It’s in the cards

“Mod R, you can only tell me, I promise I won’t post about it but I neeeeeeeeeeeed to know what the spider-millipede-scorpion things in the tower are for in the Purpose snippet.”

Reply to newsletter post about the St Marcos tornado:

“Who is Elara? Who who? Or WHAT?!”

Weekly posts in the Facebook fan group I get tagged in:

“Anybody else been obsessively wondering who Marten’s Dad is?” “Is Red Marten’s dad?” “Will Marten have a dad reveal?”

Beloved spoiler-seeking Horde, I’m afraid I do not know!

I wouldn’t tell you if I did, of course, my name doesn’t start in G or end in Ordon, but I am in the same boat as you.

Since certain among us seem to be two buttered crumpets away from Horde anarchy, and we can let our speculation flag fly free because House Andrews are on holiday, I thought we could think outside the box today and ask the tarot!

Disclaimer: These are obviously just for fun, none of the information corelates with canonical answers. Until it’s not in a book, it’s not set in stone. Despite my deep love for Cherny, the gods of Nav are not guiding my hand.

Who/What is Elara?

How did the merger between Elara and the “Entity” come to pass?

The Hierophant speaks of ritual and tradition, spirituality but sometimes placed in the service of formality and conventions: for example, arranged marriages. The reversed Nine of Pentacles is the card of rapid or ill-gotten gains. Elara wasn’t instrumental in her communion and the reasons for it did not start off with good intentions.

The identity of the possessor (money shot!):

The Knight of Swords represents a power that cannot be contained, pure unlimited potential. It deals with facing challenges head-on, charging in like the Knight.

The High Priestess- the unconscious mind, otherworldly power. She embodies the mysterious and esoteric aspects of high power, tapping into the subconscious and the unseen forces that influence reality.

Finally, the Seven of Cups can mean choices and new opportunities, but in our context we’ll focus more on the meaning of chaos it brings. The seven cups facing us each contain different, often fantastical items, symbolizing the confusing array of illusions and overwhelmed mental state. Peep the snake and dragon in there!

The outcome of the merge:

The Chariot reversed: challenges and obstacles. You don’t say. We don’t need to be told that one.

There we go: unwilling possession, headed for challenges, by an otherworldly unseen power, maybe to do with chaos, maybe with illusion.

What do you think? Is it a god of chaos, like Tiamat? Or maybe a multidimensional monster like the Star-Spawn Cthulhi? A demigod, like Melinoë, who rules over nightmares and madness?

Who is Marten’s father?

The small street urchin Julie rescues, who eschews all surveillance and leaves with Namtur to be his apprentice by the end of the book. Her real name is Deira, and she tells Julie that her mom died in childbirth and her dad is a nice man who tells her stories and shows her magic tricks, but he can’t be with her now.

Somehow, this all solidified in the main fan theory being that her father is Red, the shaman ex-boyfriend of Julie, who was taken by Morrigan to be her next Hound in the Mists. I can see the “can’t be with her now”, but where are we getting the “nice man” and the “telling stories” from? Either way, Ilona confirmed it is absolutely not Red, who will not make another appearance in the series. Nor, before you ask, anyone related to Red, such as random cousins.

Let’s see what the cards say:

Well, well, well. The thot plickens.

The father’s personality:

The Moon. Uncertainty and illusion, when nothing is what it seems, and the need to see beyond appearances. Hmmm. It also depicts a dog and a wolf, the tamed and wild aspects of our mind.

The father’s traits:

Death. A time of significant transformation, change, and transition.

I can see a theme. It could definitely be a shifter – or, hear me out, a polymorph, even if it’s not THAT particular polymorph, you know who I pervert mean. Or…not what it looks like, hound and wolf duality, death…

Has anyone seen Grendel lately?!

What are the Hrrrts for in Purpose?

They definitely *would* hurt, but what are they for and why have they been sealed in a tower by the Pale Queen for so long?

Who wields them?

The Queen of Swords. Seeing what we’re divining for, we don’t need to go for the traditional interpretation. That’s definitely Kate. Ok, so she’s likely to make the Hrrrts her own somehow.

What is their function?

The Seven of Wands is a card that speaks of protection, defensiveness, determination, maintaining control (including territorially).

UNLEASH THE HRRRTS! You know, it does have a certain ring to it. Keep your Hrrrts close and your snacks closer! You better Hrrrt before you flirt! I could do this all day.

Advice on using them?

The Two of Swords can signify meditation, but it also has a more literal meaning of someone who cannot see clearly what the battle or challenge ahead is. Like, say, a threat that our Queen of Swords might not be aware of yet? Interestiiiiing.

Potential impact of the Hrrrts?

Ten of Swords, potential painful endings, deep wounds, betrayal, loss, crisis and finality. Let’s hope they manage to shift that outcome, with their fluffy, nurturing, protective erm…spikes?

Will Julie and Derek get together in the Blood Heir sequel?

And finally, a question which has been with us for the longest time. Tricky, but the fates will answer. I will pull from my most special deck for this one.

I believe that’s clear enough.