That's another thing that's great about ED, Hespire: a reader can gain much ancillary or introductory knowledge.
I'd never heard of Sir John Maundeville prior to your quick background on him. He as a sort of earlier version of Von Munchausen, seems like...thanks for this!
To me, the story took the form of an extended, dry joke, using suitably creepy imagery to ramp up the suspense and anticipation.
You have a repeated structure, as in 7 Geases (which is about four too many, if you ask me), with each subsequent warning becoming more and more dire, with those steadfast Armenians, exercising much common sense, much more so than Sir John.
Now, Sir John is portrayed as a worthy knight, not pompous, nor filled with prideful arrogance: not a conqueror, but rather a seeker of knowledge such as can be gained thru exploration.
Nevertheless, after using some significant willpower to stay the course after having heard warnings from a talking jackal, and later a snake, he persists until his horse will go no further--which is too far, since almost immediately he is snagged by two enormous beings, somewhat reminiscent of the "escorts" in
The Dark Eidolon.
Then he's dragged before the talking cadaver worm, who is very stern, but merciful, apparently recognizing the potential for...ah..."rehabilitation" in Sir John, and instead of killing him outright, or eating him, the worm sentences him to a limited stay that will be for his own good...
Quote:The Worm
Yea, still alive, it shall be thine to descend and remain in the very midst of death and putrefaction, for such length of time as seemeth meet to correct thy folly and punish thy presumption."
BTW, does the worm seem to remind you of the white worm, in
The Coming of the White Worm?
Now CAS does a great thing in letting our imaginations fill in the blanks. Unlike HPL, who spelled out every possible detail of Whately's grotesque appearance in
The Dunwich Horror, as Dale and I were discussing earlier, CAS merely ***suggests*** what the entity was like that Sir John roomed with for a while..
Quote:Sir John was aware of a sullen clangor, and knew that the brazen door had been opened. And now, for the first time, by the dimness of twilight that had entered the tomb, he saw in all its piteousness and repulsion the thing with which he had abode so long. In the sickness that fell upon him at this sight, he was haled forth from the sepulcher by those who had thrust him therein;
So the punchline comes at the end, when mention is made of Sir John's collected travel tales--but with the visit to Antechar notably missing.
...and we know *why*... :^)
--Sawfish
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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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