Sailing to Sarantium

The sun is a symbol of the god, Jad, who lives behind the sun or in it (the matter is under debate by clerics). Out of love for his mortal children, he fights to return the sun each morning. According to some, he has a son, Heladikos, who died in his chariot while bringing fire back to earth from the sun for use by humans. Heladikos’ symbol is the sun disc.

In the pagan traditions, dolphins carried souls to the god of Death. After Jad and Heladikos became the hegemonic religious figures, dolphins were associated with Heladikos in that they were said to have carried his body to the setting sun (and therefore his father) after his death. Therefore, dolphins are a controversial, heretical image because the clerics have decreed that Heladikos does not exist, though he is still worshipped by some.

Mechanical birds appear in two scenarios: The first is the simple, mechanical toys which exist in the Emperor’s palaces as entertainment. The second are those created by the alchemist, Zoticus, which house human souls taken at the moment of sacrifice to the pagan gods. The contrasts of the objects show how the same concept can be divided by two versions: the simple and lighthearted and the one warped by power and enslavement.

Multiple characters consider their own legacies at one point or another. The motif is of particular interest to the Emperor and Queen. Gisel is concerned with preserving her lands and avoiding the deaths of her people by war, commenting that “Empires live after us. So does a name. For good or ill” (72). Similarly, Emperor Valerius II is concerned with his own legacy in terms of his lack of heir and his desire to rebuild the Great Sanctuary and reclaim the full Rhodian Empire. These motivations underlie the main political maneuvering of the book. Similarly, Crispin’s own desire for immortality is repeatedly addressed, leading to the culmination of his life’s work in the project of the Great Sanctuary, which he hopes will live on long after him, establishing a sense of immortality. Even Pronobius Tilliticus is given his own unexpected legacy—that of a wise holy man despite his history of selfishness and crime.

Crispin is overwhelmed by the cleverness of the women in his life, which appears to be beyond his expectations. These individuals include: Gisel, Kasia, Empress Alixana, Styliane Daleina, and Shirin. All but Kasia are proven politically savvy schemers, though Kasia has a shrewd mind for navigating complex social interactions. These women also represent the vast majority of named female characters.