49 pages • 1-hour read
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of violence and murder.
The Fyren Hound
The Fyren Hound is a recurring symbol that contributes to the novel’s examination of The Blurred Line between Good and Evil. As a symbol of the Fyren Order, the hound is inscribed as a tācn on the left hands of those who walk the Dusken Paths. It acts as a uniting symbol for all of its members while also providing the unique channel to the members’ shadow-walking ability. To the public, the Fyren Hound is a symbol of potent fear. In addition to spreading the Fyrens’ reputation as assassins-for-hire, it acts as an omen of imminent death. For Osric, the symbol holds a savior-like quality, as his choice to become a Fyren enabled him to avenge his mother by killing his abusive father. The Fyren Order also saved him from abject poverty and allowed him to earn the funds to rebuild the Mordaunt family fortune. These undercurrents also explain Osric’s penchant for saving and adopting abandoned, mistreated hounds. Just as the Fyren Hound saved him, he in turn saves hounds from less-than-ideal circumstances. Additionally, the Fyren Hound becomes a symbol of tragic love because it reminds Osric and Aurienne of the long history of contempt between Haelans and Fyrens.
The Haelan Aer
The Haelan Aer (also used as a tācn for the Haelan Order) is a recurring symbol that supports the overarching theme of The Blurred Line between Good and Evil. The Haelan Aer is proof that its bearer walks the Bright Paths. It appears as a white mythological swan on Order members’ right hands, providing a channel for their seith to heal others. To the public, the Haelan Aer is a prestigious symbol that inspires both awe and gratitude, as Haelans actively seek to use their gifts to help their communities. For Aurienne, the aer is a symbol of her life’s calling and a reminder of the Order’s mandate to harm no one. The aer also celebrates her the journey she has undergone to acquire such high competence in her field.
For Osric and the other Fyrens, however, the aer represents a long-standing feud between their Orders. While Haelans believe Fyrens to be the scourge of the world, Fyrens believe Haelans to be self-absorbed researchers who have no conception of how society really functions. Much like the Fyren Hound, the Haelan Aer is also a symbol of tragic love, as it too represents the impossible barrier that stands between Aurienne and Osric.
The Lighthouse
The lighthouse appears only once as a symbol within the narrative. Although it does not directly support any of the overarching themes, it does add nuance to the shifting dynamics of Osric and Aurienne’s relationship. Because Osric and Aurienne experience their first moment of willing physical intimacy and emotional vulnerability in this place, the events at the lighthouse stand as a watershed occurrence that ignite the beginnings of a forbidden romance between the two. Because lighthouses are designed to guiding ships safely to shore, this particular lighthouse becomes the guiding light that brings Osric and Aurienne closer together and helps Aurienne to discover on the right path to Osric’s treatment.
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