki. She takes him against all the rules of their people to their last great House, Jao'i Tunika'i in the heart of Aldheorte forest.
[edit] Jao'i Tinuka'i
With magic, although that is not what the Sithi call it, they enter from winter into summer into the heart of the last Sithi stronghold. The whole city is woven of silky cloth of all different colours and Simon as awed by its beauty. He is aghast however when is told by Jiriki and Aditu's parents that he will not be allowed to leave again, since mortals aren't allowed in the city. Simon cannot bear this confinement and begs Jiriki to let him leave, but the Sithi prince cannot go against a Word of Command from his parents. Simon is also extremely lonely, since only Jiriki and Aditu even deign to notice him, never mind talk to him. One night however, he is summoned to visit the eldest of the Sithi, First Grandmother. She is Amerasu Shipborn and Jiriki's great-grandmother. She was born on the ships that sailed the Gardenborn to Osten Ard and is very old and powerful. She sifts through Simon's thoughts and all the things he has seen, then sends him on his way. A few days later, a meeting of all the Sithi in Jao'i Tinuka'i is called and Simon also attends. There Amerasu speaks to her people and warns them against what her own great-grandmother and the only of the Gardenborn older than herself, Utuk'u Queen of the Norns, intends. Simon also realise then that Ineluki the Stormking was Amerasu's son and that she had discerned his thoughts and intent. Before she can reveal such however, Utuk'u appears through the "witness" [objects used to see visions, things far off, communicate with those far off, etc.] and kills Amerasu to silence her. A huntsman from Nakkiga with a whole pack of their hounds appear then and attack the Sithi at random. Many are injured and some die, including Jiriki and Aditu's father. In the aftermath of this horror, Simon is released and allowed to leave. Aditu guides him to the Stone of Farewell, where he is welcomed by Binabik, Sludig and Josua.
[edit] Sesuad'ra
Simon learns at the Stone that Naglimund had died a terrible death, with only the Prince and about ten other people escaping. Hundreds and thousands of disaffected refugees have made their way to the Prince at the Stone however, swelling their ranks. Simon is made a knight by Josua for his services and is made part of the Prince's counsels. He is disappointed however to find that Miriamele has left Naglimund before its fall and hasn't reappeared yet. He is glad however to be reunited with Binabik, Sludig as well as Geloë and the little girl Leleth.
They learn that a large force of soldiers are about to attack the Stone and prepare accordingly. Against all odds, they Prince and his band of refugees defeat the force sent against them. It here where Simon sees the true horror of war and battle. It is on the night when their victory is celebrated, that Aditu appears at the Stone. She was sent by her mother who now leads the Sithi. She bears the message to Josua that the Sithi are riding to the aid of the beleaguered Hernystiri nation, their allies of old. For the first time in 500 years, the Sithi are again riding to war. Aditu is stay with Prince Josua and his retinue however. She quickly befriends the Prince's wife Vorzheva who is pregnant but is distrusted by most of the mortals on Sesuad'ra. It is also not long after that they learn the staggering news that the sword Minneyar is actually the same sword as Bright Nail, king John's sword that was buried with him only three years before.
Soon after Aditu's appearance, Miriamele returns from the south with Duke Isgrimmnur, a young Wrannaman scholar and a large old man who turns out it is the great knight Sir Camaris, whom everyone had thought dead and lost. Miriamele is changed however, her "adventures" in the south having been as horrible and fantastic as those that Simon had in the north. When Josua refuse to listen to her concerning her father the king and what they must do, she decides to leave again for the Hayholt. Simon discovers her in the act of leaving however and insist on accompanying her. A few hours after their "escape" from Josua's camp, Binabik is sent after them to find and return the two "runaways".
The further they travel towards Hayholt the more they see the evidence of the Stormking and the High King's depravities. Many towns are virtually empty and the land is sickened and dying. They are captured by Firedancers, human adherents to the Stormking, maddened by his touch on their minds. With the help of Binabik however they escape.
[edit] Asu'a
They travel towards and at last reach the Hayholt where they determine to take the sword Minneyar from king John' barrow but Simon falls through the barrow into the tunnels below. From there he must once again make his way through the tunnels and castel ruins beneath Hayholt. The old ruins of the Sithi castle is strangely alive with disturbing and unsettling shifts and flashes of vision of how it used to look. After many hours, Simon at last comes out in the Hayholt itself. There he tries to spy in the tower of Pryrates, but is caught by two Norns standing guard and thrown into the forges of the king. Here Simon is tortured and at last bound to the huge waterwheel.
While on the wheel he almost dies and he travels on the Dreamroad. The strange little girl Lelelth comes to him then and shows him visions of the past, which she says will make sense and help him when he returns to the waking world. But Leleth leaves to go on to death and Simon is stuck in the featureless void. At last he sensed another presence and meets Maegwin, daughter of dead king Lluth of Hernystir. In the corporeal world she is in a coma induced by one of Ineluki's undead servants when the Hernystiri together with the Sithi attacked Naglimund. For long they talk but at last Maegwin convinces Simon that he must return to the waking world. Simon pushes against the barrier separating him from his body and the very last, he suddenly feels all Maegwin's strength go into him and he breaks through. He also realises that Maegwin had died and given up her life to save him.
He is then unexpectedly saved by an old courtier of Elias' court who had gone mad and lived in the tunnels. But the courtier dies of fever and when Simon takes the sword the old man had kept next to him, he realises that it is none other than Minneyar. Simon takes the sword and cautiously makes his way toward Green Angel Tower, the only piece of Sithi architecture to still survive in Hayholt. It is there that the final showdown will happen and all and everything is centred on the Tower, hence the name of the third book - To Green Angel Tower.
When Simon arrives in the topmost chamber of the tower with Minneyar in hand, it is to find a group of people awaiting him. Elias is there with Sorrow in hand and Camaris is there with Thorn in hand. The two swords are crossed and behind the king stand Pryrates. Against the wall, held immobile by Pryrates, stands Binabik and Miriamele. Simon is inexorably pulled towards the semi-circle and with click Minneyar also joins its two brother swords. Pryrates then casts a terrible spell where all the power of the swords as well as the power of fear and hate and chaos from across Osten Ard is channeled into letting Ineluki return into the world, literally rolling time back in its track. The three holding the swords are powerless to move. Ineluki begins to enter the world but Pryrates overplays his hand when he tries to bind Ineluki and the terrible Stormking kills the sorcerer. With his death, Binabik and Miriamele is free again. Ineluki starts entering king Elias, using his body as host, but with a cry of pain and horror, Miriamele kills her own father with the White Arrow of the Sithi that she Simon had given into her keeping. Thus Elias dies and Ineluki's spirit desperately seeks purchase in any other body. Simon and Camaris though both now have the power to stop him entering them, since the spirit was dreadfully weakened by its cross-over and the death of Elias. Thus Ineluki is destroyed, as well as the three swords have turned to dust. Green Angel Tower starts to collapse and it is only with the help of the treacherous monk Cadrach that they escape.
[edit] The Aftermath
Great is the ruin left behind by the battle and all are uncertain as to who must rule now, since Josua had been killed by Elias in the Tower just before the spell. It is then that it is revealed that Simon is the descendant of Eahlstant Fiskerne who had once ruled in the Hayholt. Simon and Miriamele also admit their love for each other, thus is the future of the royal line sealed.
Late one night, Simon and Miriamele are awakened by a noise outside their tent and to their shock and amazement, it is Prince Josua. He had not died as all had assumed but was merely knocked unconscious. Camaris had carried him from the tower then disappeared. Josua then tells them that he is not the son of King John, but of Camaris, a love story as old as time and very reminiscent of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. He also never wanted to rule, hating every minute of it and now sees his "death" as a perfect escape. He will return to his wife and twin children and open an inn with them and study as a scholar. Against all odds, Simon is then reunited with his foster mother Rachel, who had hidden out in Hayholt during the whole war.
A year later shows a reunion of the main characters who participated, with all well again. Simon is king and Miriamele his queen. Jiriki and Aditu have survived the battle with Utuk'u, Binabik is well and has returned to his betrothed Sisqui and Josua sent secret greetings to those of the inner circle who knows the truth. Count Eolair of Hernystiri also arrives and is told by Simon of his Maegwin's sacrifice. On this meeting the story of Seoman Snowlock and company ends.
