# Epigraph explained — Ralestone Luck

> Chapter companion for Ralestone Luck by Andre Norton.

## What happens

The epigraph presents a poetic call-and-response about holding Lorne, referencing the oak leaf, sea wave, and broadsword, ultimately affirming that the Luck is what now holds Lorne.

## Themes in this chapter

### Family Legacy and Identity

The epigraph's focus on holding Lorne through symbols of heritage and the Luck underscores the theme of family legacy and identity.

### Superstition and Fate

The shift from tangible symbols (oak leaf, sea wave, broadsword) to the Luck as the means of holding Lorne invokes a sense of superstition and fate.

## Key lines

> How hold ye Lorne? By the oak leaf, By the sea wave, By the broadsword blade, Thus hold we Lorne! The oak leaf is dust, The sea wave is gone, The broadsword is rust, How now hold ye Lorne? By our Luck, thus hold we Lorne!

How do you hold Lorne? With the oak leaf, the sea wave, and the broadsword blade—that's how we hold Lorne! But the oak leaf has decayed, the sea wave has vanished, the broadsword has rusted. So how do you hold Lorne now? Through our Luck, that's how we hold Lorne!

_The epigraph contrasts traditional symbols of strength with their decay, ultimately affirming the Luck as the enduring source of holding Lorne._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ralestone_luck_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ralestone_luck_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ralestone_luck_se/chapters