Bill's Translation
Here are my thoughts on how to interpret the Witch Queen's prophecy, followed by a recap at the end.
- Overview based on my interpretations
- A half-orc will be born to fulfill an ancient and this new prophecy. He will have a twin that will die before he does. He will go on to be the messiah for the people of Eredane.
- The Twin will unite dragons, elves, and dwarves and will bring on great change.
- Eventually the elves will be defeated and forced out of Erethor, then they will fracture politically.
- Dwarves and Ice Elves will go to war and the Twin will fight, though for what side, if any, it is unclear.
- A great leader will arise out of Highwall, probably to lead a new nation of Erunlanders or Dorns, but during a battle he will be killed.
- Something causes upheaval in the Kaladrun mountains that will cause damage, and may result in the destruction of everything under the surface.
- A dangerous treasure lies in the Kaladrun depths.
O thou, new-born, delaying long,
Delayest the sorrow in men and shadow blood alike,
That longs to burst a frozen bud
And flood a fresher throat with your scythe
This begins by addressing a very important figure. Here we see that he (or she) has not yet been born, and has delayed a long time. Perhaps this prophecy refers to another, more ancient prophecy that still has not come to pass.
The “frozen bud” seems to be a birth that has been preserved for the right time. Maybe recent events allowed the ancient prophecy to finally come to pass. The success of Izrador might be credited for this, or maybe the willingness of the dragons to “return”.
Maybe the Frozen Bud is the prison keeping Izrador here.
It says here that the new-born will delay the sorrow for all. Perhaps this speaks to a hope that it will instill in others, but obviously hope for both sides. Obviously the new-born will be war-like.
In front of a mirror will be born the infant twin
from the ancient line, childe fae not born fae.
so destined is the messiah to Eredane
they will say the living twin deserves the day.
Is this a literal mirror that perhaps refers to the magical mirrors? Here we see that the new-born will be “fae not born fae,” which I assume to mean that it will be of fae blood (elf, dwarf, or orc, etc) but born to a creature not fae (most likely human). This means that the new-born should be an impossibility, which could explain why it “delayed long.” Perhaps the “twin” reference doesn’t actually point to the new-born being one of two children born in the same womb, but maybe this refers to the two lineages that should not be united: fae and not-fae – a twin race, rather than one of two concurrent siblings.
It seems that the Twin will be a very significant force in history, in the continent of Eredane.
It is worth taking note that (now that Kevin’s corrected the text) the prophecy primarily refers to the Twin as a messiah for Eredane.
Through a slit in the Sarcoson belly
The childe born with fang:
Called by a barbaric name from the dead twin.
The forebears come forth from the depths of hell.
So the Twin will be half Sarcosan, we know this; and the Twin will be born with fangs. This is the reason I suspect that it will be a half-orc, as we would know them to be. In Eredane, of course, they call half-orcs dworgs and such, because they have no experience with an orc producing offspring with humans (or for that matter, elves I assume).
What dead twin? This points to perhaps the other interpretation of “twin,” the dead one being a still-born sibling. Though, infants don’t talk. This perhaps means that the Twin of prophecy is going to outlive its fraternal twin.
The “forebears” most likely refer to orcs. Though this might not be the first half-fae; it may just be the first in a long while, and the ones to came first were horrible. Perhaps instead this refers to the forebears of the barbaric name. Perhaps the Twin is called a demon as a nickname. Or, maybe the dead twin, as Aaron mentioned, becomes Fell, and being Fell, his forebears would be from hell, etc. Fairly unclear.
The Enemy is troubled by this Queen's gambit.
The Scrollbearers will fear for their lives.
The darker brethren will doubly disguise his action,
His and her kin face the traitor in anger, and fear.
We now know that the Witch Queen (WQ) is working on establishing an alliance between the elves, dwarves, and dragons. This is most likely the gambit referred to here. Nodin himself proved the words of the second line.
“The darker brethren” is plural, but then it refers to “his action.” This leads me to think that the brethren are the collective forces if Izrador and it is his action being disguised. Though, in the end, “his kin” (Izrador’s followers) and “her kin” (the WQ’s followers) face Izrador (if he is the traitor, or a traitor he put in place) in anger and fear.
Sorrow and revolution caused by the scythe bearer
making a change not seen in centuries.
The mobile sign thus moves into the messiah house:
Equal in favor to both sides.
The “Scythe Bearer” is most likely the Twin. The salvation he brings will not be painless, and lots of change will come.
“The mobile sign” most likely refers to the sign that signals the coming of the Twin, this messiah for Erudane, the fae-not-born-of-fae. As I said earlier, this could be the return of the dragons. If this is the case, it fits this line, as dragons are mobile but almost powerful enough to be acts of nature. If the dragons side with the Twin, it seems here that this would set him up as the leader of the three-fold alliance. Equal in favor to elves and dwarves, the dragons may be the only credible vote when it comes to deciding a leader for the armies.
Though, no doubt this would cause a great deal of problems. Dragons might be able to see past the orcish side of a half-orc, but most dwarves and elves would simply see him as another of Izrador’s foul creatures. Maybe not worth killing, but certainly not fit to rule.
When the great wooden columns tremble
in the western wind, covered with blood.
Such a great assembly then pours forth
that Sharuun and the Westlands will tremble.
The first two lines clearly refer to the burning and destruction of the woods. Sharuun is a large coastal city in the Gulf of the Sorshef, so it sounds as though the armies of elves will cover all of southern Erenland while leaving the woods.
When the great Queen sees herself conquered,
she will show an excess of masculine courage.
Naked, on horseback, she will pass over the river
pursued by the sword: her faith outraged.
The previous quatrain sounded as though doom would come to the forests. Perhaps the armies of elves will head east in defeat. The use of the term “Masculine Courage” here is curious. The WQ herself most likely lacks for no courage, but it has been shown that her efforts against Izrador haven’t included many assaults. If her defensive posture could be seen as nurturing and her final rage at defeat followed by full-scale attacks could be seen as aggressive, this is perhaps what the word Masculine is referring to.
This reads as though the WQ and armies of elves will be pushed eastward, in shame, running swiftly from the hordes of Izrador’s forces coming from the forests that the elves just lost.
A founder of sects, much trouble for the accuser:
A beast in the theater prepares the scene and plot.
The author ennobled by acts of older times;
the world is confused by schismatic sects.
As Aaron pointed out, this sounds like the followers of Izrador might have had a schism of some kind.
On the other hand, this quatrain follows the defeat of the WQ. The “accuser” might blame the tragedy on her (perhaps, because she favors allowing the Twin, a half-orc, to rule he also accuses her of being in league with Izrador) and attempt to form a new leadership for the elves – one that would return the empire to its former glory (much like Hitler claimed he could do for post-WWI Germany). He, of course, would encounter opposition to this, and “trouble.” The “beast” most likely means that someone evil is behind the turbulence.
Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers:
The greater region will be lead by the Ardoome,
The great one causing it dragged in an iron cage,
The Kasmaelian childe will observe its own tide.
I don’t know what Ardoome or Kasmaelian mean. It really baffles the rest of this quatrain. However, Kevin gave it away that “iron cage” referred to Lolth in the sarcophagus that may have killed Quarrion. Kasmaelian, therefore, could refer to the “mountain elves” that the jungle elves sought to become.
Earthshaking fire from the center of the Eredane
will cause tremors around the High City.
Two great rocks will war for a long time,
then Pelluria will redden a new river.
This fire might come from dragon-breath, or from a volcano. If the former, the tremors would be political, arising from the suspect alliance with dragons. If the latter, perhaps the eruption causes disastrous conditions, and it’s a choice to fight or starve. Either way, it will lead to war between “two great rocks,” which seems to refer to dwarves. Is one of their cities called The High City? Calador or Icewall?
The “Pelluria” is most likely the inland Sea of Pelluria. It is more likely that the two great rocks are the Highhorn and Kaladrun mountains (i.e. snow elves vs. dwarves).
In the land with a climate opposite to Sharuun
there will be great shedding of blood.
The heavens unjust on land, sea and in the air.
Sects, famine, kingdoms, plagues, confusion.
Sharuun is a coastal city in the south. Most likely it’s hot and dry. This land would be in the north – perhaps Icewall, referring to the previous quatrain; perhaps the Highhorn Mountains, which would also refer back, but place the second “rock” in elvish lands; perhaps the Northern Marches. Either way, this will be a terrible place to go camping.
At night they will think they have seen the sun,
when they see the half pig man:
Noise, screams, battles seen fought in the skies.
The brute beasts will be heard to speak.
I think this refers to the alliance between the Twin (half pig man, or half-orc) and the dragons. Battles fought in the skies might be on dragon-back. Seeing something bright at night could be dragon fire. The last line could be taken literally, or it might mean that the orcs (brute beasts) have something poignant to say.
A coffin is put into the vault of iron,
where seven children of the kings of night are held.
Sharuun, Caradul and ruler of Highwall will form.
lamenting to see thus dead the fruit of their line.
This points to the “Kasmaelian children” and the demon Lolth establishing a colony in the Kaladrun. Being called “children of the kings of night” makes it sound like the Night Kings are behind this.
Sharuun, Caradul, and Highwall are main cities in Southern Erenland, the Caraheen, and the Northlands, respectively. Are these capitals?
A ruler forms out of Highwall, perhaps signaling a rebirth of the Dorn empire.
From the Aruun will come that Sussan heart
trouble Slyvan and the heirs of the men of stone.
Hunting scrollbearers, with fleet of Pellurian
the temples of the Erethor and the holds of Kaladrun shall run or run red.
The Aruun jungle is where jungle elves originate. (Should that read Slyvan or Sylvan?) It seems this is where Sus (or some powerful Sarcosan sussar) comes from. So far we have been hunted by Sus, but not by a sussar.
It seems that if we venture onto the Sea of Pelluria we should expect to be attacked by a fleet of ships.
Erethor is the elven forest and the Kaladrun are the dwarven mountains. It sounds like, following the defeat of the WQ and then the dwarf-snow elf war, the last holds safe for these people are the temples, and these will also be lost.
The motion of senses, heart, feet and hands
will be in agreement between Caradul and Calador.
Swords fire, floods, the Pellurian shore drowned,
killed or dead because of a weak heart.
Caradul and Calador are elf and dwarf towns, respectively. In between lies Highwall, almost exactly in the middle, on the shores of Pelluria. Perhaps this new leader from Highwall will unite the people there, then fall after a bloody war.
The treacherous one, who is offered rule,
quickly raised from low to high estate.
He will suddenly turn disloyal and volatile.
This man will govern the horde white or night.
Highwall’s leader might have been killed by a traitor, or this refers back to Izrador’s treachery from quatrain 4. It seems that if it is the former, he takes leadership in Highwall (and of the assumed Dornish empire), then turns to Izrador’s side (to govern an army made up of good and bad, or to govern the Dorns and the Night Kings).
The rock of the world holds in its depths white
which will come out milk-white from a cleft
Needlessly troubled people will not dare touch it,
unaware that the foundation is of clay not steel.
Strange white stuff from the world’s center or the Kaladrun? It seems that it is perceived as a danger (“not dare touch it”) but it is rather easy to deal with. Or perhaps this is magic emanating from a volatile and fragile source that happens to be what holds up the mountains.
A thing existing without any senses
will cause its own end to happen through artifice.
At the underworld hearts of the Icewall
there will be great damage from hail and ice.
This thing “existing without senses” could be many things. An alliance, for example, is a thing that could end itself. For example, when the Sarcosans finally defeated the Dorns the war caused an end to the war by making (artifice) a new empire.
Maybe the white firmament that maintains the Kaladrun is breaking up.
Beneath the rock, struck in stone, lit in lightning,
the treasure of treasures is hidden not far.
The lost things discovered, hidden for many centuries.
when found, one struck blind, eye pierced by beast.
Obviously a nice little thing to have. Maybe the secret to defeating Izrador? Shevinu’d be interested in that! Being blind sucks though.
The great rock, dwarfholds and underdark,
after peace, war, famine, blood.
It will spread far, drowning great countries,
even antiquities and their mighty foundations.
Obviously at some point, peace is finally achieved for the dwarves and the “Kasmaelian children.” I’m almost worried that the punctuation is messing us up here. If it had read “after peace; war, famine, blood” then it would mean that the “It” that spreads and drowns is “war, famine, and blood.” But here it seems like the “It” that spreads and drowns is the dwarfholds and the underdark. Maybe this is a result of the tectonic upheaval mentioned before, opening up new caverns.
If it said, “The great rock: dwarfholds and underdark, after…” then I would assume that the “It” that spreads and drowns would be the rock itself, caving in, destroying the entire dwarf civilization. As it reads I’m not sure what to think.
