The Water of the Wondrous Isles · Chapter
X: Of Birdalone’s Flitting from the Isle of Nothing explained
Birdalone departs from the Isle of Nothing despite the kindness of its inhabitants, who provide her with provisions.
What happens
Birdalone departs from the Isle of Nothing despite the kindness of its inhabitants, who provide her with provisions. She performs a sacrifice to the boat's wight before gliding away, leaving the folk to wonder if she was a goddess. They vow to remember her as their lady and goddess, but Birdalone never returns, heading instead toward the Isle of Kings.
Themes in this chapter
Journey and Quest
Birdalone continues her journey across the water, leaving the Isle of Nothing behind and setting course for the Isle of Kings.
Identity and Transformation
The folk of the Isle of Nothing transform Birdalone into a goddess in their memory, reshaping her identity in their lore.
Characters to notice
- Birdalone
Departs the Isle of Nothing, performs sacrifice to the boat's wight, and heads toward the Isle of Kings.
- The Stony Folk
The inhabitants of the Isle of Nothing who befriend Birdalone, provide provisions, and later revere her as a goddess.
Key passages
“If by any means thou mayst find a keel which will carry thee hither, at some time, I would thou wouldst come; for even if thou be old, and we passed away, yet here shall be our children or our grandchildren to welcome thee; and we will tell them the tale of thee that they remember it and long for thee.”
The meat-fetcher invites Birdalone to return someday, promising that future generations will remember and welcome her.
Expresses the folk's deep affection and desire to preserve Birdalone's memory.
“this must be some goddess (for of Holy Church they knew nought) who had come to visit them in her loveliness; and in after times, when this folk waxed a many, and tilled all the isle and made ships and spread to other lands and became great, they yet had a memory of Birdalone as their own very lady and goddess”
The folk, ignorant of Christianity, believe Birdalone is a goddess and later enshrine her as their patron deity as their civilization grows.
Highlights the folk's mythologizing of Birdalone and the lasting impact of her visit.