Figures of Earth · Chapter
XIII: What Helmas Directed explained
Dom Manuel seeks the counsel of King Helmas the Deep-Minded regarding his lifeless images.
What happens
Dom Manuel seeks the counsel of King Helmas the Deep-Minded regarding his lifeless images. Helmas directs him to summon Queen Freydis of Audela, who possesses Schamir. Manuel follows Helmas's detailed instructions, performing a ritual on the last night of April at Upper Morven. He overcomes Freydis's transformations—a serpent, a pig, a mirror, and a dark fluid—by reciting mathematics and other knowledge, finally grasping her as a woman within a protective enclosure.
Themes in this chapter
The Geas of Obligation
Manuel is bound by the instructions of King Helmas, performing a dangerous ritual as a necessary step to achieve his goal.
Appearances vs. Reality
Freydis appears as a serpent, pig, mirror, and fluid, each form concealing her true nature until Manuel's knowledge forces her real shape.
Characters to notice
- Dom Manuel
Seeks King Helmas's advice on his images and performs the summoning ritual for Queen Freydis.
- King Helmas
The wise king who directs Manuel on how to summon Freydis.
- Freydis
Queen of Audela, summoned by Manuel through a ritual; she appears in various forms before being captured.
Key passages
“They are not true to life, particularly this one which has the look of me.”
Helmas says the images lack lifelikeness, especially the one resembling him.
Helmas critiques Manuel's images, prompting the quest for Freydis.
“Freydis could not withstand mathematics.”
Reciting multiplication tables overpowers Freydis's magical resistance.
Mathematics serves as a counter to sorcery in the ritual.