Seven and Seven is
8 ~ Seven and Seven is…
Apocalypse in 7/8
Have you ever noticed that the 7 things lines appear on NotW p. 77?
Seven things has Lady Lockless
Keeps them underneath her block dress
One a ring that’s not for wearing
One a sharp word not for swearing
Right beside her husband’s candle
There’s a door without a handle
In a box, no lid or locks
Lockless keeps her husband’s rocks
There’s a secret she’s been keeping
She’s been dreaming and not sleeping
On a road that’s not for traveling
Lockless likes her riddle raveling
The Lockless box
The first thing to point out is that whoever wrote this song clearly purports to know the contents of the box. For that to be true then the author must have been present when this box was last seen open which I'm pretty sure will also be the same date on when if was first closed. With this box being described as the root of the family name that makes this an equally ancient song and it must then be written about the original founding members of that house meaning this is truly a song about the Lady Perial.
The Ring Cycle.
If you have come fresh from my Lady Perial and her rings of gold theory to get here you will start to see how fiendish this riddle unravelling game can be. This next approach to translating the two Lockless songs into one set of answers is more algebraic than prosaic and involves reducing each line down to its most salient word and ignoring the prose for now as it is easier to work with smaller pieces at this level.
In the Lady's song Seven different things are apparently being described, and the first two items that Perial currently has about her person are a Ring (for which I shall assign letter O) and a Word. (W)
Then things start to get a bit funny. The Lords song lists all seven things more clearly in 1,2,3 order while the Lady version does not, it only really defines the first two of them as being hers before the next items are shared out equally between the husband and the wife. The riddle continues by naming a few of her husband’s one-time posessions. We have his candle (C) which stands outside their door (D) Being the Husband of the Lady Lockless would mean that half of this single door should be regarded as being in his possesion too.
Perial might physically have possession the Box (B) but without the means of opening it, she cannot in full hosnesty claim full ownership of the contents…his Rocks (R), The seventh and final thing that the lady keeps is a Secret (S) and this final item appears to be hers alone.
Using Algebraic lettering like this gives us the simple identifiers O,W,C,D,B,R,S.
Factoring in Lord Lockless as being an equal partner in their union implies that if 7 things has the Lady then 7 things also has (or had) the Lord… presuming all ownership to be oddly dual… just like the chancellors socks !
This line of thinking would obviously only work whilst they were still married and still alive and when they both died the stewardship of this door and box, and their encumbent rocks and attendant candle, would naturally be passed down through the family tree as dual heirlooms to be held tight in keeping by the eldest remaining member of the next generation.
Now, if you have B in your hands then you would by default also have possession of R. You cannot really have one without the other and similarly if you are standing in the presence of D then you must at the same time be also in the presence of C! or in plainer English, the rhyme dictates that you cannot own the box without also owning the rocks, or be by the door without also being by the candle meaning that these 4 items are actually 2 pairs of 2, his n hers.
This leaves us with the W and S which do actually fit nicely enough together as Secret Words are the key to revealing secrets of the mouth, a thing much spoken of by Teccam in his Theophony.
‘There are two types of secrets, Secrets of the mouth and Secrets of the heart.’
Words are necessary devices for the revealing of Secrets of the mouth. The other kind of secret he explains is a secret of the heart and whilst we do not know quite what that means yet, this line of reasoning does provide another nice double link between the last two bits of our mad algebra putting a third pair in our triangular diagram. It would also be expected that half of each pairing would correctly be positioned under her husbands triad of possessions to make all three brackets neat and tidy Since the Lady has claimed posession of the S, his contribution must be the W by default.
This has now become a ring problem with the three superimposed triangle corners being placed within a circle of gold giving us
(∆∆)¹ = C/D, B/R and W/S as a more visual image of the Ladys song.
The Ring Cycle. part II
As I pointed out earlier, Lord Lockless would himself have been considered the joint custodian of both the Lockless door and Loeclos box. However the candle and rocks were definitely once his own personal belongings and are only in his wife’s current safe keeping during his absence. There really ought to be a rhyme somewhere that lists the seven things that Lord Lackless owned too and that would double up our equation to fourteen things in total.
Seven things stand before the entrance to (Lord)Lockless’ door.
One of them a ring(O) unworn
Two a word(W) that is forsworn
Three a time(T) that must be right
Four a candle(C) without light
Five a son(S) who brings the blood
Six a door(D) that holds the flood
Seven a thing (T²) held tight in keeping ((R)ocks)
Then comes that (the answer) which comes with sleeping. (God child)
O,W,T,C,S,D,T²
Trying to compare the two riddles as one for alternate lines for his Lordship and her Ladyship is the correct way forward.
His wooden ring then should encompass the other six letters, hopefully in three more pairs
The Door and Candle should the same pairing as the ladies version and so Placing D/C in the first slot is a good start.
the 'thing held tight in keeping' is most likely going to match the contents of the Ladies Box which makes T² = R. However song 2 does not mention any box which is a bit of a stumbling block and leaves us with W, T ,and S to choose from instead.
However, there is only one box, just like there is only one door and if she is holding the box that Locks, then perhaps he is holding the key which opens it. Taking into consideration my reasoning that only the name of wood can open the box of wood suggests the Word on his list should pair best with the Rocks giving a tentative R/W as the second pair which leaves the Time and the Son T/S as his final binding.
His (∆∆)² = C/D R/W T/S
Hers (∆∆)¹ = C/D, B/R W/S
His n Hers conclusion.
If the box is the lock and the word is the key each partner should hold one part each
And If she has his rocks he should have in his posessin her female equivalent (her rocks fecundity)
If she has a secret, his word should be the answer, he should have her word promise, vows
The door is singular but a door also has two sides.
On her side of the door stands his ever burning candle (lit)
On his side of the door is the place for her candle (the one without light)
she has her own secret and so he should have his own secret, but instead his S is a son.
If his son is a secret, nobody suspects it is his, likewise he'd secret will involve everyone assuming (Incorrectly) that this son Is his. And that's a lie that at an unknown time to come in the future . son is his secret prophecy
Her Box is a combination of word and wood
His key is a combo of wood and word
Her secret is sexual independence from needing a man mother
His secret is that he got her pregnant in the barbarian way independent son.
Her golden ring contains CD BR SW
His wood ring contains CD RW ST
His Candle by the only Door v her (unlit) Candle his (other side of) the only Door
Her Box enclosed his Rocks v her (version of) Rocks opens with her Word
Remembering that the original way into this mess was by closely examining a Vintish copper penny, I will hazard a guess that our puzzle is a lot like looking at a newly broken penny where each part is now a single and seperate thing. It would appear that for some unknown reason the happy couple are no longer together, their marriage has been reft apart like everything else in this part of the world has been, and while if is her duty to remain by the door, he has gone into exile. This separation might also seem to be a tragic event in her Ladyship’s eyes in that it was enough to make her afterwards be noted as wearing a black dress and black is the traditional colour of mourning.
note: this shouldn’t be confused with the name of the last day of the week, or that Mourning’s colour would likely be Tehlin grey! although i’m sure that the sentiment is the same. Or even mentioning that ‘blak’ meant ‘battle’ in the old tongue of Ergen…
All the indications and hints I am picking up from the various other songs we hear of in the world are that a mutually happy split doesn’t exist. The Lay of Sir Savien is a tragedy of love lost and this seperation is comparable in that it has also left our lady all alone. There is further musical indications of lonliness due to separation like the lady in the lyrics to Violet Bide perhaps, who waits for her lover to come back from the sea, or maybe like the woman called 'In the Village Smithy' who’s husband has gone off to war. I would guess that if music is anything to go by, the Lockless seperation was almost certainly deemed to be a necessary one and that it has been imposed upon the lovers not by cruel fate, but by design. Since our Lady is also known to be the mother of God among her other titles, (pure of heart and above any reproach, saviour of the world, mother of dragons etc. etc.) and considering that her ex-husbands love tokens are all she has left to remember him by, and are the whole families most treasured possessions, then it really ought to be the case that nobody could ever have the authority to be able to tell her who she must or mustn’t be with, not the Emperor who couldn’t tell her to cross the road,, nor the King of Modeg who was more wicked than she, not even the Pontifex could make that decree, since she is the Queen of the world and outranks him. No, Only a higher authority than man could have been responsible, namely Aleph, the father of her first born son. Only He would dare have the right to demand any such a thing of her and her choice of husband. No mere mortal man could hope to dictate their will to be above that of God’s own mother which suggests that their parting must have been an essential part of God’s own plan, the sort of thing that was held to be a necessary sacrifice… possibly because it was for the greater good…
No demon babies
The bottom line is that the husband is clearly no longer on the scene and only his ex-wife knows the importance of his last remaining possessions, and she isn’t telling anyone what that is because it’s a secret of the heart, and the unhappy couple are both holding onto the answers very tightly.
Her Secret is sealed by his Word v her (necessary) Time reveals (another) baby boy.
Translation. Tldr
The two rings represent separate sides of the door. Hers is the East, his is the West. Atur is the hub. Ball and cup
The candles are the keys to the door. Sympathy Locked by order of God. * Complicated
If she wants another baby, she just needs to go ask God in a dream for one and she can have as many daughters as she likes. But all boys are bastards who should stay on their own side of the fold in the page..
Toilet humour.
Sir savian sntl
Seven and Seven is…
Apocalypse in 7/8
Have you ever noticed that the following lines appear on NotW p. 77?
Seven things has Lady Lockless
Keeps them underneath her block dress
One a ring that’s not for wearing
One a sharp word not for swearing
Right beside her husband’s candle
There’s a door without a handle
In a box, no lid or locks
Lockless keeps her husband’s rocks
There’s a secret she’s been keeping
She’s been dreaming and not sleeping
On a road that’s not for traveling
Lockless likes her riddle raveling
I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have all the answers. This is one of those that is a work in progress.
Rings are a tradition in Vint stemming back to the dawn of time, ie Tehlu Day. They also feature in both of the Lockless riddle rhymes,
The Lockless box
The first thing to point out is that whoever wrote this song clearly purports to know the contents of the box. For that to be true then the author must have been present when this box was last opened which I'm pretty sure will also be the same date as when if was first closed. With this box being described as the root of the family name that makes this an equally ancient song and it must then be written about the original founding members of that house meaning this is actually a song about Lady Perial
The second thing we are told is that Perial had a husband who would therefore be Lord Lockless.
The goal of this piece is to put a name to him
The tRIaNGle Cycle.
If you have come from my Lady Perial and her rings of gold theory to get here you will start to see how fiendish this riddle unravelling game can be. My approach to translating the two Lockless songs is more algebraic than prosaic and involves reducing each line down to its most salient word and ignoring the prose for now, as it is easier to work with smaller pieces at this level. And one line at a time…for now.
The first Lockless rhyme was sung by a girl and is therefore called the girls song. Seven different things are being described, and the first two items that Perial Lockless currently has about her person are a Ring (for which I shall assign letter O) and a Word. (W)
Then things start to get a bit funny. The second Lockless rhyme (recited by a boy) lists all seven things more clearly in 1,2,3 order while the girl version does not, it only really defines the first two of them as hers before the next items are shared out equally between the husband and the wife. The riddle continues by naming her Husband’s one-time posessions. We have his candle (C) which stands outside the door (D) which is plainly going to be the door that Caudicus mentions as an heirloom that lies on the oldest parts of the family estates and is at least as ancient as the box is. Being the Husband of the Lady Lockless would mean that this door should be regarded as being his door, too.
Lady L might physically have possession the Box (B) but without the means of opening it, she cannot in full hosnesty claim full ownership of the contents…his Rocks (R), The seventh and final thing that the lady keeps is a Secret (S) and this final item appears to be just hers alone.
Using Algebraic lettering like this gives us the simple identifiers O,W,C,D,B,R,S.
Factoring in Lord Lockless as being an equal partner in their union implies that if 7 things has the Lady then 7 things also has (or had) the Lord… presuming all ownership to be oddly dual… just like the chancellors socks !
They might have one each or share
This line of thinking would obviously only work whilst they were still married and/or alive and when they both died the stewardship of this door and box, and their encumbent rocks and attendant candle, would naturally be passed down through the family tree as dual heirlooms to be held in keeping by the eldest remaining member of the next generation.
Now, if you have B in your hands then you would by default also have possession of R. You cannot really have one without the other and similarly if you are standing in the presence of D then you must at the same time be also in the presence of C! or in plainer English, the rhyme dictates that you cannot own the box without also owning the rocks, or be by the door without also being by the candle meaning that these 4 items are actually 2 pairs of 2, his n hers.
This leaves us with the W and S which do actually fit nicely enough together as Secret Words are the key to revealing secrets of the mouth, a thing much spoken of by Teccam in his Theophony.
‘There are two types of secrets, Secrets of the mouth and Secrets of the heart.’
Words are necessary devices for the revealing of Secrets of the mouth. The other kind of secret he explains is a secret of the heart and whilst we do not know quite what that means yet, this line of reasoning does provide another nice double link between the last bits of our mad algebra the third pair in our triangular diagram. It would also be expected that half of each pair would correctly be positioned under her husbands triad of possessions to make all three brackets neat and tidy Since the Lady has claimed posession of the S, his contribution must be the W by default.
This has now become a ring problem with the three superimposed triangle corners being C/D, B/R and W/S which should also follow the pattern dictated that one triad is specifically associated with the Lord and the other is designated for his Lady. Cross of David.
The remaining O I have already identified as being the Golden ring around the eye and they are unique to Lady Perial Lackless (and her heirs) but this ring is singularly spoken of which doesn’t quite fit with a pair of eyes or the dual pattern emerging since her husband would not share her ocular appearance as he lacks the requisite link since he is in no way regarded as being God’s father. He does have eyes of his own although we have no idea as to their colour.
And so it appears this dual path is becoming a dead end as the happy couple cannot share this same golden eye ring. So we can either give up … or assume that there must be a second riddle ring to discover. OO
The Ring Cycle. part II
As I pointed out earlier, Lord L would himself have been the joint custodian of both the Lockless door and Loeclos box. however the candle and rocks were definitely once his own personal belongings and are only in his wife’s current safe keeping since his absence. There ought to be a rhyme somewhere that lists the seven things that Lord Lackless owned too, really, and that would double up to fourteen things in total.
Seven things stand before the entrance to (Lord)Lockless’ door.
One of them a ring(O) unworn
Two a word(W) that is forsworn
Three a time(T) that must be right
Four a candle(C) without light
Five a son(S) who brings the blood
Six a door(D) that holds the flood
Seven a thing(T2) held tight in keeping (rocks)
Then comes that (the answer) which comes with sleeping. (God child)
O,W,T,C,S,D,T²
Trying to compare the two riddles as one for alternate lines for his Lordship and her Ladyship is the way forward. Remembering that the original way into this mess was by closely examining a Vintish copper penny, I will hazard a guess that our puzzle is a lotlike looking at a newly broken penny where each part is now a single and seperate thing. It would appear that for some unknown reason the happy couple are no longer together, their marriage has been reft apart like everything else in this part of the world has been, and while if is for her to remain by the door, he has gone into exile. This separation would also seem to be a tragic event in her Ladyship’s eyes in that it was enough to make her afterwards become famously noted as wearing a black dress and black is readily acknowledged as being the colour of mourning.
note: this shouldn’t be confused with the name of the last day of the week, or that Mourning’s colour would likely be Tehlin grey! although i’m sure that the sentiment is the same. Or even mentioning that ‘blak’ meant ‘battle’ in the old tongue of Ergen…
All the indications and hints I am getting from the various songs we hear of in the world are that a mutually happy separation doesn’t exist. The Lay of Sir Savien is a tragedy of love lost and this seperation is comparable in that it has also left our lady all alone. There is further musical indications of lonliness due to separation like the lady in the lyrics to Violet Bide perhaps, who waits for her lover to come back from the sea, or maybe like the one from In the Village Smithy! who’s husband has gone off to war. I would guess that if music is anything to go by, the Loeclos seperation was almost certainly deemed to be a necessary one and that it has been imposed upon the lovers not by cruel fate, but by design. Since our Lady is also known to be the mother of God among her other titles, (pure of heart and above any reproach, saviour of the world, mother of dragons etc. etc.) and considering that her ex-husbands love tokens are all she has left to remember him by, and are the whole families most treasured possessions, then it really ought to be the case that nobody could ever have the authority to be able to tell her who she must or mustn’t be with, not the Emperor who couldn’t tell her to cross the road,, nor the King of Modeg who was more wicked than she, not even the Pontifex could make that decree, since she is the Queen of the world and outranks him. No, Only a higher authority than man could have been responsible, namely Aleph, the father of her first born son. Only He would dare have the right to demand any such a thing of her and her choice of husband. No mere mortal man could hope to dictate their will to be above that of God’s own mother which suggests that their parting must have been an essential part of God’s own plan, the sort of thing that was held to be a necessary sacrifice… possibly because it was for the greater good…
The alternative is that she threw him out for diddling the chambermaid or something like that.
The bottom line is that the husband is clearly no longer on the scene and only his ex-wife knows the importance of his last remaining possessions, and she isn’t telling anyone what that is because it’s a secret of the heart, and the unhappy couple are both holding onto the answers very tightly.
His n Hers conclusion.
Her golden ring contains CD BR SW
His wood ring contains CD RW ST
His Candle by the only Door v her (unlit) Candle his (other side of) the only Door
Her Box enclosed his Rocks v her (version of) Rocks opens with her Word
Her Secret is sealed by his Word v her (necessary) Time reveals (another) baby boy.
Translation. Tldr
The two rings represent separate sides of the door. Hers is the East, his is the West. Atur is the hub. Ball and cup
The candles are the keys to the door. Sympathy Locked by order of God. * Complicated
If she wants another baby, she just needs to go ask God in a dream for one and she can have as many daughters as she likes. But all boys are bastards who should stay on their own side of the fold in the page.