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5.0 out of 5 stars
Legends and heroes are made, not born, Jun 19 2000
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) wrote "All social realities--values and processes--are created by humans. The social and ideational world represents no entity without humans. Such a world is the reflection of the socialization experienced by each individual in his/her cognitive development. This novel is an inadvertent fictional demonstration of the validity of Durkheim's statement.This book provides a major key for getting perspective on Poictesme and its varied inhabitants. In 1239, Dom Manuel, Count of Poictesme disappeared. At Storisende, his young daughter Melicent said that she had seen her father on a black horse riding to the west in company with Grandfather Death on a white one. Young Jurgen, another child who was the son of Coth, reported that at dusk,in Upper Morven, he had seen Dom Manuel partake of a fearful eucharist, who was then transfigured into the glowing clouds of the sunset. Dom Manuel had founded the Fellowship of the Silver Stallion, and since it had lost its leader, Niafer, his wife, summoned the nine remaining members of the group to come to Storisende for its final meeting. After they all had arrived, Horvendile addressed them as follows, "The master who held Poictesme, under my whims, has passed. A woman sits in his place, his little son inherits after him. So begins a new romance; and a new order is afoot." Next, he assigned each of the nine a fate and ordered that a fire be kindled. The banner of the fellowship was burned and each lord of the Black Stallion broke his sword into fragments and threw them into the flames, so that their swords could never defend any other standard. The nine, Gonfal of Naimes, Donander of Evre, Kerin of Nointel, Ninzian of Yair, Holden of Nerac, Anavalt of Fomor, Coth of the Rocks, Guivric of Perdigon and Miramon of Ranec, returned home and made ready for the new order. In this book, the fates of Gonfal, Miramon, Coth, Guivric, Kerin, Ninzian and Donander are told. Alongside their stories, a parallel history is given of the birth and triumph of the great legend about Manuel the Redeemer as it developed in Poictesme.
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