Harkfast Q8

clash_bowley

Would you use anything from this book in gaming? What would you take? How would you use it? How did this book inspire you, if it did?

Apocryphal

I'm not sure there's anything here I would us. I really like the setting of an early Post-Roman Scotland, but this book is so a-historical that it couldn't possibly be used for that. I certainly wouldn't use the brutality/rape. I might use some plot elements, like the hunt, and the Eisenstein-esque scene on the Corryvrecken was pretty cool (though not really original, since Eisenstein beat him to it, I guess), and that would be hard to run as a set piece since no doubt the Druid player would do something totally different.

The idea of a druid character who believes that he's found a future king and must steer the boy to kingship is pretty cool, though.

And speaking of history, this book was really odd in that the character names seemed to be totally made up and not reflective of any real language that I could tell. The place names and tribe names, however, were mainly from Pytheas vis Strabo, I would guess. Which also raises a question (often ignored in Arthurian settings) of what did the local tribes actually call themselves. Maeatae is a Roman name for a tribal confederation located near Stirling, for example - but what's the Celtic equivalent? Why would local Scottish tribes be using Roman names to refer to themselves? They wouldn't - but since the roman names are the only ones we have, they stick.

So, it really only works as a fantasy inspired by a certain history and geography.

clash_bowley

Ruan is a male name in Irish, it means 'red', and is the same word as 'roan', the red horse coloring. I actually was using it in my current Magitech Kingdom playtest campaign, before I read harkfast. 'Harkfast' is, I am totally sure, made up by Rae.

Apocryphal

Yeah, I thought Harkfast sounded more Saxon than Gaelic, but I couldn’t find any equivalence in either language.

RichardAbbott

It's an interesting "translational" problem that I encounter in writing as well. Apologies if necessary for the following musings if they are of little relevance to the Harkfast discussion!

As (some of you) know, my current WIP is set around the Langdale axe factory at the end of Neolithic England. I have assumed that the language is basically Brythonic, ie like modern Welsh, and have to give names to people and places. People is easier, I think, because we simply have no records of what anyone was called, so I tend to use animal names or descriptive ones - so there's a minor character called Roudhok, which is the word for a robin.

Place names are harder, because some name elements have survived from those linguistic times, for example Helvellyn is almost certainly of Brythonic derivation, whereas most hilltop or place names are much more recent, typically Viking (eg Skiddaw, Scafell, Seatoller). So... do you simply make up a name? Or use a name that sounds like the modern equivalent but has a different meaning in the older language? Or use a name that is a kind of translation of the current name back into the older language? I can see justification for any of those choices, and I don't think I've been very consistent with it. Seeing as how there's no written records at all from back then (which is a point of contact with Harkfast) I can sort of do what I like, but then the world has to feel like a consistent place that could have been as I describe.

And that, I think, is a definite plus point about Harkfast (the novel I mean, not the character) - it felt like a consistent and credible world, even if it was one that I wouldn't enjoy living in. The narrative choices for names, places, social settings etc felt persuasive to me, and that definitely kept me going amidst all the nastiness.

NeilNjae

I liked how Harkfast is portrayed, the wise and manipulative druid. I liked the alternative take on the Arthur myth, making it a very small and personal story with the mythic element applied by the narrator and reader.

Apocryphal

Yeah, the alternate Arthur is interesting. One common speculation is that ‘Arthur’ was a title, not a name, so possibly Ruan would become Arthur, and Harkfast becomes Merlin - or Merlin replaces Harkfast. But then the rest of the myth doesn’t really hang together as cognate, does it.

I see the dedication was to Rosemary Sutcliffe.

clash_bowley

I think the subject matter could be the basis of a very interesting game if it were handled correctly. Certainly any roleplayer worth their salt would demolish the obsessive brooding darkness with hilarious hijinks and innate silliness.