INSPIRATION FOR "THE QUEEN BEYOND THE WALL"

 INSPIRATION FOR MY JAIMIENNE FIC: "THE QUEEN BEYOND THE WALL"

I. Story:

The sun resounds, like she's done ever,

in the great concert of the spheres,

and she completes her fulfilled journey 

amidst loud thunderclap and cheers.

She gives strength to the failing angels,

though they can't sound her core or may.

The undescriptibly high opus

remains sublime, like the first day.

These verses are from my own translation of Goethe's Faust, the very first words, spoken by archangels in the Prologue in the Heavens.

II. Story:

Fate of the villain in the romance "Cleomades" (also inspired Arc II of the Ringstetten Saga):

Il courut tout d'abord étancher au ruisseau
la soif qui l'oppressait ardente,
mais à peine eut-il bu que la fraîcheur de l'eau
glaça ses sens et sa tête brûlante,
et qu'il tomba sur le préau.
[···]
Il fut conduit au corps de garde,
et, comme il était bien malade,
il créva dans la nuit: bon débarras vraiment!

Nearly overcome 
by the heat and fatigue, he went and plunged his 
arms into the fountain : he also drank of the water 
to quench his thirst, and the cold of it was so great, 
that he fell nearly senseless on the ground. 

He was breathing as if struggling against death.

The disorder which he had caught at the foun- 

tain was so severe, that he expired during the 
night. 

... who suffered greatly from thirst, drank deeply of the fountain. So icy cold were its waters that on quaffing them he fell to the ground, almost insensible.
... so severe was the disorder which he had contracted by drinking of the icy fountain that he expired shortly afterward.

Échauffé par l'ardeur du soleil d'Italie, et par les vains efforts qu'il avoit faits, il court plonger ses bras dans la fontaine, il y étanche sa soif et l'ardeur qui le brûle; mais cette eau, d'un froid extrême, glace ses sens, et le fait tomber presque sans connoissance. [···]
[···]  Ils sont surpris de trouver en cette prairie solitaire un [···], qui, en haletant, semble déjà combattre contre une mort prochaine, [···]
Il interroge d'abord [···]: ce traître lui répond qu'il est homme libre; que le hasard l'a fait trouver mal sur le bord de cette fontaine, [···]
 [···] le malheureux et triste [···], étouffé par la violence de sa pleurésie, expira dans la nuit suivante.

Also, in the Geirlauga Saga, her childhood friend and love interest Grethari loses all memories of her and all feelings upon eagerly drinking from an enchanted spring (also inspired Arc II of the Ringstetten Saga):

'Now take up the band with the golden letters and bind it about your forehead,' said Geirlaug, 'and go boldly up to the castle. And, remember, however great may be your thirst, you must drink nothing till you have first spoken to your father. If you do, ill will befall us both.'

'Why should I be thirsty ?' replied Grethari, staring at her in astonishment. 'It will not take me five minutes to reach the castle gate.' Geirlaug held her peace, but her eyes had in them a sad look. 'Good-bye,' she said at last, and she turned and kissed him.

Grethari had spoken truly when he declared that he could easily get to the castle in five minutes. At least, no one would have dreamed that it could possibly take any longer. Yet, to his surprise, the door which stood so widely open that he could see the colour of the hangings within never appeared to grow any nearer, while each moment the sun burned more hotly, and his tongue was parched with thirst.

'I don't understand! What can be the matter with me -- and why haven't I reached the castle long ago ?' he murmured to himself, as his knees began to knock under him with fatigue, and his head to swim. For a few more paces he staggered on blindly, when, suddenly, the sound of rushing water smote upon his ears; and in a little wood that bordered the path he beheld a stream falling over a rock. At this sight his promise to Geirlaug was forgotten. Fighting his way through the brambles that tore his clothes, he cast himself down beside the fountain, and seizing the golden cup that hung from a tree, he drank a deep draught.

When he rose up the remembrance of Geirlaug and of his past life had vanished, and, instead, something stirred dimly within him at the vision of the white-haired man and woman who stood in the open door with outstretched hands.

'Grethari ! Grethari ! So you have come home at last,' cried they.

For three hours Geirlaug waited in the spot where Grethari had left her, and then she began to understand what had happened. Her heart was heavy, but she soon made up her mind what to do, and pushing her way out of the wood, she skirted the high wall that enclosed the royal park and gardens...

She wins him back by staging his betrayal of her, Hamlet-style, at his engagement feast:

'Will you treat me as badly as Grethari treated Geirlaug ?' cried the hen at last. And Grethari heard, and started up wildly. In an instant all the past rushed back to him; the princess by his side was forgotten, and he only saw the face of the child with whom he had played long years ago.

'Where is Geirlaug ?' he exclaimed, looking round the hall; and his eyes fell upon the strange lady. With a smile she held out a ring which he had given her on her twelfth birthday, when they were still children, without a thought of the future. 'You and none other shall be my wife,' he said, taking her hand, and leading her into the middle of the company.

It is not easy to describe the scene that followed. Of course, nobody understood what had occurred, and the king and queen imagined that their son had suddenly gone mad. The guests left the hall as quickly as they could, so that the royal family might arrange their own affairs, and in the end it was settled that half the kingdom must be given to the despised princess, instead of a husband. She sailed back at once to her country, where she was soon betrothed to a young noble, whom, in reality, she liked much better than Grethari. That evening Grethari was married to Geirlaug, and they lived happily till they died, and made all their people happy also.

III. Story: Auden:

The mass and majesty of this world, all

That carries weight and always weighs the same

Lay in the hands of others; they were small

And could not hope for help and no help came:

What their foes like to do was done, their shame

Was all the worst could wish; they lost their pride

And died as men before their bodies died.

IV. Story:
- The courtship of the Clever Princess, Andersen:

He was cheerful and nice-looking. He hadn't come courting at all, but only to hear the Princess's conversation, and he thought well of it, and she thought well of him.

He was a picture of good looks and gallantry, and then, he had not come with any idea of wooing the Princess, but simply to hear her wisdom. He admired her just as much as she admired him!

He was bold and nicely behaved; he had not come to woo the Princess, but only to hear her wisdom. She pleased him, and he pleased her.

He was merry and quick-witted; he had not come to woo, he said, but to listen to the princess's wisdom. And the end of it was that they fell in love with each other.

He was quite free and agreeable and said he had not come to woo the princess, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.

He was quite solemn and not at all afraid, and said he had not come to woo the princess, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.

He did not come to woo her, he said, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.

 He was handsome and lively—"He did not come to woo her," he said, "he had only come to hear the wisdom of the princess," and he liked her much, and she liked him in return.

He was dashing and handsome, and he was not there to court the Princess but to hear her wisdom. This he liked, and she liked him.

He was so lively and confident; he hadn't come to woo the princess, he declared, only to hear her wise conversation. He liked it very well, and she liked him.

He was unperturbed and dashing; he hadn’t come at all to propose, only to hear the princess’s cleverness, which he liked, and she liked him in return!

- The royal guard in an Oscar Wilde tale reminded me of Loras Tyrell:

And one whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, came up and made inquiry of the soldiers who it was who had sought entrance. 
Then he, whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, held up a shield.

- There is also a quote from Othello, a compliment the title character calls his wife Desdemona:
Oh my fair warrior!

Aside from this Oscar Wilde fairytale couple:

From the palace, one heard the sound of dancing. A beautiful girl came out on the balcony with her lover. "How wonderful the stars are," he said to her, "and how wonderful is the power of love!"
"I hope my dress will be ready in time for the State-ball," she answered; "I have ordered passion-flowers to be embroidered on it;  [···]"

VI. STORY:
There is a well-known film with the title: Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World.

VII:
Genesis, The Musical Box:

You stand there with your fixed expression 
casting doubt on all I have to say. 
why don't you touch me, touch me, 
why don't you touch me, touch me, 
touch me now, now, now, now, now...

The final verses:

Everything that shall end

is but a clue.

What cannot be reached

does here come true.

What cannot be described

is here made real.

The eternal feminine

leads us to feel.

These verses are from my own translation of Goethe's Faust, the very last verses, since I started this story with the opening verses of the same versified play.