Aberath, the northernmost earldom of North Dalemark;
also the town on the north coast, situated on the Rath estuary at the mouth of the river Ath.

Aden, the small river running north to the sea at Adenmouth, thought by some to be all that remains of the great River of the spellcoats.

Adenmouth, a small town and lordship in the extreme northwest of North Dalemark, and part of the earldom of Aberath.

Adon, a name that seems to mean “High Lord” and has several applications:

1. One of the secret names of the One.

2. The name or title of the heroic King of Dalemark about whom there are many songs and legends. The Adon was an Earl of Hannart who married Manaliabrid of the Undying as his second wife and went into exile with her and the Singer Osfameron, during which time he was murdered by his jealous half brother Lagan and brought back to life by Osfameron. He then became King, but on his death his two children disappeared, leaving Dalemark without a King and riven by civil war.

3. The title of the eldest son and heir of the Earl of Hannart.

The Adon’s gifts, the legendary gifts Manaliabrid brought to the Adon as her dowry. These are:

1. A ring said only to fit the finger of one with royal blood.

2. A cup which was believed to acknowledge the true King and also to shine in the hands of anyone telling the truth.

3. A sword which, it was said, only the true King could draw from its scabbard.

“The Adon’s Hall,” one of the old-style songs composed by the singer-mage Osfameron, in which Osfameron seems to be thinking not only of the Adon in exile in a ruinous hall but of his own cwidder and of the Sayings of King Hern.

Al, the most common short form of Alhammitt, the commonest name in South Dalemark. The name of a castaway picked up by the yacht Wind’s Road.

Alda, the wife of Siriol; a confirmed alcoholic.

Alhammitt

1. The true name of the Earth Shaker.

2. The most common man’s name in South Dalemark.

3. Mitt’s actual name.

Alk, a lawman from the North Dales who took office under the Countess of Aberath and shortly married her. His status then became that of Consort of Aberath, with the courtesy title (which was seldom used) of Lord. Alk devoted his time to inventing steam engines and eventually, almost single-handedly, brought about the industrial revolution of Dalemark.

Alksen, Major, the head of security at the Tannoreth Palace.

Alk’s Irons, the name given by the people of Aberath to the steam machines invented by Alk. The most notable of these were a plow, a hoist, a press, a pump, and a locomotive.

Alla, the elder daughter of Alk and the Countess of Aberath.

Allegiances, the personal ties of primitive Haligland. A man or woman would be born into one clan, sent as foster child to a second, swear friendship to a third, and marry into a fourth. This formed a network of friendship and obligation which you were bound to tell to a stranger when you told your name. Allegiances defined you as a person. If you did not tell, or had no allegiances, you were either a criminal or a social outcast.

Almet, the son of the Adon and Manaliabrid, who declined to be King after his father.

Amil, one of the secret names of the One, which appears to mean either “Brother” or “River.” It later became the name of the line of kings that began with Amil the Great.

Ammet, a straw image thrown into the sea every year at the Sea Festival in Holand in South Dalemark, which was said to bring luck to the city. Small images were also made and sold for luck. Even greater luck was supposed to come to any boat that found Ammet floating beyond the harbor and brought him aboard. The name is a corruption of Alhammitt, one of the names of the Earth Shaker. See also Poor Old Ammet.

Andmark, the earldom in the center of South Dalemark which was probably the wealthiest in Dalemark. Henda was Earl of Andmark until he was killed in the Great Uprising.

Anoreth of the Undying became the wife of Closti the Clam. The name means “unbound.”

Ansdale, a remote valley east of Gardale. The birthplace of Biffa, whose family kept the mill there.

Arin, a senior lord of the (Heathen) invaders from Haligland and chief warrior-minister of Kars Adon.

Armor was markedly different in the two halves of Dalemark.

Southern soldiers wore helmets and breastplates with exaggerated curves designed to deflect bullets, over tough leather, with knee-length boots and big gauntlets. Many carried guns as well as swords, and foot soldiers carried pikes.

Northern soldiers still used chain mail under sleeved jerkins of leather or tough cloth. The mail was long enough to protect the wearer to the wrists and knees, and the helmets were round, coming low enough in the back to protect the neck. Gloves were leather with mail or studs on the backs. Weapons were usually crossbows, swords, and daggers. Guns were few and could only be spared for picked hearthmen.

Arms inspectors were employed by all the earls of South Dalemark to keep strict watch on gunsmiths, armorers, and weapons makers, who were not allowed to work without the inspectors’ seal on all their equipment. The earls rightly feared that the craftsmen might otherwise sell weapons to the common people or make weapons for the earls that were deliberately flawed. Despite the inspectors, many armorers seem to have done both these things.

Arris, a rough spirituous liquor brewed throughout South Dalemark from discarded grapes and sprouting corn. All that can be said in its favor is that it was much cheaper than wine.

Ath, the river that runs north into the sea at Aberath. It is thought to be one of the remnants of the great River of prehistory.

Autumn Festival, the usual name in the South of Dalemark for Harvest, the feast that celebrated the gathering of crops.

Autumn floods in the prehistoric Riverlands were as regular as spring floods but never so large. They were due to the rains that fell in the autumn storms.

Autumn storms were a regular feature in Dalemark. In historic times they reached as far north as Gardale and could be very severe. The worst lasted for days, with the gale swinging from northwest to southwest. With a shorter storm the winds tended to gust even stronger but not veer so much. If the gale was southerly, the storms came repeatedly for several days.

Bad luck gave rise to many superstitions all over Dalemark. Those which require explanation are:

1. Giving. It was considered disastrously unlucky to give, or promise to give, something and then not give it. This is why Ganner was forced to give Lenina to Clennen and also why he seems to have been certain she would one day come back; he had not incurred bad luck by refusing to give her away.

2. Festivals, feasts, and ceremonies. Enormous bad luck was incurred if anything happened to interrupt these. Note that the Heathens interrupted the One’s fire ceremony; that both Mitt and Al interrupted the Sea Festival; and that Fenna interrupted the Midsummer Feast by fainting.

3. A death brought great bad luck and could only be countered by a marriage on the same day. Lenina and Ganner take advantage of this belief.

4. Speaking a falsehood to the Undying brings more bad luck than any of the foregoing.

5. An unlucky person can bring bad luck to others. Gull was considered to be doing this, and Kialan believed he was such a person.

6. A person or group can carry their own cloud of bad luck around with them and nothing will go right for them until the cloud passes away.

Barangarolob, the full name of the horse that pulled Clennen the Singer’s cart. Clennen, who loved long names, named him after the Adon’s horse Barangalob, with the inserted superlative particle ro meaning “youngest” or “much younger.”

Barlay, Lawschool slang. “No barlay” means “no quarter given.”

Beat the water, as part of the Holand Sea Festival in South Dalemark. People pretended to beat the sea with garlands of fruit and flowers. The ancient aim seems to have been to subdue the sea for the following year.

Beer was drunk throughout the North of Dalemark instead of water, wine, or coffee until near the end of Amil the Great’s reign. One of Navis Haddsson’s many profitable enterprises was to set up a large brewery in the Shield of Oreth, but the best beer came from Hannart and still does. The lager brewed in Kinghaven is to be avoided at all costs.

Bence, captain in chief of the fleet of the Holy Islands and commander of the Wheatsheaf. Bence was not a Holy Islander. He was born in Wayness in the earldom of Waywold.

Besting, Lawschool slang for best friend.

Biffa, pupil at the Gardale Lawschool, a native of Ansdale and best friend of Hildrida Navissdaughter. The name is a shortened pet-name form of Enblith.

Big Shool, one of the larger of the Holy Islands.

Black Mountains, the highest range of mountains in prehistoric Dalemark. It is possible, though not certain, that they were thrown higher in the mountain-folding at the start of the reign of King Hern, to become the Black Mountains of historic Dalemark, in which case the name may refer to the large deposits of coal to be found there.

“Both hands cut off…” refers to the law of primitive Haligland, whereby any member of the High Lord’s (King’s) family who was suspected of treason could be legally deprived of both hands, not as a punishment but as a precaution against a threat to the throne.

Bradbrook, a lordship on the coast of Waywold in South Dalemark.

Brid, daughter of Clennen the Singer and sister of Moril and Dagner, who fled North with Moril. Soon after her arrival Brid went to Gardale and trained as a law-woman, and thence to a professional appointment in Loviath. After the Great Uprising she became Countess of Hannart and eventually the first head of the Royal Dalemark Academy of Music, which she helped her brother Moril to found.

Bull, the most usual form in which the Earth Shaker appears. For this reason bulls’ heads are carried in the Holand Sea Festival. It is said that the Bull is most frequently seen in the Holy Islands.

Canden, the younger of two brothers from Waywold in South Dalemark, devoted to freedom fighting. He moved from Waywold to Holand, where conditions were much worse, deliberately to foment rebellion. In Holand he joined the secret society of the Free Holanders and shortly proposed the firing of one of the Earl’s warehouses. The older Free Holanders refused and stayed at home, while Canden led the younger ones to the warehouse. There he found that they had been betrayed and that soldiers were waiting for them.

Canderack, the earldom on the west coast of South Dalemark, where the best wine was grown. Until the reign of Amil the Great, Canderack owned a fleet that rivaled Holand’s.

Canderack Head, south of Canderack Bay, an important landmark for shipping on the South Dalemark coast.

Carne Bank, a mudbank at the far east of the prehistoric Rivermouth, notorious for quicksands and shallows.

Cenblith, a queen of prehistoric Dalemark who first took the One for her lover and then bound him to the will of mortals, apparently either by forcing him to make the great River or by carving an image of him.

Cennoreth, one of the Undying, known in legends as a witch and often called the Weaver. It was said that whatever she wove became truth. She was sister to the legendary King Hern and mother of Manaliabrid, wife of the Adon.

Chindersay, one of the outer ring of the Holy Islands, notable for the dark color of its rocks.

Cindow, a village northeast of Markind in South Dalemark.

City of Gold, King Hern’s lost city of Kernsburgh, which gave rise to the saying “The City of Gold is always on the most distant hill,” meaning that your ideal is never here, under your hands, but always out over there.

Clans, the tribe families of the Heathens of Haligland. The clans are very large and contain all classes, from aristocrat to lowborn. For instance, Kars Adon and Ked both belonged to Clan Rath, but Kars Adon was King while Ked was lowborn and had no real relation to the royal family.

Clennen Mendakersson, one of the most famous and characterful of the old-style Singers, a musician, composer, and teller of tales. He married Lenina, niece of the Earl of the South Dales, and was the father of Dagner, Brid, and Moril. He was murdered near Markind in South Dalemark on suspicion of being a spy, and bequeathed to Moril a cwidder with strange powers, which he claimed had been handed down to him from their ancestor Osfameron.

Climbers, Lawschool slang name for the cloistered court with steps.

Closti the Clam, father of Tanaqui the weaver and a native of Shelling in the prehistoric Riverlands kingdom of Dalemark. He was called the Clam for his extreme uncommunicativeness, which may have been caused by the early death of his wife, Anoreth, or perhaps by the command of the One. He was killed in the invasion of the Heathen Haliglanders before he could tell his children many very important facts.

Collen, one of the two Southern forms of the name Kialan; a name fairly common in Markind.

Collet, the steward of the King of the Riverlands, whose duty was to memorize the King’s debts for lodging and provision.

“The Color Song,” composed and sung by Dagner Clennensson.

“Come Up the Dale with Me,” an apparently innocent love song from South Dalemark which was actually urging rebellion. It was banned.

“Come with Me,” a song being composed by Dagner Clennenson, which Clennen objected to on the ground that it could be seen by spies as urging rebellion.

Coran, a townsman of Derent in Waywold in South Dalemark, later well known as a freedom fighter.

Countess

1. A female who is earl in her own right, like the Countess of Aberath.

2. The wife of an earl.

3. Mitt’s name for his bad-tempered horse, which was not even female.

“Cow-calling,” a traditional patter song to a lively tune. Each verse is two lines longer than the last, until the singer is addressing the whole herd of cows.

Crady, a large town in the south of Andmark in South Dalemark.

Credin, the tidal wave which, at certain seasons, runs up the river Aden from the sea. A lesser wave usually runs up the river Ath at the same time. It is thought the name derives from memories of the mage Kankredin.

Cressing Harbor, a small fishing port to the northeast of the Point of Hark. It was the nearest landing for ships from South Dalemark and much involved in smuggling goods and people from both sides.

Cruddle, one of the traditional instruments played at the Holand Sea Festival, a sort of triangular fiddle with three gut strings. The player held the cruddle under his chin and scraped the strings with a loose horsehair bow. Cruddlers were seldom musicians. Their sole aim was to make as much noise as possible.

“Cuckoo Song,” a comic song with rather indecent words composed by Clennen the Singer.

Cwidder, a musical instrument rather like a lute but with some of the properties of an acoustic guitar. Cwidders are found in all sizes, from small trebles through medium-sized altos and tenors to large bass and deep bass. Moril’s cwidder was a large bass, but it could be used as a tenor. Cwidders were much used by Singers because they were both versatile and easy to carry.

Dagner, the elder son of Clennen the Singer and a noted composer. Dagner became Earl of the South Dales very early in his life but was so reluctant to leave his life as a traveling Singer that he only took up his earldom after fifteen years, at the urgent request of Amil the Great.

Dalemark, the fifteen earldoms of Aberath, Loviath, Hannart, Gardale, Dropwater, Kannarth, the North Dales, the South Dales, Fenmark, Carrowmark, Andmark, Canderack, Waywold, Holand, and Dermath, with the so-called King’s Lands (the Holy Islands, the Marshes, and the Shield of Oreth), that, together with their peoples and history, make up historic Dalemark. For prehistoric Dalemark, see Riverlands.

Dapple, the mottled gray horse belonging to Hestefan the Singer. It was blind in one eye. There was usually something amiss with Singers’ horses because they could only afford to buy them cheap.

Dark Land, the place where the souls of the newly dead gather before they make their way to the constellation of the River and on to oblivion.

Dastgandlen Handagner, the full name of Dagner Clennensson, who was named for the twin brothers of the Undying encountered by the witch Cennoreth. It was said that Clennen could not resist long names.

Derent, a prosperous town in the northeast of the earldom of Waywold in South Dalemark.

Dermath, the earldom in the extreme southeast of South Dalemark.

Diddersay, one of the Holy Islands.

Dideo, a fisherman of Holand in South Dalemark, one of the older members of the Free Holanders, who knew how to make bombs. Dideo put this knowledge to use for Mitt, and again in the Great Uprising, when he had a hand blown off by one of his own bombs, but he survived this and ended his days on the City Council of Holand.

Dike End, the birthplace of Mitt, farmed by his parents for the first six years of Mitt’s life. The name comes from the situation of the farm and the nearby village at the end of the great Flate Dike, quite near where it runs into the sea about ten miles west of the port of Holand.

Doen, one of the Holy Islands.

Doggers, Lawschool slang for top of the game league.

Doreth, second daughter of Alk and the Countess of Aberath.

Dropthwaite, a secluded valley at the source of the river Dropwater where the Adon is said to have hidden as an outlaw. A center of tourism in modern Dalemark.

Dropwater, after Hannart, the richest and most influential earldom of North Dalemark, situated facing southwest astride a wide fjord that is ideal for shipping, and sheltered by the mountains from the normal harsh weather of the North. The chief riches of Dropwater come from wool and leather goods, but it was mostly famous for its strong plum brandy and, above all, for the spectacular giant waterfall at the head of its dale.

Duck, the pet name of the youngest son of Closti the Clam, who later became famous as Mage Mallard.

Duke of Kernsburgh, a new title created by Amil the Great and bestowed upon Navis Haddsson. It was designed to ensure that Navis outranked all the earls.

Earl

1. The aristocratic ruler of one large segment of Dalemark. In the old days, prior to the reign of the Adon, earls held their places as officers of the King but, when Dalemark ceased to have kings, each earl became a small king in his own right, with absolute authority over everything in his earldom. Many misused this power, some brutally, and all went to great lengths to keep it.

2. The title of a clan chief among the Heathens of Haligland. This later became the modern title.

Earldom, a division of Dalemark ruled by an earl. It was said that earldoms came into being when King Hern divided his kingdom into nine and set nine men in charge, whom he called earls after the name of the clan chiefs, to govern under him. These divisions he called marks. Later six more marks were added in the South when Hern’s conquests had reached that far. The system worked well, provided the King was strong. The common people traditionally regarded the earls as only the officers of the King and continued to think this way even after there were no kings.

Earth Shaker, the title of Alhammitt, one of the elder Undying, who had become the god of corn and of the sea. The title might describe the sea, but it possibly also refers to what happens if any of the Earth Shaker’s secret names are spoken.

Edril, the younger grandson of Amil the Great and one of Maewen’s ancestors.

Egil, a hearthman in the service of Earl Keril of Hannart.

“The Eighth March,” the last of a set of marching songs usually called “The Seven Marches,” and only sung or played in North Dalemark because the words were offensive to the South.

Eleth of Kredindale, the mother of Noreth, who died soon after Noreth was born, declaring to the end that her daughter was the child of the One.

Elthorar Ansdaughter, keeper of antiquities at Hannart in North Dalemark in the time of Earl Keril, a law-woman of great learning who gave up the law in order to study the history and prehistory of Dalemark. She was present at the discovery of the spellcoats and translated them, sometimes rather inaccurately.

Eltruda, the Lady of Adenmouth, wife of Lord Stair, and younger sister of Eleth of Kredindale. Being childless herself, Eltruda brought Noreth up when Eleth died. On the death of Lord Stair, Eltruda married Navis Haddsson and became a considerable force in Dalemark politics and almost legendary for her quarrels with her stepdaughter, Hildrida.

Enblith the Fair, Queen of Dalemark some hundreds of years after the reign of King Hern, daughter of the Undying and said to be the most beautiful woman who ever lived. The musician-mage Tanamoril found Enblith living as a pauper in the woods and tricked the King into marrying her.

Falls

1. In prehistoric Dalemark the great River rose as a waterfall said to be half the height of a mountain. This was the site of Hern’s battle with the mage Kankredin.

2. In historic times the falls at the head of the dale of Dropwater, where the river Dropwater fell nearly three hundred feet to the floor of the valley, were among the most admired sights of North Dalemark.

Fander, a revolutionary in Neathdale in South Dalemark, a grocer by trade, who provided the family of Clennen the Singer with bacon, lentils, and, for some reason, a large bunch of rhubarb.

Farn, the southernmost of the Holy Islands.

Fayside, one of the dormitory houses in the Lawschool at Gardale.

Fenna, the daughter and apprentice of Hestefan the Singer.

Fenner, Ganner Sagersson.

Fervold, captain of Earl Henda of Andmark’s private army.

Fire, a ritual bonfire which had to be lit for the One every spring as soon as the River ceased to flood. The fuel had to be specially arranged with the image of the One at its center and kindled with coals from the hearth of the officiators. The lighting of the fire was celebrated with a feast. When the fire died down and the One was revealed in the ashes, only the eldest male of the family was allowed to remove the image.

Firepot, a clay pot with a lid and cunningly placed vents in which a fire could be kept alight and carried until needed. Until the invention of the wheel-and-flint tinderbox, firepots were in use all over Dalemark and continued in use by Singers and traveling traders until some time after the reign of the Adon.

Fishmarket, a broad thoroughfare in Holand in South Dalemark where fish was sold until the days of Amil IV.

Flags were considered potent symbols in Dalemark from prehistoric times onward:

1. In the old Kingdom of Riverlands flags were religious symbols and only carried in the holiest ceremonies to honor the Undying.

2. To the Heathen invaders from Haligland flags were equally holy as expressing the honor and status of a clan. They were carried at all times and defended to the death in battle.

3. In historic Dalemark flags were nearly taboo. They were only flown at Midsummer Fairs and by ships at sea. No earls and few kings dared fly flags until Amil the Great designed the royal standard of the crowned wheatsheaf. To this day only the monarch flies a flag.

“Flaming Ammet!,” an oath peculiar to Holanders and a favorite of Mitt’s. Since Ammet was an image of the Earth Shaker made of wheat straw, the notion of it on fire amounted to blasphemy.

Flapper, Ganner Sagersson.

Flate, the general name for the flatlands surrounding Holand in South Dalemark, most of which were at, or below, sea level.

Flate Dike, the main drainage ditch for the lowlands around Holand. It was wider than most roads and ran dead straight for nearly fifteen miles, the water in it flowing like a river to an outlet ten miles west of the port of Holand.

Flate Street, a street in a poor but respectable district to the west of the city of Holand in South Dalemark, where Earl Hadd provided Hobin the gunsmith with a house and workshop.

Fledden, a small town to the north of Andmark in South Dalemark, the birthplace of Earl Henda and one of the few places where Henda could rely on absolute loyalty. The inhabitants held the curious belief that the color yellow was unlucky.

Flennpass, the last of the passes open in the mountains between North and South Dalemark. It was said that the musician-mage Osfameron had closed the other three passes at the time of the Adon.

Flind, a common name in South Dalemark.

1. A vintner outside Derent in Waywold, who brought Kialan and a supply of wine to Clennen the Singer.

2. A nonexistent person mentioned in a password as part of Siriol’s plans for Mitt’s escape.

Flower of Holand, the boat belonging to Siriol on which Mitt served as apprentice, part of the fishing fleet that sailed regularly from the port of Holand in South Dalemark.

“Follow the Lark,” a song about bird catching whose secret meaning was “overthrow the earls,” composed during the last rebellion before the Great Uprising.

Fort Flenn, the fort at the northern end of Flennpass, in the hands of the North and designed to hold the pass against incursion from the South.

Fredlan, one of the Singers, who traveled in a cart with his family, giving performances all over Dalemark.

“Free as Air and Secret,” a song pretending to be about the delights of the countryside which secretly urged rebellion, composed during an early uprising in South Dalemark.

Free Holanders, one of many secret societies of freedom fighters in the city of Holand in South Dalemark, the one to which Mitt belonged from the age of eight. Its members were mostly fishermen who believed ardently that they should free South Dalemark from the tyranny of the earls but who could seldom agree how this should be done. However, when the Great Uprising finally came about, all the Free Holanders were active in it, both in the fighting and in the reshaping of the government afterward.

Gander, Ganner Sagersson.

Gann, a great hero in the legends from South Dalemark who performed many great feats with his sword, Soulmaker, which was forged for him in secret by the Undying smith Agner while both were captives of the mage-king Heriol. Some stories give Gann as the brother of the witch Cennoreth. See also Gull.

Ganner Sagersson, Lord of Markind in the earldom of the South Dales, who had been betrothed to Lenina Thornsdaughter as a young man. When she left him for Clennen the Singer, Ganner did not, despite pressure from his household, marry anyone else. He seems to have expected Lenina would eventually come back to him (see Bad Luck). Ganner was a just and efficient administrator and one of few Southern lords to survive the Great Uprising untouched. He became regent for the South Dales on the death of Tholian.

Ganter Islands, a cluster of three islands in the Holy Islands.

Gardale, a prosperous valley, town, and earldom in the southeast of North Dalemark, site of the famous Lawschool.

Garlands of apples, corn, and grapes were worn by all those taking part in the Holand Sea Festival and afterward thrown into the sea.

Golden Gentleman, the name given by the King of the Riverlands to the image of the One when he finally found it in the keeping of Robin Clostisdaughter.

Gosler, Ganner Sagersson.

Gown, the distinguishing garment of the mage among the Heathens of Haligland. The gown had spells woven in it which appeared as words and, once put on by a mage, was never taken off, even for washing.

Grand Father, the most respectful of the titles of the One, possibly derived from the fact that most kings and many earls claimed to be descended from the One.

Great Girl (or boy), Lawschool slang for the pupil who comes top in the oral examinations held just before Midsummer.

Great Ones, the term for the Undying in the Holy Islands.

Great Uprising, the name for the countrywide revolution in Dalemark which brought Amil the Great to the throne. The Uprising began in the North around Kernsburgh and, almost simultaneously, in the South in the city of Holand, where a mob stormed the palace of the Earl and then had to fight a bloody battle with soldiers hastily sent by Dermath and Waywold. In the North a number of lords and earls who did not at once side with the rebels were killed or forced to go overseas.

Green roads, the system of highways said to have been made by King Hern. They remained for many centuries, being remarkably well engineered, never steep, despite running through the peaks of North Dalemark, and deliberately grassed for ease of travel by horseback. Many people believed that the Undying made and maintained the green roads, particularly as they continued to exist long after the main centers of civilization had moved down to the valleys. The roads were used as drove roads and by those who wished to travel quickly from dale to dale, until Alk took them over as railways in the reign of Amil the Great.

Gregin, Alk’s valet in Aberath in North Dalemark.

Grittling, the traditional ball game of the Lawschool at Gardale.

Guilds, organized companies of craftsmen and merchants in South Dalemark. Most guilds were formed at the time of the Adon, when the men of many trades realized that the South was becoming increasingly estranged from the North, while the Southern earls grew ever more powerful. Almost every trade, including the Singers, took hasty steps to obtain the protection of the law, usually by petitioning the Adon for a Royal Charter, so that in after years the earls could not easily disband them. The guilds generally kept a low profile, looking after their own members and the widows and orphans of members, training apprentices, educating children, saving money, and paying taxes promptly. They had considerable power and were suspected by the Southern earls to be quietly financing the various uprisings, though nothing was ever proved. In the North guilds were almost unknown.

Gull, eldest son of Closti the Clam and Anoreth of the Undying, the only one of Closti’s sons to go to the wars. Gull was captured early in the fighting by the Heathen invaders and interrogated by the mage Kankredin, who returned him to his own side little better than an idiot. Gull is thought to be the same person as the Southern hero Gann, and if this is the case, it seems that Gull did eventually recover from Kankredin’s treatment of him.

Guns were invented at the time of the Adon but never much used in North Dalemark. The South used guns extensively, although they were forbidden to all but earls, lords, and their hearthmen. The early guns were clumsy and inaccurate and used mostly for sport until Hobin invented the rifled barrel, which had a spiral groove down the inside that caused the gun to shoot far more accurately. There was then a rush to buy guns. Waywold and Canderack drove a thriving trade smuggling guns to the North.

Gunsmith’s Guild, to which Hobin belonged, together with all other gunsmiths, was a very sober and respectable body of men who, in fact, spent the majority of their meetings laying careful plans for the Great Uprising.

Hadd, the angry and tyrannical Earl of Holand in South Dalemark who, after a lifetime of injustice, quarreling with Earl Henda, terrorizing his family, and overtaxing and suppressing his subjects, was murdered at the Sea Festival by an unknown marksman.

Halain, a spy for the Earl of the South Dales who had infiltrated the freedom fighters in Neathdale in South Dalemark.

Halian Tan Haleth, Lord of Mountain Rivers, is an old name for Tanamil. A legend about him was woven into the rugcoat given by Anoreth to Closti on their marriage but is otherwise unknown.

Halida, the wife of Keril, Earl of Hannart, who was born a poor relation of a lord in Canderack in South Dalemark. When Keril was taking part in an uprising in South Dalemark as a young man, Halida helped him escape capture and fled North with him.

Haligland, a country on the other continent, peopled by emigrants from prehistoric Dalemark several centuries before the reign of King Hern. Once in Haligland, they developed a clan system, a science of magery, and a religion of the One. Modern Haligland is an oil-rich republic, still with a clan system and a fanatical religion, but one which denies vehemently any connection with the uncanny.

Ham, the partner and mate of Siriol aboard the Flower of Holand. Ham’s full name, like so many in Holand, was Alhammitt. He was a large, good-natured, unintelligent man who was killed in the violence following the storming of the palace in Holand during the Great Uprising.

Hammit, a South Dalemark name, one of the many abbreviations of Alhammitt.

Hand organ, a musical instrument with pipes, bellows, and keyboard, like a very small church organ. It had a sweet, piping tone, strong enough to be heard above the noise of a crowd. The player carried the organ on his or her right arm and pumped it with the left hand while playing the keyboard with the right.

Hands to the North, an unknown group of secret freedom fighters in Holand in South Dalemark. They were quite possibly invented either by Harl Haddsson as cover for his attempt to assassinate Earl Hadd or by Harchad Haddsson as an excuse to pull down buildings to give his assassin a clear shot at Earl Hadd.

“The Hanging of Filli Ray,” a popular ballad about a young outlaw who was hanged for having the temerity to court a lord’s daughter. The version sung in the South concluded with the arrival of the Earl, who reveals, too late, that Filli Ray is his son. In the North it is the King who arrives too late.

Hannart, the leading earldom of North Dalemark, famous for its music, its flowers, its buildings, and the frank, outspoken nature of its people, and reputed to be the first civilized area of Dalemark. Certainly some of the buildings in the town of Hannart itself are thought to date back to the days of King Hern. Throughout much of history Hannart stood for freedom, justice, and opposition to the South and its ways. Its heyday was from the reign of the Adon to that of Amil the Great, when it was also a center of learning, but it became steadily less important from the time of the Great Uprising until it passed by marriage into the royal family and was adopted by the Crown Prince as his country retreat. Nowadays Hannart is mostly famous as a beauty spot and for the remains of the giant steam organ at the north end of its dale.

Harchad, second son of Earl Hadd of Holand in South Dalemark, head of Hadd’s secret police and master of his spies, said to be the cruelest man in Dalemark.

Hardimers, the name given to disciplinary officers at the Gardale Lawschool.

Harilla Harlsdaughter, eldest girl cousin of Hildrida and Ynen and betrothed at an early age to the Lord of Mark by her grandfather, Earl Hadd.

Harl Haddsson, the eldest of the Earl of Holand’s three sons, a fat and seemingly indolent man, who became Earl of Holand for a year following the death of Hadd, during which time Holanders took to saying that Earl Hadd was preferable. He was killed when the mob stormed the palace in Holand during the Great Uprising.

Harvest, the Northern term for the Autumn Festival.

Headman, the leader or chieftain of a village in prehistoric Dalemark. The office combined the functions of major, priest, and judge and was usually handed down from father to son.

Hearthmen, a privileged band of soldier companions sworn to a lord or earl and personally responsible to him only, who lived in their hearthlord’s mansion with him and formed a private army when need arose. A lord was also said to be the hearthman of the earl who was his overlord if he had sworn to follow the earl to war. In the South of Dalemark hearthpeople were always men, but many lords and earls of the North swore in women, too. The maintaining of hearthpeople was forbidden by royal decree in the reign of Amil II.

Heathens, emigrants from Haligland who invaded the prehistoric kingdom of Dalemark and eventually intermarried with the natives. They brought with them their women and children and the mage Kankredin and his college of lesser mages, intending to settle, and introduced to the country both the worship of the One and many magical practices that were previously unknown. Their main, disastrous invasion is described in the spellcoats, but it seems certain that small boatloads of Heathens had been arriving for decades previously, compelled by the harsh conditions in Haligland to find better living and possibly inspired by legends of their former home in the Riverlands.

Henda, Earl of Andmark in central South Dalemark, a violent and paranoid man who spent much of his time quarreling with the Earl of Holand and lived in constant dread of plots from the North. He was beheaded by his own hearthmen during the Great Uprising.

Herison, Lawschool slang meaning “the right to start grittling until the next full moon.”

Hern, the second son of Closti the Clam and Anoreth of the Undying, who became the first known King of Dalemark. Most of what is known of him is legend, like the story of his defeat of the mage Kankredin, but numerous laws, customs, and sayings are said to be his, and it is fairly certain that he founded the city of Kernsburgh, moving the seat of the throne there from his early base in Hannart and constructing the system of roads now known as the green roads or the paths of the Undying. The name Hern means “heron.”

Hestefan, one of the traveling Singers, of whom little is known beyond the facts that he befriended both Dagner and Moril Clennensson and became a follower of Noreth of Kredindale during her bid for the crown of Dalemark.

High Mill, a village twenty miles northeast of the port of Holand, on the rising ground toward Dermath, well known as a beauty spot.

Highside, the dormitory house at the Gardale Lawschool to which Hildrida Navissdaughter belonged.

High Tross, one of the islands of the Holy Islands, so called from its high and rocky outline.

Hildrida Navissdaughter, one of the company who sailed North to Aberath in the yacht Wind’s Road, granddaughter of Hadd, Earl of Holand, betrothed to Lithar, Lord of the Holy Islands, at the age of nine. After spending several years at the Lawschool in Gardale, Hildrida was able to annul this betrothal, and practiced as a law-woman in the North Dales until Amil the Great appointed her Warden of the Holy Islands upon her marriage. Hildrida seems to have preferred living in Kernsburgh, however, where she became a leader of fashion and notorious for her quarrels with her stepmother, Eltruda.

Hildy, the pet name of Hildrida Navissdaughter.

Hobin, known as Bloody Hobin, the elder of two brothers devoted in different ways to freedom fighting. He was born in Waywold in South Dalemark of a family which seems to have been secret hereditary guardians of the kingstone, and he became a brilliant and innovative gunsmith, highly respected by his guild and much in favor with the earls of Holand, Waywold, and Dermath. He then moved to Holand, where he married Milda, Mitt’s mother, and bided his time, building up a hidden stock of weapons and an organization of sober revolutionaries like himself, until word came from the North that Amil the Great had seized the crown. Hobin sensed the time was ripe and at once led a massive revolt in Holand, which spread to Dermath and Waywold and rapidly became a bloodbath. Hobin killed so many people, many of them innocent, that Amil himself was forced to intervene. It was said that Hobin shot himself rather than submit to a King. This may be true, but the story that he shot his wife and daughters at the same time is probably a fabrication.

Hoe, a village on the rising ground west of Holand in South Dalemark.

Hoe Point, the second major landmark for ships sailing northwest out of Holand. Sailors took care to know it well because a strong current flowed northward from there.

Holand, the leading earldom of South Dalemark, a sizable city, a flourishing seaport, and the seat of Earl Hadd, situated in the extreme south of Dalemark.

Hollisay, one of the Holy Islands, named from the number of holly bushes that grow there.

Holy Islands, a scatter of islands in the bay between the Point of Hark and Carrow Head, famous as a haven for shipping. The islands are home to a strange, fey people and full of legends of the Undying. They are part of the King’s Lands and owe no allegiance to any earl, but in the long interregnum between the Adon and Amil the Great they were regarded as part of South Dalemark and claimed by whoever was the strongest earl. Amil the Great rectified this by appointing a Warden of the Islands and spent much time there himself helping Ynen Navisson build his new fleet and experiment with steamships.

Holy Isle, the centermost island of the Holy Islands and rightly named. Only those who are meant to go to it can find it.

Honker, Ganner Sagersson.

Horsehair drums, traditional crude drums made of horsehide with the hair still on it, beaten loudly at the Holand Sea Festival, probably because Old Ammet was thought to govern the wild horses of the sea.

Horses of the sea were said to belong to Old Ammet and to appear galloping round a ship that was doomed.

Hurrel, Lawschool slang for a big push at grittling, a real scrimmage.

Incantation, a measured alliterative way of speaking, passed down from Singer to Singer and only used on the most solemn occasions.

Irana Harchadsdaughter, one of Earl Hadd’s many grandchildren, cousin of Hildrida and Ynen, betrothed at an early age to Agnet, third son of the Earl of Waywold in South Dalemark.

“I sent the hidden death…,” one of Kankredin’s two chief mages, who seems to have had no name apart from the boastful spell woven into his gown.

“I sing for Osfameron, I move in more than one world” are the words inlaid in Moril Clennensson’s cwidder in the old writing, by which the cwidder describes itself. Compare Tanaqui’s weaving. It is possible these words cause the cwidder to behave as it does.

Island people, the inhabitants of the Holy Islands who are something of a race unto themselves, being small and brown, with dark eyes and pale hair. Their singsong accent is unlike any other in Dalemark. They are said to be remnants of the first people ever to settle the country.

Isle of Gard, the ruling island of the Holy Islands where the Lord’s mansion and the main fleet are.

“I tortured the beast…,” one of Kankredin’s two chief mages, known only by the words woven in his gown.

Jay, herald and captain to the King of the Riverlands. Jay seems to have started as a minor, though trusted, herald, but he distinguished himself in the wars with the Heathens, when he lost an arm and endeared himself to the King by his cheerfulness, and became the favorite of the King in exile.

Jenro, a Holy Islander, coxswain aboard the flagship Wheatsheaf.

“Jolly Holanders,” a sea shanty that was known and loved all over South Dalemark.

Justice, an essential part of the corrupt legal system of South Dalemark before the reforms of Amil the Great. A justice was appointed and paid by an earl and did the earl’s bidding, sitting as a magistrate and hearing only such cases as interested his employer or could bring the justice himself a bribe. The South had no access to the Lawschool of the North, and justices seldom had any legal training. They had to rely on their clerks, who were equally corrupt, to tell them what the law was.

K at the beginning of a personal name was only used in North Dalemark. In the slurred and softer dialect of the South a K becomes either C (pronounced KH) or H. For instance, the Southern form of the name Keril is Harl; or there are sometimes two forms of a Northern name, as in the name Kialan, which appears in the South both as Collen and as Halain.

Kanart, an Earl of Dropwater killed in battle during the Adon’s wars.

Kanarthi, the conjectured Northern form of the name Cennoreth.

Kankredin, an evil magician, sometimes called the mage of mages, who accompanied the Heathen invaders from Haligland, intending to use them to help him usurp the power and position of the One. Kankredin was himself of the Undying and had increased his powers by magically passing through death, which made him virtually impossible to kill. Though legend claims that King Hern overthrew him, Kankredin appears again in stories long before the time of the Adon and was later said by the North to be the cause of all the evils in the South. It is claimed that Amil the Great frustrated an attempt by Kankredin to take over the North, too.

Kappin, Lawschool slang for fighting to hold the team’s position.

Karet, a hearthman of Aberath.

Kars Adon, son of Kiniron, who became clan head and High Lord after his father died in the invasion of prehistoric Dalemark. Though Kars Adon was barely fifteen and crippled from birth, he was held in great honor by all his subjects. This was partly due to the custom of the clans, but mostly to the character of Kars Adon himself.

Kastri, the Adon’s son by his first wife and ancestor of Earl Keril of Hannart, who accompanied his father and Manaliabrid into exile.

Ked, a lowborn member of Clan Rath, aged about eight, who had a bad reputation as a liar.

Keril, Earl of Hannart, descended from the Adon and generally considered the most influential man in North Dalemark. As a young man he had high ideals and set out to free the South by helping in an uprising. The rebellion failed, and Keril had to be rescued and smuggled North by Halida, whom he married. He arrived back in Hannart to find his father dying and himself with a price on his head in the South. This seems to have given Keril a strong distaste for revolution of the violent kind. As an earl he supported the Southern freedom fighters surreptitiously, with money and advice, apparently hoping for a peaceful political solution, no doubt with himself as chief negotiator, for he possessed a lively and devious political mind. Unfortunately this same deviousness caused him to miscalculate gravely in the case of Navis Haddsson, and he had, as a result, to watch the gradual fading of Hannart as a power in the land.

Kern, the Northern form of the name Hern.

Kernsburgh, the capital city of Dalemark, situated nearly at the center of the country. Kernsburgh was founded by King Hern and flourished for many centuries until the kingship shifted to Hannart, Canderack, and elsewhere, after which it fell into ruins. At the time of the Great Uprising it was little more than grassy humps in the ground. Amil the Great’s first act as King was to rebuild Kernsburgh, and from then on the city grew continually, to become the seat of government, center of commerce, and international metropolis it is two hundred years later.

Kestrel, the husband of Closti the Clam’s elder sister, Zara, an old man who married late in life when Zwitt refused to marry Zara after Closti had jilted Zwitt’s sister. Kestrel, it seems, did not wish to see Zara suffer through no fault of her own.

Kialan, younger son of Keril, Earl of Hannart, and later his heir.

King of the Riverlands of prehistoric Dalemark. Tanaqui never gives his name, perhaps out of respect, or perhaps because she never knew it. She clearly shows that he was not the correct man for dealing with the Heathen invasion, although he seems to have done his best at first, until his family was killed and his spirit broken.

Kinghaven, in the earldom of Loviath, the main port city of North Dalemark and otherwise notorious for brewing bad lager.

King’s Sayings, a collection of proverbs and wise thoughts memorized by all Singers and supposed to be the words of King Hern himself.

King Street, the main thoroughfare in Kernsburgh.

“The King’s Way,” a traditional song with a rousing tune which celebrates the customary journey of the new King down the green roads of North Dalemark to Kernsburgh to claim his crown. This song was banned in the South, where the earls did not wish to remind people there had once been Kings.

Kiniron, the younger brother of the King of Haligland who led the main invasion of the clans to prehistoric Dalemark, where he died of wounds from the fighting.

Kintor, Lord of Kredindale and cousin of Noreth Onesdaughter.

Knots and crosses, one of the oldest and most potent charms of binding and, of course, the basic pattern of a net. See also Nets.

Konian, the elder son of Keril, Earl of Hannart, executed in Holand in South Dalemark after a travesty of a trial.

Korib, son of the miller in Shelling and an excellent shot with the longbow.

Kredindale, a valley, town, and lordship in the extreme northwest of North Dalemark where deposits of coal were found very early in history. From the reign of the Adon, mining became the main occupation of the valley until the mines were closed in the reign of Amil III. Kredindale was the birthplace of Noreth Onesdaughter. Its name is thought to be derived from Kankredin.

Labbard, King of Dalemark prior to the Adon, an indolent and incompetent man who openly declared that he would rather sit and drink cider than rule the country.

Ladri, one of Kankredin’s mages, whose task was to collect the souls caught in the soulnet.

Lady, the wooden image of a woman which the family of Closti the Clam kept, according to the customs of prehistoric Dalemark, in one of the niches reserved for the Undying.

Lagan, the villainous half brother of the Adon, a student of sorcery and, some legends say, a pupil of Kankredin. Lagan seems to have been consumed with jealousy both of the Adon’s status and of the Adon’s love for Manaliabrid. Having conspired to have the Adon sent into exile, Lagan then followed him, disguised himself by sorcery, and stabbed him to death. The Adon was recalled from death and later killed Lagan.

Lake, a large body of water in the center of prehistoric North Dalemark, which must have been extensive even when the River was not flooding, to judge from the petrified remains of freshwater life to be found all over the central peaks. By historic times this lake had shrunk to a row of small tarns, the largest of which is Long Tarn.

Lalla, housekeeper at Lithar’s mansion in the Holy Islands and an aspect of Libby Beer.

“Lament for the Earl of Dropwater,” an old ballad song composed during the Adon’s wars, mourning the death of Kanart, who was one of many earls who opposed the Adon.

Lathsay, one of the Holy Islands.

Lavreth, a coastal town northwest of Hannart in North Dalemark.

Lawman, a position of great power and prestige in North Dalemark. Lawmen served earls, lords, and town governors as advisers, justices, or planners for the future and in many other ways, often for very large fees. Quite a few lawmen married into the families of lords or earls. Since the law was open to everyone, however lowborn, training as a lawman was a favorite way to rise in the world.

Law of the sea was very largely unwritten but was held throughout Dalemark waters to be much more binding than the law of the land. It stated, among other things, that all ships must go to the assistance of any boat in trouble.

Lawschool at Gardale in North Dalemark, the only such school in the country until the reign of Amil the Great, very famous and much sought after. It took only those pupils who could reach a very high standard in its oral entrance exams, but a pupil could join the school at any age from nine to fifteen and then be assured of the very best education, both in law and other studies, and nobody ever failed to get a job after graduating. The Lawschool was well endowed with funds and gave quite a number of scholarships to poor students every year. Students entering the school found it a world in itself, with many strange customs and words that were not found anywhere else.

When Amil the Great founded lawschools all over the country, the status of the Gardale school diminished. In the reign of Amil III it became simply a part of Gardale University.

Law-woman, a female lawyer, had even more prestige in North Dalemark than a lawman and could command an even higher fee.

Lengday, Lawschool slang for Midsummer Day.

Lenina Thornsdaughter, niece of Earl Tholian of the South Dales, wife of Clennen the Singer, and mother of Dagner, Brid, and Moril. Lenina was brought up as an aristocrat in the Earl’s household in Neathdale in South Dalemark and left there when she became betrothed to Ganner Sagersson. Clennen saw Lenina at the betrothal feast and persuaded her to marry him instead.

Libby Beer, the name of the image made of fruit that was yearly thrown into the harbor in Holand in South Dalemark at the Sea Festival. The name is certainly a corruption of one of the little-known names of She Who Raised the Islands, the Undying mother of fruitfulness and wife of the Earth Shaker.

License, a legal document with the seal of an earl attached, showing that the holder was allowed to exercise his or her trade anywhere in South Dalemark. Licenses were expensive. Their main value was the unspoken assumption that the holder was allowed to travel between the South and the North. Without a license, a traveler would be arrested at the border.

Liss, Maewen’s aunt, who ran a livery stable near Adenmouth in the north of Dalemark.

Litha, a woman of the prehistoric Riverlands who was killed by the Heathen invaders from Haligland.

Lithar, Lord of the Holy Islands, who was of special value to the earls of South Dalemark, both because of his fleet and because, as lord of the onetime King’s Lands, he was not the subject of any earl. He was betrothed to Hildrida Navissdaughter when he was twenty and she was nine years old.

Little Flate, a village on the slightly rising ground southwest of Holand in South Dalemark, which was the first landmark for ships sailing out of Holand. Sailors gave it a wide berth because of the shallows just offshore.

Little ones, the name Holy Islanders give those mortals under the special protection of the Undying.

Little Shool, one of the Holy Islands, barely yards from its neighbor, Big Shool.

Lord, a lesser ruler under the earls, who owed allegiance to the earl in whose earldom his lordship was, paying taxes and providing fighting men when his earl required him to. A lord was also supposed to obey every other command from his earl, but not all lords did so. Otherwise a lord lived in his mansion, kept hearthmen, and ruled his subjects just as an earl did, but on a smaller scale.

Lord of Mark, lord of the northernmost lordship in South Dalemark, a plump and middle-aged widower, betrothed to Harilla Harlsdaughter when he was thirty-eight and she was ten years old.

Lovely Libby, one of the big merchant ships sailing out of Holand in South Dalemark. Like most of the tall ships of Holand, she was named from the Sea Festival for luck.

Loviath

1. The earldom on the northwest coast of North Dalemark.

2. The name of Maewen Singer’s physics teacher.

“Luck ship and shore,” the ritual reply to the traditional greeting “The year’s luck to you” at the Sea Festival in Holand in South Dalemark.

Lucky ship, any ship sailing out of Holand that could retrieve the image of Poor Old Ammet from the sea. The yacht Wind’s Road was doubly lucky from having accidentally brought the image of Libby Beer as well. Anyone noticing this fact had to be a Holander.

Luthan, Earl of Dropwater and cousin of Noreth of Kredindale. Because of his almost accidental support of the King’s side in the Great Uprising, Luthan—and Dropwater with him—became extremely important in the reign of Amil the Great. Luthan was made chancellor and was twice elected prime minister.

Lydda, Siriol’s daughter, a plump, good-natured girl who married a sailor from the merchant fleet of Holand. Her husband later took over Siriol’s boat and business.

Maewen Singer, a teenage girl hijacked from modern Dalemark to take the place of Noreth of Kredindale. See also Mayelbridwen.

Mage Mallard, the Undying musician-mage, youngest son of Closti the Clam and brother to the Weaver and King Hern. See also Duck.

Mages were fairly common in primitive Haligland and much respected because much feared. No one dared insult a mage of any kind, but the greatest fear and respect were reserved for the so-called college of mages, which was always made up of fifty of the strongest and most experienced enchanters in the land. When Kankredin came to head this college, he seems to have made it a condition that every mage should have passed ritually through death before he joined, which was not the case before his time. College mages were always male, but female mages also existed, with a coven of fifty of their own.

“A man came over the hill…,” a rhyme woven into the skirt of Robin Clostisdaughter by her sister Tanaqui, but hopelessly garbled. As far as can be understood, the rhyme seems to be about the meeting of Closti with Anoreth, or else it refers to a much older but very similar story.

Manaliabrid

1. The Undying wife of the Adon, daughter of Cennoreth the Weaver.

2. The full second name of Brid Clennensdaughter (her first name was Cennoreth).

“Manaliabrid’s Lament,” a song in the old style, said to have been composed by Osfameron after Lagan killed the Adon. It has a tune of strange broken phrasings, so unlike the usual style of Osfameron that many consider that Manaliabrid may have composed the “Lament” herself.

Mansion, the large semifortified house of an earl or lord, always the most prominent in the area. Besides housing the lord’s family and many servants, the mansion had to be big enough for a band of hearthmen, advisers, lawyers, clerks, and numerous other assistants.

Markind, an area in the very south of the South Dales, the lordship of Ganner Sagersson, and notable for its many little hills and valleys, which are, in fact, the worn-down remnants of volcanoes.

Marks, an old name for the fifteen divisions of Dalemark that later became the earldoms.

Mark Wood, a large forest at the northern edge of the third and highest Upland in the earldom of the South Dales, part of the lordship of Mark. It was full of clearings stockaded against possible invasion by the North, where wood was cut and charcoal was made. The inhabitants hated the North heartily and put up the stoutest resistance met by the army of Amil the Great at the start of the Great Uprising.

Marriage by proxy, a custom among earls of holding a wedding without the bride’s being present. Her place would be taken by a woman who was married already. The practice probably originated to save the nobly born bride the trouble and expense of a journey, but it was widely used if the bride was unwilling, or a child, or both.

Marshes, a huge area of volcanic swamp to the east of Dalemark. Throughout historical times the Marshes were considered worthless, remarkable only for curious plants and birds, and they became King’s Lands because nobody else wanted them. When, in recent times, oil was discovered there, they remained the property of the crown but added considerably to the wealth of the country.

Mattrick, chief among the freedom fighters in Neathdale in South Dalemark.

Mayelbridwen, a form of the name Manaliabrid from Fenmark; Maewen Singer’s full name.

“May the clay purge from you…,” the start of the ritual spoken when the image of the One was put into its yearly fire. The speakers of this invocation had, for generations, no idea that what they were uttering was a spell for the unbinding of the One.

Medmere, the valley where Clennen the Singer was murdered. The round lake in the middle is the center of an old volcano.

Middle vokes, Lawschool slang for the second stage of the training course.

Midsummer flags, traditional bright banners flown at Midsummer Fairs all over Dalemark. The devices on them—the Eye, the Sheaf, the River, et cetera—are versions of the Old Writing. The flags are thought to be the debased remnants of flags once carried in religious ceremonies.

Milda, the mother of Mitt and afterward the wife of Hobin the gunsmith, who was the father of her two daughters. Sadly, neither Milda nor her daughters survived the Great Uprising. Though there are several highly colored stories about their deaths, the most likely theory is that they perished in the terrible violence and confusion after the mob stormed the Earl’s palace in Holand, when the earls of Dermath and Waywold sacked the city in reprisal.

Mitt, short for Alhammitt. Mitt was born at Dike End in the earldom of Holand in South Dalemark, on the day of the Sea Festival. He moved to the city of Holand as a child, where he became a freedom fighter and was forced to escape to the North to avoid arrest. After just under a year in Aberath, in training as a hearthman, he left to follow Noreth of Kredindale in her bid for the crown.

Modes, Lawschool slang for a progress report on the term’s work.

Moril, younger son of Clennen the Singer. Clennen bequeathed to Moril a cwidder said to have belonged to the minstrel Osfameron. After the death of his father, Moril went to Hannart in North Dalemark, where he briefly joined Hestefan the Singer before leaving to take part in the Great Uprising. He played a considerable part in the Uprising and afterward became court musician and chief architect of the Royal Dalemark Academy of Music, collecting traveling Singers from all over Dalemark and gathering them together in Kernsburgh. This caused such changes and improvements in the making of music that by the end of Amil the Great’s reign the old traveling Singers had ceased to exist.

Mount Tanil, a very tall volcano on the edge of the Marshes southeast of Gardale, thought by unlearned people to be the home of the One.

Mucks, Lawschool slang for gloved hands, the gloves often weighted by being stuffed with metal or stones.

Natives, the term given by the Heathen invaders to the prehistoric inhabitants of Dalemark, who were mostly dark and squarely built. After the invasion many of these people went South, where they intermarried with the settlers there to give rise to the average Southerner, pale-skinned and brown-haired. Those who stayed in the North interbred with the invaders to produce the brown-skinned, light-haired Northerner.

Navis Haddsson, third son of the Earl of Holand, a brilliant and efficient soldier and a ruthless politician, who was forced to escape North from the palace plots in Holand (he was disliked by both the old Earl and the new for having shown too much sympathy for the plight of the common people of Holand). He spent nearly a year as a hearthman in Adenmouth before leaving to follow Noreth of Kredindale and to take part in the Great Uprising. It was probably thanks to Navis that the bloodshed was not greater. Early in the reign of Amil the Great, Navis was made Duke of Kernsburgh, partly in reward for his services and partly because he then outranked the earls it was now his job to control. A year later he married Eltruda, widow of Lord Stair of Adenmouth.

Neathdale, a large market town in the South Dales, the seat of Earl Tholian. Because it was the last major town before the North, Neathdale flourished both on legal trade and by smuggling goods and people in and out of North Dalemark. The earls’ spies and security forces were particularly active there, which led to the Siege of Neathdale during the Great Uprising.

Nepstan, a country in the far South.

Nets, a potent item of magecraft, akin to weaving. The netmaker, working with power, could design his net to perform various tasks. Kankredin’s soulnet, besides trapping departing souls, was intended to draw Gull’s soul to him and to bind the One. Tanamil’s nets likewise had several purposes: concealing the army, blocking the mages, and forcing them to assume their true shapes.

New Flate, the drained flatlands some miles west of Holand in South Dalemark, where Halain, grandfather of Earl Hadd, was supposed to have had dikes dug and drained the sea marsh. In fact, the New Flate was probably older than that. It was very fertile farmland but was denied prosperity until the reign of Amil the Great by the ridiculously high taxes imposed by the earls of Holand.

Noreth, known as Onesdaughter, of whom it was said that the One spoke to her all her life, telling her she was to take the crown when she reached the age of eighteen. She was born in Kredindale to the Lord’s unmarried daughter, Eleth, who died soon after Noreth’s birth, declaring that the child’s father was the One himself. If this was true, it gave Noreth the strongest possible claim to be Queen. She was educated first in Adenmouth, where she was left in the care of her aunt Eltruda, and then at the Gardale Lawschool, from which she graduated early, then spent the next two years at Dropwater as junior law-woman to her cousin Luthan. The Midsummer after her eighteenth birthday Noreth returned to Adenmouth, where she formally declared her intention of riding the royal road to claim the crown.

North, the seven earldoms of Hannart, Gardale, Aberath, Loviath, Dropwater, Kannarth, and the North Dales, all these being north of a line drawn east and west from the Point of Hark. This was the earliest part of the kingdom of Dalemark and also the most mountainous, where the people, though generally poor, had a long tradition of independence and freethinking. The earls of the North quickly learned that injustice was not to be tolerated (quite a few earls lost either their lives or most of their subjects to the mountains while this lesson was being learned), and the laws of the North were therefore fair and lenient, applying to earl and commoner alike. From well before the reign of the Adon, the North was known as the place of freedom. It was also, perhaps because it was the oldest-settled part of Dalemark, renowned for strange old beliefs and even stranger happenings.

North Dales, the earldom immediately to the north of South Dalemark. Though it was cut off from the South by a range of high mountains, the people there were used to dealing with the South (often as smugglers) and were in some ways more akin to the South than to the North.

Northern Cross, the most noticeable constellation in the night sky at all seasons, invaluable to sailors because it revolved around the true north. Other well-known constellations are Enblith’s Hair, the Flatiron, the Big Cat, the Kitten, Hern’s Crown, and the River. Astronomy was not much studied in Dalemark until the reign of Amil the Great, so that although it was known that the world was round and circled the sun, little account was taken of the planets. Sailors called them the Unreliable Stars, for always moving about, or the Unchancy Ones.

Old Flate, the flatlands toward Waywold in South Dalemark, part of the earldom of Holand which had once been drained and farmed but allowed to return to marsh in the course of the two centuries before the Great Uprising because of the ruinous taxes imposed by the earls of Holand. The Old Flate became the haunt of snakes, criminals, and disease.

Old Man, the highest mountain in Hannart, at the south end of the dale, thought to be named for the One.

Old Man of the Sea, a seeming priest who appeared to certain people in the Holy Islands, an aspect of the One.

Old Mill, across the River from Shelling in prehistoric Dalemark, where the first spellcoat was completed and the second begun. It had become a forbidden place for the villagers after the marriage of Closti and Anoreth. Some said it was haunted by the ghost of a woman, others that it was the abode of bad spirits, and still others that the River had cursed the place. As the King’s men found mussels being cultivated on a system of ropes in the millpond, it appears that not everyone in Shelling believed these tales.

Old Smiler, Mage Mallard’s derisive name for the King of the Riverlands.

Old Writing, a system of syllabic signs in use before letters were developed, which came to be thought of as magical. It was often used in spells or for inscriptions intended to be potent.

Olob, the shortened name of Barangarolob, Clennen the Singer’s horse, which Clennen often said he would not part with for an earldom.

Ommern, one of the Holy Islands, the greenest.

Ommersay, one of the larger of the Holy Islands.

One, the greatest of all the Undying, whose face could not be looked upon and whose names could not be spoken. The One was said to have fathered the human race by his union with the witch-queen Cenblith, at which time he made the great River of prehistory and was for centuries bound by magic at its source. He was at length unbound by the Weaver and shook the country into its present mountainous state when he defeated the mage Kankredin.

The One was worshiped as a god by the invaders from Haligland and for a long time remained a god in the North of Dalemark, where many beliefs and customs about him still remain, but he was almost unknown in the South. Nowadays he is regarded simply as an old superstition.

Or, er, ro, a particle inserted into a name to give the meaning “younger” or most often “youngest.” Compare Barangalob and Barangarolob, Tanamil and Tanamoril, Osfamon and Osfameron, et cetera.

Oreth, one of the secret names of the One, the least known, meaning “he who is bound.”

Orethan the Unbound, the name by which the One was known after the Weaver released him from the spells of Cenblith and Kankredin. This name is almost never spoken.

Oril, one of several names taken by Mage Mallard to disguise the fact that he was of the Undying.

Orilsway, a town which grew up at the junction of the green roads in the far north of Dalemark, possibly taking its name from Mage Mallard in his guise as the Wanderer. When the green roads were abandoned as highways, Orilsway fell into ruin and was only rebuilt and resettled after the coming of the railways.

Osfameron, one of the two names taken by Mage Mallard in his guise as a minstrel and meaning “Osfamon the younger.” It is not known who Osfamon was. Under this name Mallard became the friend of the Adon, whom he raised from the dead, and also created the cwidder with which he is said to have made mountains walk, later bequeathed to Moril Clennensson.

Palace of Earl Hadd in Holand in South Dalemark. Most earls, even in the South, lived in much humbler mansions, but Earl Hadd, perhaps because he insisted on his entire family’s living with him, enlarged and renamed his dwelling. The palace was largely destroyed in the Great Uprising.

Pali, a prison guard in Neathdale in South Dalemark who was a secret freedom fighter.

Panhorn, an intricately curled horn with four mouthpieces and eight valves, very difficult to play.

Paths of the Undying, a name for the green roads of North Dalemark used by those who believed that the Undying created and maintained them.

Peace-piping, a very difficult form of musical magecraft in which the mage must first use his pipes to echo the anger of combatants and then reduce their feelings to calm and shame. Moril Clennensson unwittingly used a form of peace-piping on Tholian, Earl of the South Dales.

Peelers, Lawschool slang for willow wands with the bark peeled off.

Penner, Ganner Sagersson.

Pennet, a village between Waywold and Holand in South Dalemark.

Piper, the name most often used, from the time of the Adon onward, for Tanamil of the Undying, onetime lord of the Red River. It was said that being released from bondage at the same time as the One, Tanamil went to the Holy Islands, where his piping may still sometimes be heard on calm evenings.

Point of Hark, the high rocky peninsula that divides North from South Dalemark waters.

Poor Old Ammet, the full name of the image made of plaited wheat decorated with fruit and flowers and ribbons which was thrown into the harbor in Holand in South Dalemark each year at the Sea Festival. Opinions vary as to whether this ritual echoes some personal sacrifice by one of the Undying or is simply a charm for improving the harvest, but what is certain is that any boat which picks up Poor Old Ammet beyond the harbor has good luck ever after. This is rare; the tides and currents have to be exactly right. Usually the image sinks in the harbor.

Portable organ. See Hand organ.

Porter, the main spy for North Dalemark, operating under the noses of all the earls of the South, and the most wanted man in the South. He reported to Hannart almost everything the Southern earls wished to keep secret, organized freedom fighters, and ran a rescue service for wanted men and women. The Porter was operating for most of the eleven years prior to the Great Uprising.

Prest, one of the Holy Islands, large, with high crags.

Prestsay, a small rocky island in the Holy Islands.

Proud Ammet, a big merchant ship based in Holand in South Dalemark, where Earl Hadd’s assassin seems to have been when he fired. Like all the big merchant ships, this one was named from the Sea Festival.

Ratchet, a cat found by the children of Closti the Clam on their journey up the great River, named from the sound of her purring.

Rath Clan, sometimes called the Sons of Rath, the royal clan of primitive Haligland into which Kars Adon and Ked were born. The clan colors, which appeared on banners and in clothing, were red and blue.

Rattles, rotating wooden rattles, where the noise is produced by a wooden flange meeting a ratchet, which are traditional at the drowning of Old Ammet in the Holand Sea Festival. The rattle users are always small boys dressed half in red and half in yellow.

A Reader for the Poor, a book designed to teach working people to read. It was written by a clerk in Carrowmark who had little imagination. A typical page begins, “Ham beats the cask. He knocks in five nails. Will that make it hold water?”

Red One, one of the names for Tanamil the Piper.

Riss, a seaman aboard the flagship Wheatsheaf in the Holy Islands.

Rith, a boy’s name, fairly common in North Dalemark.

River, the mighty prehistoric watercourse which flowed north through Dalemark from a source somewhere near Hannart. It was said that the One made the River, and that the River was both the One and the soul of the land, and that it was the path of souls on their way to the sea. The River was destroyed by the One when he shook the land to rid it of the evil mage Kankredin. It only remains nowadays as two small rivers, the Ath and the Aden, and in the belief that the souls of the dead travel down the constellation of the River to oblivion in the sea of the universe.

Riverbed, the spirit land behind the great River, otherwise called the River of Souls.

Riverlands, the correct name for the prehistoric kingdom of Dalemark.

Rivermouth, the place where the great prehistoric River of Dalemark ran out into the sea in the north, through a delta of marsh, quicksand, and changing tides and currents. Its remains can be seen today in the bay between Aberath and Adenmouth, where there are still treacherous currents and constantly changing shoals.

Robin, the eldest child of Closti the Clam and Anoreth of the Undying, whose birthright was knowledge. Unlike her brothers and sisters, Robin passes clean out of all history and legend after the narrative of the spellcoats. It is possible that stories about her have been lost or attributed to her more spirited sister, Tanaqui.

Royal road, the green roads of North Dalemark between Adenmouth and Kernsburgh. Tradition said that each new monarch should make this journey on the old roads before claiming crown and kingstone at Kernsburgh.

Rugcoats, the poncholike garments of woven wool worn by men and women over their other clothing in prehistoric Dalemark.

Rugcoats for weddings were presented by a girl’s family in prehistoric Dalemark to a husband-to-be as a sign that the two were officially betrothed; the groom then wore the rugcoat at the wedding. These rugcoats were always of specially fine weaving, usually with words all over. It was believed that the coat brought luck to the wedding, and possibly children, too. If the bridegroom did not wear the coat at the wedding, it was a sign that the bride would soon be either deceived or a widow. If the groom gave the coat back before the wedding, the betrothal was broken off.

Rushing people, the souls of the dead that hurry along the Riverbed toward the sea.

Rush mat, woven by Mage Mallard to deceive the King of the Riverlands. Weaving in any form is a potent spell.

Rusty, a ginger tomcat found by the children of Closti the Clam on the journey up the great River.

Sailing in grybo, Lawschool slang for being in the clear, without black marks.

Sard, a trusted soldier of the King of the Riverlands—trusted because he enjoyed killing.

Scap, Lawschool slang for the spring solstice.

Scarnel, a pipe made of pea or bean stalks, hollowed and varnished, traditionally played at the Sea Festival in Holand in South Dalemark by any number of amateur players. The sound is indescribably horrible.

Sea Festival, celebrated in autumn and called the Autumn Festival or Harvest elsewhere in Dalemark and peculiar to Holand in the South. Two images, one of straw and one of fruit, are carried down to the harbor in a procession of men clothed in red and yellow, draped with garlands and wearing traditional hats, accompanied by music from traditional instruments and by other lesser images; at the harbor with solemn words the two greater images are thrown into the sea. This is followed by feasting.

“The Second March,” one of seven tunes used by soldiers to march to all over Dalemark. “The Second March” has a jaunty tune and is generally more in favor in the North.

Sein right, Lawschool slang for the right to start grittling. The team with sein right could choose weapons and set up the first move.

Sending Day, at the Lawschool, the day on which pupils returned home for the summer. Pupils’ families were asked to attend the closing ceremony before they removed the pupils.

Sessioning, the Lawschool word for school term.

Sevenfold, a merchant ship based in Holand in South Dalemark which had the good luck to pull Poor Old Ammet out of the sea. Every man aboard was said to have made his fortune subsequently. Sevenfold herself was sold when she became old to a merchant in Waywold who renamed her Fair Enblith and was not particularly lucky with her.

Sevenfold II, a merchant ship sailing out of Holand in South Dalemark, so called when the first ship of that name was sold. Her cockboat was found by the yacht Wind’s Road. Like most Holand shipping, both Sevenfolds were named from the Sea Festival.

“The Seven Marches,” the set of lively tunes to which soldiers marched in both North and South Dalemark. Each march had well-known words.

Shelling, a village much like other villages on the west bank of the great River of prehistoric Dalemark, the birthplace of Closti the Clam and his children.

Shelling River Procession, held once a year at Midsummer to honor the River as a god. This was one of four yearly ceremonies in which flags were carried, and probably gave rise to the custom of flying flags over the stalls at Midsummer Fairs all over historic Dalemark.

She Who Raised the Islands, the most common term for the lady of the Undying who, as wife of the Earth Shaker, has power nearly equal to his but is, on the whole, more benign. As Libby Beer she provides fruit and nourishment, but in her stronger aspects she is the earth itself and the only one of the Undying able to control the Earth Shaker. She is adored particularly in the Holy Islands, where she takes the shape of a beautiful red-haired woman dressed in green.

Shield of Oreth, a mountain plateau in the southwest of North Dalemark that faces the milder weather of the sea. The name is from the least known of the secret names of the One, and it should perhaps be noted that at least three of the Undying and the Adon’s sword were to be found there. In early historic times the Shield was well farmed and populous, but it fell into wasteland during the Adon’s wars. Navis Haddsson was given ducal lands here and was fond of saying that of all his achievements, the one which gave him most pleasure was the restoration of the Shield to farmland and prosperity.

Singers, a race of men and women, most of whom claimed descent from Tanamoril or Osfameron, who traveled the country of Dalemark singing, playing music, and telling stories. Because Singers were among the few people able to move freely between North and South, they also carried news, letters, and often fugitives. Some even acted as spies, but this was rare: Singers had their own rigid customs and standards, chief among which was always to tell the truth and never to perform a vile or a violent act. They also passed down by word of mouth innumerable old customs, sayings, beliefs, and incantations, many of which were lost when Moril Clennensson disbanded the Singers in the reign of Amil the Great.

Siriol, the owner of the Flower of Holand, a fisherman and a prominent member of the Free Holanders, the society of secret freedom fighters to which Mitt also belonged. Mitt was apprenticed to Siriol for a while until his indentures were bought out by Hobin the gunsmith. Siriol greatly distinguished himself during the Great Uprising and afterward became first a councillor and then semipermanent Mayor of Holand.

Six steps up to a front door were standard in Holand in South Dalemark, where the land is only inches above sea level and there is constant danger of flooding, particularly during the autumn storms.

Skreths, Lawschool slang word for the cloister to the east of the school.

Small Western clan, any of several minor clans that sailed from Haligland to prehistoric Dalemark during the years before the main invasion.

Soulboat, a small skiff specially enchanted to hold the souls of the dead once they had been retrieved from Kankredin’s net.

Soulnet. See Nets.

Souls of mortals were believed until quite recently to be the prey of witches and sorcerers, whether joined to a body or not. The mages of primitive Haligland claimed to be able to steal a man’s soul while he slept, and Kankredin is said to have been able to take someone’s soul at any time he wished. Souls of the Undying and those descended from them were a different matter because they were believed to be combined not only with a body but with the entire country, too.

South, the eight earldoms of Dermath, Holand, Waywold, Canderack, Andmark, Carrowmark, Fenmark, and the South Dales. This part of Dalemark has a warm climate, a rich soil, and few high mountains. In early historic times it was very wealthy, but it became steadily poorer under the oppressive rule of the Southern earls, until, shortly before the reign of Amil the Great, the South was actually often poorer than the North and only ruled by fear. The North regarded this regime with disgust; the South was deeply suspicious of the North; and each considered itself superior to the other. The South, in fact, was noted for a number of virtues not seen in the North: efficiency, coolheadedness, perseverance, and clear-sightedness, combined with a strong sense of humor.

South Dales, the earldom closest to North Dalemark and in many ways not unlike the North in climate and geography. But being this close to the freethinking North had a bad effect on the earls of the South Dales: They were the most tyrannical, warlike, and unjust of all the Southern earls.

Spannet, a stablehand in Adenmouth in North Dalemark.

Specials, guns made secretly by Hobin of Holand in South Dalemark which he sold only to a chosen few. Each gun had some unusual feature, and all were better than any of the weapons he sold in public.

Spellcoat, a poncholike garment woven with word pictures that either told a story or stated facts. The garment, in the weaving, became the spell that made the story or fact come true. See also Weaving; Words.

Spirits were thought to be everywhere and to govern everything in prehistoric Dalemark, and it was necessary to please or soothe them every day. Some of the more powerful spirits almost had the status of gods and were confused by many with the Undying. The unusual thing about Closti’s family is that they did not share this belief. Hern, in fact, rejected spirits out of hand as “unreasonable.”

Spring floods, as a result of the snow melting in central Dalemark, are extensive even in modern times. In the uncontrolled River of prehistoric times there was always much flooding, which not only devastated homes but also brought fertile silt, driftwood, and fish. This violent mixture of destruction and benevolence caused many people to regard the River as a god.

Square rigging, the old type of sail which is simply a sheet of canvas hung between two yards across the mast and swiveled at both ends to catch the wind. South Dalemark very early gave this up in favor of the far more efficient fore-and-aft rigged triangular sail, but the North still clung to the old rig right up to the reign of Amil the Great, when Ynen Navisson reorganized all shipping to form his fleet.

Square-topped pillar, a waist-high primitive altar only found in the Holy Islands.

Squarks, Lawschool slang meaning “being too bumptious.”

Stair, Lord of Adenmouth in North Dalemark, a confirmed alcoholic.

Stapled, Lawschool slang meaning “to be posted on a notice board as a wrongdoer.” Any pupil who was stapled lost certain privileges for a month.

Steam organ, at Hannart in North Dalemark, a huge music-making machine built into the side of the mountain, operating like a church organ but powered by steam. It was said to have been the brainchild of the Adon and brought sightseers to Hannart from the moment it was built. It is clear that the people of the Adon’s time knew all about steam power two centuries before the industrial revolution but considered it only worthwhile for providing entertainment.

Stirring, Holy Islands dialect for rowing a boat.

Stork, the totem standard of the King of prehistoric Dalemark, where birds had a significance and potency which it is now hard to define. No one but the King or his accredited agents dared carry the Stork. Thus the people of Shelling knew at once that the messengers were there by royal decree.

Surnam, Lawschool slang for the one who spearheads an attack at grittling.

Sweetheart, a black cat rescued from an island by the children of Closti the Clam on their journey up the great River.

Sweetrush, a pet name for Tanaqui the weaver.

Talismans, charms for keeping the soul in the body made for King Hern’s army by Tanamil the Piper. Many centuries later Dalemark people still call pebbles found with a chance pattern of cross-hatching piper’s pieces.

Tally, the Lawschool term for its list of prizes.

Tan, a particle added to the front of a personal name to mean “the younger,” as in Tanabrid, Tankol, Tanamil, et cetera.

Tanabrid, the daughter of the Adon by his second wife, Manaliabrid of the Undying, who married the Lord of Kredindale after the death of the Adon.

Tan Adon, Young Lord, one of the names for Tanamil the Piper.

Tanamil, one of the elder Undying, whose name means “younger brother” or “younger river.” It is said that Tanamil was enslaved by Cenblith at the same time as the One and forced to create the Red River. There are many legends about him, some of which confuse him with Tanamoril, the mage-musician. Tanamil, however, is earlier than Tanamoril, for he is said to have played a major part in King Hern’s defeat of Kankredin, after which he is said to have gone to the Holy Islands, where he can sometimes be heard playing his pipes at sunset.

Tanamoril

1. Moril’s full second name. He was called after his famous ancestor.

2. The name taken by Mage Mallard in his earliest disguise as a minstrel. Under this name he assisted Enblith the Fair to become Queen because, according to some stories, she was his daughter.

3. The name means “youngest brother” and also refers to both Mallard’s and Moril’s position in their families.

Tanaqui

1. The second daughter of Closti the Clam and Anoreth of the Undying. She was a skilled weaver who made the two spellcoats which were dug up from the hillside above Hannart in North Dalemark. Her name is a punning one, meaning both “scented rushes” and “younger sister.” There has been speculation as to whether Tanaqui is herself of the Undying and, if so, is to be identified with Cennoreth the Weaver, but this is probably without foundation: Tanaqui was plainly a real person. See also Weaving.

2. The scented rushes that are nowadays rare, growing only in certain habitats in North Dalemark.

Tankol, otherwise known as Young Kol, head foreman of the mineworkers at Kredindale in North Dalemark.

Tannoreth Palace, built by Amil the Great in Kernsburgh at the start of his reign, to Amil’s own design, and still the royal palace although the present monarch seldom lives there. Amil appears to have invented the name Tannoreth himself (as he invented so many other things in the course of his long reign). It means, if anything, “the younger Noreth.”

Tanoreth, the “young bound One,” a name for Tanamil the Piper.

Tears, a potent magic. When Mitt weeps on an image of Libby Beer, he unknowingly invokes her protection.

Termath, the southernmost port in South Dalemark, the seat of the Earl of Dermath.

“The year’s luck to you,” the ritual greeting between Holanders on the day of the Sea Festival.

“This is my will,” a form of words used by a dying King to name the next King. These words had the force of law. King Hern, having named his son Closti as King, is said to have continued, “and it is my will that I name all Kings after you.”

Tholian, the name of several earls of the South Dales. After the last Tholian perished in an abortive invasion of the North a year or so before the Great Uprising, the name was discarded as unlucky.

“To tide swimming…,” the ancient charm of invocation to the Earth Shaker and She Who Raised the Islands, spoken as part of the Holand Sea Festival. Any who doubt that this is indeed a charm should note that the words go now and return sevenfold are thrice repeated in it.

Trase, Lawschool slang for a team attack at grittling.

Trethers, Lawschool slang for roll call, for which all pupils had to be present to answer their names.

Tross, one of the largest of the Holy Islands.

Trossaver, one of the Holy Islands, held to be the most beautiful.

Tulfa, the Southern spelling of Tulfer Island.

Tulfer Island, a large island some eight leagues off the coast of Dropwater in North Dalemark, closely allied to Hannart by marriage.

Undying, immortals. There are three kinds:

1. The gods and closely related spirits of prehistoric Dalemark, whose images were kept in niches by the hearth and worshiped and placated daily.

2. The Elder Undying, who had the status of gods and whose souls were supposed to be enmeshed in the land. They were worshiped in numerous rituals throughout Dalemark which still remain as fragmentary customs and superstitions, particularly in the North. Though there never was any organized religion and only a few buildings were dedicated to the Undying, it is clear that everyone in early historic times, from the King downward, joined in rituals of worship or invocation to the Undying at certain times of the year. The Elder Undying can be distinguished by their ritualized names—e.g., the One, whose names are not to be spoken; the Weaver of Fates, et cetera.

3. People who live forever. There seems to be a gene of true immortality in the blood of Dalemark. Such people—for instance, Tanamoril or Manaliabrid—are born rarely, possibly one every three or four centuries, but do seem to exist. They nearly always possess unusual powers or abilities and often claim descent from the Elder Undying. It has been said that these immortals are the same as the Elder Undying, except that the Elder Undying unwisely allowed themselves to be bound into godhead by mortals wishing to worship them, but there is no proof of this theory.

“Undying at Midsummer,” a very ancient tune of invocation to the One at the time of his greatest power.

Updale, a small village in the center of the second Upland, north of Neathdale in South Dalemark.

Uplands, the most northerly section of South Dalemark. The land here rises in three steep escarpments to meet the mountains of the North.

Virtue, power, life force, or magic.

Wailers, mourners, women who traditionally sit over a dead person making sounds of grief. The sounds have strict rules, which have to be learned. Wailers are usually elderly women or those without children who have had time to learn the rules.

Wanderer, the one of the Undying who walks the green roads of North Dalemark, keeping them in good repair. He is the patron of all travelers and invoked even in the South at the start of a journey.

Warden of the Holy Islands, the title bestowed on Hildrida Navissdaughter by Amil the Great.

Warm Springs, mentioned in the spellcoats, halfway along the southern stretch of the great River and certainly of volcanic origin. Dalemark lies across two tectonic plates, and the land has always been prone to earthquakes and volcanic upheavals. Most historians believe that the shaking of the land by the One was in fact caused by the colliding of the two continental plates. There is evidence in Markind of a much earlier upheaval accompanied by massive volcanic activity.

Wars in Dalemark were frequent, but three only need concern us:

1. The prehistoric invasion by Heathens from Haligland.

2. The Adon’s wars when the Adon claimed the crown, one of the few civil conflicts in which earls from both North and South appeared on either side.

3. The Great Uprising, when Amil the Great took the crown, which ended in the establishment of modern Dalemark as one kingdom.

Watersmeet, in the prehistoric Riverlands, the junction where the Red River flowed into the great River.

Waystone, a flat, round stone with a hole in the middle, set up on its narrow edge to mark the start of a green road in North Dalemark. It was the custom to touch the waystone for luck at the start of a journey.

Waywold, the earldom next door to Holand on the south coast of South Dalemark.

Weaver, the lady of the Undying who weaves the fates and fortunes of mortals. She is said by some to be the same as the witch Cennoreth.

“The Weaver’s Song,” a well-known nursery song that may originally have been an invocation to the Weaver.

Weaving was always to some extent a magical skill and not simply to do with making cloth. In early historical times each pattern woven was held to have significance. Note that Tanaqui takes it for granted that whatever she weaves will contain at least some words, usually at the hem or wrists of the garment, but quite often in bands throughout. See also Words.

“Welcome aboard, Old Ammet, sir!,” the traditional greeting from the crew that found Old Ammet floating in the sea, showing respect proper to one of the Undying.

Wend Orilson, assistant curator at the Tannoreth Palace in Kernsburgh, who claims to be one of the Undying.

West Pool, the second harbor of Holand in South Dalemark, shallower than the main harbor and protected by walls and gates, where the rich have always kept their pleasure boats. Harbor dues here are very high.

Wheatsheaf, the flagship of the Holy Islands fleet.

Wheatsheaf crest, the badge of Holand in South Dalemark, much feared in the time of Earl Hadd, when Harchad Haddsson gave each of his paid spies a small gold button stamped with this crest.

“Wider than the world, or small as in a nut,” a quotation from a song by the Adon, sung by Kialan on the road north. The song is called “Truth” and, at one level, describes the working of the cwidder bequeathed to Moril Clennensson.

Wind’s Road

1. An archaic term for the sea, used in spells and invocations.

2. The name of the yacht in which Mitt and his friends escaped north.

Wine, made all over South Dalemark. The best vintages, red and white, are from Canderack, and the worst from Holand, and there are one or two superb reds from Andmark. The Holy Islands make a strange sparkling white and a brandy so good only earls can afford it. Apart from this, everywhere north of Markind tends to make cider instead and distill from it the spirits called gley. The main drink of the North is beer, except in Dropwater, where they make a sort of plum brandy.

Winthrough, Lawschool slang for a scholarship student.

Wittess, one of the Holy Islands, low and green.

Words, a term used by Tanaqui and Kankredin for the clusters of woven signs in the spellcoats which only the learned or the initiated could read in the cloth. These signs not only formed words in the normal sense but were also potent ingredients of a mageweaver’s spell.

Wren, the headman of an unknown village in prehistoric Dalemark who led his people northward, fleeing from Kankredin. He was the first man to swear allegiance to King Hern.

Yeddersay, one of the outer ring of the Holy Islands.

Ynen, son of Navis Haddsson, who became Amil the Great’s admiral in chief. Ynen not only experimented with steamships but built the conventional navy up to the extent that Dalemark quickly became an important sea power.

Ynynen, the lesser of the Earth Shaker’s two Great Names. Readers are strongly advised not to say this name beside the sea or in a boat.

Young One, the red clay image of a smiling young man which the family of Closti the Clam kept in one of their fireside niches reserved for the Undying.

Zara, the sister of Closti the Clam, who was to have married Zwitt, the headman of Shelling, if Closti had not jilted Zwitt’s sister. Zara was then forced to marry Kestrel or remain a spinster. Zara never forgave Closti or his family for this, though she seems to have retained a strong fondness for Zwitt.

Zwitt, the headman of Shelling beside the great River of prehistoric Dalemark. When Zwitt was young, he was betrothed to Closti the Clam’s sister Zara, while Closti was betrothed to Zwitt’s sister. Closti, however, fell in love with Anoreth and married her instead. Zwitt, in revenge, refused to marry Zara. This caused continuing bad blood between Zwitt and Closti’s family.