Authors: Karen Maitland

The Falcons of Fire and Ice (60 page)

BOOK: The Falcons of Fire and Ice

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Door-doom
(
dyra-dómr
)
– Part of ancient Norwegian law, which involved assembling a group of six, or even as many as twelve, neighbours who would act as a court ruling on local disputes, such as a man refusing to pay a debt or one neighbour accusing another of harming his cattle by witchcraft. According to ancient law, the door-doom had to be assembled at the front door of the accused’s house but far enough away from it so that the accused could hold his own door-doom if he wanted to bring a counter-claim against his accuser. Once both door-dooms were assembled there still had to be enough space remaining for a wagon full of wood to be driven between the house and the door-dooms.

But there are records of door-dooms being conducted within the house. For example, if a ghost had taken up residence and was refusing to leave, it might be summoned to appear before a door-doom of living neighbours just as if it was still alive, and it would have to abide by the decision of the door-doom which could force it to leave. On some occasions, though, the door-doom might rule that the ghost had the right to stay on in the house provided it behaved itself and didn’t annoy the people who lived there.

Familiaries
– These were the lay agents of the Inquisition. They were not in holy orders, but were ordinary men and women recruited to work for the Inquisition. In addition to accompanying the penitents and condemned at the
auto-da-fé
, they acted as the spies of the Inquisition. Large networks of
familiaries
existed all over Europe. The Inquisition would send these agents highly detailed physical descriptions of people they wanted to find, even including observations such as a particular man who had nasal polyps and therefore breathed through his mouth. Since the populace didn’t know the identity of the
familiaries
– they wore hoods at the
auto-da-fé
– it meant that fugitives had to be constantly on their guard.

Farthingale
– Adopted from the Spanish court, this was a bell-shaped linen or canvas underskirt into which a series of horizontal hoops of wood or whalebone were sewn to give full shape to the heavy gowns. It caused women to walk with a gliding, swaying movement. They also wore a linen or leather corset stiffened with strips of whalebone, wood or horn at the front, back and sides, to create a narrow waist and upraised breasts and achieve an hourglass shape. This corset was held up with shoulder straps, which helped to raise the breasts, since there were no cups built into it.

Gromet
– An apprentice seaman. Among the ordinary sailors the most experienced men were known as ‘able seamen’. They could hoist and lower sails, make repairs to the rigging and read a ship’s compass when on watch. The gromets did the hard labour, pumping the bilges, raising the massive anchors and climbing the rigging. Lowest of the low were the ship’s boys who cleaned, served the officers and were required to sing hymns for services and shanties to keep time for the seamen or for entertainment.

Lucet
– A cord-maker. This was usually a piece of deer horn with two prongs, a forked twig, or a piece of wood carved into two prongs, with a handle that sat in the palm of the hand. This ancient implement was used to knot wool or other materials to make a strong cord, known as a ‘chain’, to tie up anything from sacks to live chickens. Objects such as knives, spoons, purses, keys, drop-spindles, even the lucet itself, were hung from the waist or neck by cords. Cords were also used to fasten shoes and garments and as draw-strings for clothes and bags. In the days before the production of cheap commercially made string, so many different cords were needed for daily living that all but the wealthy had to make their own, and even small children could use a lucet, since the technique is rather like French knitting, but using two prongs instead of four.

Manticore
– A mythical monster believed to live in Africa and one of the many beasts which travellers throughout the centuries feared to encounter in foreign lands. It was described as a gigantic red lion with a human face whose mouth bore three rows of teeth, and whose tail could, according to some accounts, sting like a scorpion, while others claimed the lashing tail fired poison darts like a hail of arrows. All the writers agreed its favourite food was human flesh.

Morcela
– A type of blood-sausage made in Portugal, flavoured with cumin and cloves. Another classic sausage of the region is the
chouriço
, a sausage coloured with paprika.

Strappado
– A method of torture by which the victims were hauled by a pulley up to the ceiling by means of ropes attached to the wrists, with heavy weights fastened to their feet. He or she was then suddenly dropped within a few feet of the floor. The violent jolt dislocated the joints. This could be repeated two or three times until the victim was persuaded to confess.

Tölt
– The Icelandic horse was introduced with the first settlers and is believed to have remained unchanged for over a thousand years. They are known for their distinct gaits found in few other breeds. These include the normal
walk
,
trot
and
gallop
, as well as the
skeið
, otherwise known as the
pace
, and the
tölt
, which is a smooth running trot that does not jiggle the rider up and down like a normal trot. These beautiful, sturdy horses can keep up the
tölt
for hours across country.

Troll rune
– Runes were an ancient form of writing used in Northern Europe from about the third century
BC
, though they have been found as far south as Italy. Ancient poems and sagas make reference to a troll rune, or letter, which if inscribed on a stick or stone would reverse the meaning of any runes written after it and turn them into a curse. The troll rune was
þurisaz
(pronounced
thurisaz
), a letter shaped like a thorn.
Thurisaz
has been variously interpreted as meaning
giant, troll, demon
or
thorn
– something evil which will wound you if you touch it. When
thurisaz
was used in a curse it meant
power.
The troll or curse rune was used to conjure spirits of the dead or invoke demons. Some authorities have suggested there were three curse runes, others that there was only one,
thurisaz
, which was repeated three times, followed by a group of three other runes or letters which together made up the curse.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Jane Lomholt of the University of Lincoln and her family for so kindly translating the Danish phrases contained in the novel, especially in the scenes which were not entirely complimentary to her countrymen. I would also like to point out that any disparaging opinions the characters hold about countries or people are most certainly not shared by the author. I fell hopelessly in love with the beautiful and unique country of Iceland the very first time I went there, and I would like to express my gratitude to the Icelandic people for all their generous hospitality on each of my visits.

I would also like to thank my wonderful agent, Victoria Hobbs at A.M. Heath, who always seems to sense when I need an encouraging phone call or email, and my brilliant editor, Mari Evans, who is unfailingly patient and sensitive, and brings such enormous insight and dedication to her editing of the raw manuscript. Finally a huge thank you to all the team at Penguin who work on all the different aspects of the books from cover design to publicity and marketing. Without their creativity and enthusiasm this book would not exist.

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MICHAEL JOSEPH

Published by the Penguin Group
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First published 2012

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Cover design: gray318

ISBN: 978-0-14-195689-3

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters

Prologue: Anno Domini 1514 – Iceland

Chapter One: Anno Domini 1539