Song of Pelinal II

An Examination of 'The Song of Pelinal, Volume 2'

Boy those two just keep at it don't they?

In the first Volume we are treated to a summary of who Pelinal was as a person and symbol. From Volume 2 onward we start learning about him as a historical figure, and tracing his timeline.

The song of Pelinal volume 2, in its entirety: 

"[And then] Perrif spoke to the Handmaiden again, eyes to the Heavens which had not known kindness since the beginning of elven rule, and she spoke as a mortal, whose kindle is beloved by the Gods for its strength-in-weakness, a humility that can burn with metaphor and yet break [easily and] always, always doomed to end in death (and this is why those who let their souls burn anyway are beloved of the Dragon and His Kin), and she said: "And this thing I have thought of, I have named it, and I call it freedom. Which I think is just another word for Shezarr Who Goes Missing... [You] made the first rain at his sundering [and that] is what I ask now for our alien masters... [that] we might sunder them fully and repay their cruelty [by] dispersing them to drown in the Topal. Morihaus, your son, mighty and snorting, gore-horned, winged, when next he flies down, let him bring us anger." ... [And then] Kyne granted Perrif another symbol, a diamond soaked red with the blood of elves, [whose] facets could [un-sector and form] into a man whose every angle could cut her jailers and a name: PELIN-EL [which is] "The Star-Made Knight" [and he] was arrayed in armor [from the future time]. And he walked into the jungles of Cyrod already killing, Morihaus stamping at his side froth-bloody and bellowing from excitement because the Pelinal was come... [and Pelinal] came to Perrif's camp of rebels holding a sword and mace, both encrusted with the smashed viscera of elven faces, feathers and magic beads, which were the markings of the Ayleidoon, stuck to the redness that hung from his weapons, and he lifted them, saying: "These were their eastern chieftains, no longer full of their talking."

In this volume we see the first appearance of Pelinal, as (maybe?) ushered in by the prayers of Alessia.

Alessia

"[And then] Perrif spoke to the Handmaiden again, eyes to the Heavens which had not known kindness since the beginning of elven rule," 

Perrif, as previously discussed, is another name for Alessia, most likely her original name. The Handmaiden referred to here is most likely Mara, who in Nordic religion is traditionally considered to be the handmaiden to Kyne*. With "which had not known kindness since the beginning of elven rule," we are introduced to the concept that the men of Cyrodiil are a subject race, ruled over by the Ayleids, and that this is not a happy situation for the humans.

"and she spoke as a mortal, whose kindle is beloved by the Gods for its strength-in-weakness, a humility that can burn with metaphor and yet break [easily and] always, always doomed to end in death (and this is why those who let their souls burn anyway are beloved of the Dragon and His Kin)"

A depiction of Pelinal Whitestrake

This is telling us that the dragon god (who is/represents time) has a fondness for mortals, who are naturally doomed to perish, but who choose to chew up their time anyway in grand pursuits. Grand pursuits such as, for example, overthrowing an empire and winning freedom for your people. 

" and she said: "And this thing I have thought of, I have named it, and I call it freedom. Which I think is just another word for Shezarr Who Goes Missing..."

Alessia conflates the concept of freedom with Lorkhan (here referred to as Shezarr). She is not wrong in this assertion, as Lorkhan is the architect of Nirn, which is the only part of existence where an entity can truly experience self-determination, freedom. "Shezarr Who Goes Missing" refers to the Cyrodilic concept of Lorkhan, a god who has, well, gone missing. This can only refer to what must have been the apparent absence of Lorkhan after having had his heart torn out and his body sundered. 

"[You] made the first rain at his sundering [and that] is what I ask now for our alien masters... [that] we might sunder them fully and repay their cruelty [by] dispersing them to drown in the Topal."

The sundering refers to the Sundering of Lorkhan, but the first rain is open to interpretation. Here it would seem Perrif is talking to Kyne, which would infer she is talking through Mara** to Kyne, or perhaps asking Mara to intercede with Kyne. Assuming this, Perrif may be referring to an act by Kyne who is associated with nature, relating to the punishment of Lorkhan. Perhaps Kyne manifested to weep for him, perhaps the first rain is quite literal, and the first ever rain on Tamriel occurred after Lorkhan had his Heart plucked out. Or perhaps it is both at the same time, Kyne who is nature weeping for Lorkhan by raining. If so, are further instances of rain a reflection of this? Perhaps Kyne remembers and weeps yet for her lost brother. 

The talk of sundering and casting into the Topal (This is a bay to the south of Cyrodiil) draws a direct line between the revenge she wishes to reap on the followers of Auri-El***, and the acts undertaken by that god, who slew Lorkhan and cast his heart far away into the sea. (Where it formed Red Mountain and the isle of Vvardenfell). 

Alessia and Morihaus

"Morihaus, your son, mighty and snorting, gore-horned, winged, when next he flies down, let him bring us anger.

Morihaus absolutely deserves an entire post to himself, maybe two. For now, think of him as firstly, Alessia's consort, and secondly a demigod Minotaur.

"[And then] Kyne granted Perrif another symbol, a diamond soaked red with the blood of elves, [whose] facets could [un-sector and form] into a man whose every angle could cut her jailers and a name: PELIN-EL [which is] "The Star-Made Knight" [and he] was arrayed in armor [from the future time]."

A Diamond soaked red with blood is something we've definitely seen elsewhere... It might just be that this red diamond Perrif was given is the very same that forms the heart of the Chim-el Adabal. Certainly the connections between Lorkhan and Pelinal are constant and unmistakably intentional. "[whose] facets could [un-sector and form] into a man whose every angle could cut her jailers" Suggests that Pelinal's first appearance was as a gem which subsequently transformed into the walking death-of-elves we know and love. This also supports the artificial human theory, and time and time again we'll see allusions to this throughout the song. "and a name: PELIN-EL [which is] "The Star-Made Knight"" Pelin-El is specifically an elvish name. If we take 'El' to mean 'star' or 'star-made' this might lend us some insight into another elvish name, 'Auri-El' who is associated with the sun. It is of note that the stars in Mundus are holes in the firmament through which Aetherius shines and brings magic into the world. So the term "Star-Made" could mean something created from magic. Finally; " [and he] was arrayed in armor [from the future time]." pretty much unambiguously says "This guy is from the future in some way shape or form". 

"And he walked into the jungles of Cyrod already killing, Morihaus stamping at his side froth-bloody and bellowing from excitement because the Pelinal was come... [and Pelinal] came to Perrif's camp of rebels holding a sword and mace, both encrusted with the smashed viscera of elven faces, feathers and magic beads, which were the markings of the Ayleidoon, stuck to the redness that hung from his weapons, and he lifted them, saying: "These were their eastern chieftains, no longer full of their talking."

And just like that, Pelinal is ready to go. Indeed, without so much as a word Pelinal seems to know what his task is and sets-to with a will. We can only assume this rapid springing into action is either an inherent drive to kill mer and aid men, or the result of fore-knowledge of his task. Again, perhaps both at the same time.  "Morihaus stamping at his side froth-bloody and bellowing from excitement because the Pelinal was come..." Morihaus and Pelinal are showed to have an easy familiarity throughout the tales of their adventures, and the reaction of Morihaus would imply that right from the get go he knows who Pelinal is and what he is about. Finally, Pelinal makes his first introduction to the fledgling rebels in considerable style, stepping straight from obscurity into legend.

Pelinal maintains a level head

Whew, that about does it for Volume two! As you can see there is a lot to draw from this series of texts, they really do serve as the best guide to Pelinal we have.

Footnotes:

* More commonly referred to these days as Kynareth.

** In a not dissimilar way that in certain Christian traditions a petitioner might pray to Mary the mother of Jesus as opposed to directly to the god, asking her to intercede on your behalf. 

*** In this age, mer worship of Auri-El was commonplace. 

Reckon there's something I've missed? Like clarification on something? Let me know in the comments below and stay tuned for part three!