_Fenris_: the great wolf of Scandinavian mythology whose growth was
such that the gods in fear chained him to a rock. Some day his upper
jaw will touch the sky, while his lower still rests on earth, and
then Odin will tremble for his throne.
_le serpent Asgar_. This serpent is probably of Hugo's invention and
its name taken from the mythical city of the Scandinavians, Asgard,
built by the gods and in which they often resided.
_l'archange Attila_. This is not the king of the Huns, nor is he one
of the known archangels. However, as the Scriptures mention only
three archangels, Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, out of the seven,
Hugo may or may not be right in speaking of an archangel of the name
of Attila. _Le grand chandelier_ brought from the lower regions by
the archangel is merely a poetic fancy and a reminiscence of the
seven-branched candlestick of the tabernacle (Exod. XXV. 31-7).
_Actéon_. Actaeon in Greek mythology was a hunter who saw Diana
bathing, and was in consequence changed by the goddess into a stag.
L. 437. _chanfrein_, the piece of armour which covered the head of
the horse.
_Les chatons des cuissards sont barris de leurs clés_. A difficult
line. The _chatons_ were the studs or screws which held the
thigh-piece (_cuissard_) in its place, and the instrument which
worked them was called _la clé_. _Barrés_ appears to mean simply
'fastened'. Sir G.Young translates:--
'Their cuissart-studs up to the socket braced'
_boutoir_, the sharp spike on the knee-piece.
_crible_. The word refers to the visor with seven bars, which was
one of the marks of a marquis's rank.
_mortier_. The round cap which was the ancient emblem of
sovereignty in France. It was worn by barons who possessed full
powers of administering justice in their domains, also by the
presidents of the 'parlements', and by the chancellors. A modified
form is still part of the official dress of some of the judges of
the highest courts.
It will be noted that the antiquities in this passage are French,
not German.
_tortil_, a ribbon twisted round a crown, the special ornament of a
baron, not of a duke. It also signifies in heraldry a circular band
or pad to which heraldic negroes' heads were attached.
_rondache_, a round shield.
L. 492. The reference is to the coronet of a French marquis, which
bore eight jewelled ornaments, four of which consisted each of
three great pearls arranged as a trefoil, while the other four were
'feuilles d'ache,' the heraldic representation of the leaf of the
wild parsley.
_hydre_: see note on L. 323.
_timbre_, in heraldry, signifies anything placed above the
escutcheon to mark the rank of the person to whom it belonged. Here
Hugo seems to use it of the shield, perhaps because the triangular
shield was a mark of knightly rank.
_fauves_, here 'terrible'.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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