Figures of Earth · Chapter
XXIV: Three Women explained
Manuel and Niafer encounter Queen Freydis and Princess Alianora on the road to Quentavic.
What happens
Manuel and Niafer encounter Queen Freydis and Princess Alianora on the road to Quentavic. The two royal ladies mock Niafer's appearance, but Manuel reaffirms his devotion to her. Alianora announces she is to marry the King of England, and Freydis reveals plans to settle on the island of Sargyll. Both women claim they will summon Manuel in the future, while Niafer silently resolves that she alone will command him. The chapter ends with the cavalcade riding westward and Manuel and Niafer trudging east, content.
Themes in this chapter
The Geas of Obligation
Both Freydis and Alianora impose future obligations on Manuel, commanding him to come when summoned, while Niafer silently asserts her own claim.
Appearances vs. Reality
Alianora and Freydis appear magnificent but are dismissed by Manuel, who finds true beauty in the seemingly ugly Niafer.
Love and Disillusionment
Manuel's love for Niafer endures despite the mockery of others, while the queens' past affections are now tinged with disillusionment.
Characters to notice
- Dom Manuel
Now an old gentleman, he meets Freydis and Alianora on the road, reaffirms his love for Niafer, and is summoned by both queens for future needs.
- Niafer
The swarthy, limping peasant girl in brown drugget, she is mocked by Alianora but remains silent, privately vowing that Manuel will obey her alone.
- Freydis
Queen of Audela, dark and stately, she speaks calmly to Manuel, reveals her plan to enchant Sargyll, and bids him come when he needs her.
- Alianora
Princess riding to Quentavic to marry the King of England, she mocks Niafer's ugliness but tells Manuel she will summon him with a token.
- King Thibaut
Young king who rides with the cavalcade, he comments on Manuel's folly and later pursues Freydis, leading to his ruin.
Key passages
“I would have made you a king, and by and by the most powerful of all kings, but you followed after your own thinking, and cared more for messing in wet mud than for a throne.”
Alianora tells Manuel she could have made him a great king, but he chose his own path, preferring humble pursuits over power.
Alianora's reproach highlights Manuel's rejection of worldly ambition for personal fulfillment.
“I would have made you the greatest of image-makers; but you followed after your own thinking, and instead of creating new and godlike beings you preferred to resurrect a dead servant girl.”
Freydis says she could have made Manuel a supreme artist, but he chose to resurrect Niafer rather than create new beings.
Freydis's words underscore Manuel's choice of love and resurrection over artistic immortality.
“It is either enchantment or idiocy, unless indeed it be something far higher than either.”
King Thibaut muses that Manuel's devotion to Niafer must be magic, foolishness, or something transcendent.
Thibaut's comment reflects the mystery of Manuel's love, which defies ordinary explanation.