The Courts of Chaos, chapter 5

Spoiler alert: This post is part of an in-depth discussion of The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny, which will inevitably reveal key plot points. You may well have a lot of reading ahead of you.

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To counter the threat of Brand and the Chaosians destroying Amber, Oberon attempted to repair the primal Pattern, marred by the spilled blood of Random's son Martin, giving the denizens of Chaos access to Amber via the black road running through all Shadow. Oberon's cryptic orders to Corwin were to ride through Shadow all the way from Amber to Chaos. While en route, Corwin received the Jewel of Judgment from a messenger bird, indicating that Oberon's work was finished, successfully or unsuccessfully. Then, he was met by Brand, who attempted to take the Jewel of Judgment from him: first by trying to trap him in a pocket of Shadow, then by claiming Oberon had failed and was now dead. Corwin did not give up the Jewel, fled from Brand, and took shelter in a cave.

He is awakened by another presence in the cave: a man who has come in to take shelter from a coming storm. They note that the storm is "no natural storm": notably, it advances slowly and in a straight line, distorting what lies in its path. Using the Jewel, Corwin orders the storm away. In the process, he notices that his horse, Star, is missing. Because of his control of the weather, the stranger seems to think he is the Archangel Corwin described in his "Holy Book."

Corwin leaves the cave to look for Star. He sees a group of small figures leading the horse underground. He breaks down the stone door and follows them into their underground hall, where he discovers a crowd of green-clad dwarves having a party: ale, musicians, dancing, and all. He threatens them and demands the return of Star; not wanting trouble, they relent. Instead, their leader invites Corwin to have a drink with him. One drink leads to another, until it dawns on Corwin that the dwarves, now less merry, are advancing on him. He flees, using the Jewel of Judgment to paralyze his would-be abductors.

As he departs, their leader emerges and asks where he is bound. "To the ends of the Earth," he replies, echoing the scriptures he had been quoted in the cave. "Fare thee well, Corwin!" is the reply.

The "Holy Book" the cave stranger cited says this about the Archangel Corwin:

The Archangel Corwin shall pass before the storm, lightning upon his breast. When asked where he travels, he shall say, "To the ends of the Earth," where he goes not knowing what enemy will aid him against another enemy nor whom the Horn will touch.

Corwin is preceding the storm that is presumably an effect of Oberon's reworking of the Pattern. The "lightning upon his breast" is obviously the Jewel of Judgment. He is going to Chaos, which could properly be called "the ends of the Earth"—indeed, he's basically riding from one end of reality to the other—and it's certainly true that he doesn't really know what help he will have when he gets there. As Corwin himself notes, the "Horn" is still a mystery yet to be revealed (later in the novel, I presume).

When Corwin cites this passage back at the dwarf leader, the latter calls him by name. Does he, too, recognize this scripture, or does he recognize Corwin for who he is? Does this holy writ pertain to Corwin himself, a Shadow facsimile of Corwin, a legendary figure, or something else entirely? It's probably Corwin himself. That's the problem with prophecies in fantasy literature: the author tailors them to suit the plot.

During his drinking bout with the dwarves, Corwin notes:

I knew the stories from another place, far, so far from here … To awaken in the morning, naked, in some field, all traces of this spot vanished … I knew, yet…

Zelazny is probably referencing Washington Irving's 1819 short story "Rip van Winkle," in which an affable but idle farmer, on a walk in the mountains, comes across a group of little people who invite him to drink with them. He does, and falls into a stupor for 20 years. When he awakens, he discovers that his wife has died, his children are grown, and he missed the American Revolution. Irving, in turn, credited the German folk story of Peter Klaus as his inspiration, and the story of man who takes a very, very long nap and finds himself in a dramatically changed world is both ancient and told the world over.

This was a weird chapter. The episode with the dwarves feels random, like Zelazny wanted to slip a funny Easter egg into the novel. As with the previous chapter, it feels like filler. I'd like to think that such a significant and humorous episode has a logical connection with the conclusion of the story. I suppose we'll find out.