X: Birdalone Comes on New Tidings explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Journey and Quest

  Birdalone's eastward exploration and discovery of the boat mark a step toward her potential escape and quest for freedom.

• Female Agency and Autonomy

  Birdalone independently decides to investigate the boat and keep her discovery secret, asserting her own will against the witch's control.

Characters to notice

• Birdalone

  Explores eastward, discovers the mysterious boat, and decides to keep it secret from the witch.

• Habundia

  Mentioned as the wood woman who hinted at escape by water; Birdalone hopes to consult her again.

• The Witch Wife

  Referenced as Birdalone's mistress, who told tales of a serpent and is impatient with questions.

Key passages

• “Soon she had covered up the house from her, for on that eastern end, both a tongue of the woodland shoved out west into the meadow, and, withal, the whole body of the wood there drew down to the water, and presently cut off all the greensward save a narrow strip along by the lake, off the narrowest whereof lay the rocky eyot aforesaid, nigher unto the shore than lay Green Eyot.”

  She quickly lost sight of the house as the forest extended westward into the meadow and then sloped down to the water, leaving only a thin strip of grass beside the lake, near which was the rocky islet, closer to shore than Green Eyot.

  Describes the landscape as Birdalone moves eastward.

• “In her childish days the witch had let her know that she might go where she would, but therewith had told her a tale of a huge serpent which dwelt in the dark wood over against Rock Eyot, whose wont it was to lap his folds round and round living things that went there, and devour them; and many an evil dream had that evil serpent brought to Birdalone.”

  When Birdalone was young, the witch gave her freedom to roam but also frightened her with a story about a giant serpent in the dark wood near Rock Eyot that would coil around and eat any living creature, causing Birdalone many nightmares.

  Explains the origin of Birdalone's fear of the eastern wood.

• “But this summer day, which was so bright and hot, Birdalone deemed she might harden her heart to try the adventure; and she had a mind to enter the wood thereby, and win her way up into the oakland whereas she had met Habundia, and perchance she might happen on her; for she would not dare to summon her so soon after their first meeting.”

  On this bright, hot summer day, Birdalone decided to be brave and venture into the wood, hoping to reach the oak grove where she had met Habundia and perhaps encounter her again, since she felt it too soon to call her.

  Birdalone's motivation for exploring the eastern wood.

• “She looked on it all about, and wondered; yet she saw at once that it was for wending the water, and she thought, might she but have a long pole, she might push it about the shallow parts of the lake, and belike take much fish.”

  She examined the object from all sides, marveling, and quickly realized it was meant for traveling on water; she imagined that with a long pole she could propel it through the shallows and perhaps catch plenty of fish.

  Birdalone's initial thoughts about the boat's use.

• “And ever she called to mind what Habundia had said to her, that it was by water she must flee, and wondered if she had sent her this thing that she might escape therein; so different as her going would be thereby to swimming the lake with her wet body.”

  She kept remembering Habundia's words that she must escape by water, and wondered if the wood woman had sent this boat for that purpose, since traveling in it would be far better than swimming across the lake soaking wet.

  Birdalone connects the boat to Habundia's prophecy of escape.