Egyptian god of the sun.

One of Richard of Gloucester's captains.

First (lowest) rank of the Mithraic mystery cult. (Latin: Corax)

A French spy and wizard. Reynard spies on Milan and Duke Sforza for Lorenzo de' Medici, but retains his affiliation with Louis XI of France.

Welsh goddess, associated with horses. In TDW Wales, she is also associated with healing.

"Coeur-de-Lion," or "the Lionhearted."

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

Lost the throne to Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV. Richard died in prison the following year.

Richard's badge was a white hart.

• Richard II (via brittania.com)
• Richard II (via www.royal.gov.uk)
• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)
• Shakespeare's Richard II (via shakespeare.mit.edu)

Son of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Brother of George, Duke of Clarence and of Edward IV of England. (Before becoming King, Richard was the Duke of Gloucester.) Married to Anne Neville; father of Edward of Middleham.

All of TDW is wrapped around Richard's story, although it is not the story of the book. Richard took the throne when his brother Edward IV died, displacing the boy Edward V, who then disappeared. Shakespeare portrayed Richard as an absolute villain in these events; Ford makes him admirable, though not flawless.

Richard's badge was a white boar.

• Richard III (via brittania.com)
• Richard III (via www.royal.gov.uk)
• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)
• Shakespeare's Richard III (via shakespeare.mit.edu)
• Appearances in TDW (graph)

Called "The Kingmaker." Father of Isabel and Anne Neville.

Warwick fought alongside the Yorkists to overthrow Henry VI and make Edward IV king. He had tremendous influence in Edward's court for several years. However, he later quarrelled with Edward (over Edward's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, among other things -- see p148).

In 1470, Warwick (and George Duke of Clarence) supported Henry's reacquisition of the throne. Henry's second reign lasted only a year; George went back to Edward's side, and Warwick died at the Battle of Barnet.

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

(Or "of Shrewsbury.") Son of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. Brother of Edward, Prince of Wales. The Duke of York. Briefly the Duke of Norfolk (see p185).

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

Father of Edward IV of England, George Plantagenet the Duke of Clarence, and Richard Plantagenet (who becomes Richard III of England). Husband of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York.

Richard began fighting Henry VI for political power around 1450, although he did not reach for the throne right away. Henry VI's mental breakdown in 1453 allowed Richard to become Protector of the Realm. The next several years alternated between compromise and conflict, as the War of the Roses got into full swing.

Richard was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460 (see p183-184). According to tradition, the victorious Margaret of Anjou hung his head on the walls of York, adorned with a paper crown. However, Richard's son Edward IV pushed Henry off the throne shortly thereafter.

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

"Rienzi wand" is a reference to Cola di Rienzo, an Italian popular leader in the 1300s. In the story of his life written by Edward Bulwer Lytton (yes, that one), Rienzo sends a messenger who carries a silver wand as a sign of safe passage.

• Rienzi, by Edward Bulwer Lytton, via gutenberg

Roman god of agriculture.

(Most of this took place after the period in which TDW is set.)

A theme.

Espionage is frequently tied to theater in TDW. They have common elements (deception, impersonation, creation of a plausible story) and common skills (makeup and disguise). The direction of actors on a stage is also explicitly compared to the manipulation of human assets by a director of intelligence. (See p23.)

Spies and agents, and people who act as such, in TDW:

• Antonio della Robbia
• Claudio Falcone
• Colin
• Dominic Mancini
• Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
• John Argentine
• John Morton
• Lucian
• Ptolemy
• Reynard
• ...and all of the protagonists, at various times.

Spies get rather a harsh portrayal in the book. Nearly every character who spies as a vocation, does so on behalf of the Empire, which is a fundamentally inhumane and inexcusable end in TDW. The only exceptions are Falcone, Reynard, and perhaps Colin. Of those, both Reynard and Colin leave the stage on a litter of betrayals; both wind up placing their own goals over their putative employers.

If you want spies who stay sincerely on the side of the good guys (that being, for the sake of argument, the anti-Byzantine side), you are left with Falcone -- and the protagonists. Falcone is a pawn of the narrative, killed within hours of his appearance. And what keeps the protagonists (relatively) clean?

That they spy reluctantly, is the easiest answer. Gregory says at one point that he would never lie to save himself (p272); Dimi swears something similar (p297) after the Albany debacle. Cynthia undertakes disguise for specific aims, but is too focussed on her identity as a healer to consider herself as a spy.

Hywel is the shadiest case, although we never see him offer more deception than a false name and, once, a disguise (p153). His long-term aim is political -- the overthrow of the Empire -- and it seems impossible that he can continue it without a campaign of secret missions and dirty tricks. Worse, Hywel is in the position of the "director" (p23): he recruits his friends, and they wind up doing his work. It is not hard to imagine a moral collapse in his future.

(Symbolically, Hywel does accept the Empire's power in the end -- p374 -- albeit the least possible power to sustain his life, from a source that would otherwise be lost entirely. If that is corruption, Hywel will minimize it, but will never be entirely clean.)

Gallic goddess of health.

• The Goddess Sequana, via the Archaeological Museum in Dijon

(Dijon is the closest modern city to Alesia, where the worship of Sequana is described.)

The current (as of chapter 3) Duke of Milan. Brother of Ludovico Sforza. A vampire.

The difference in timing may be a fault in my calculations. However, the timing of the attack was chosen because of Sforza's habit of visiting St. Stephen's Church on the Feast of St. Stephen. That condition would not apply in TDW history, so the attack might have occurred differently.

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

A motif (no pun intended).

Singing (and musical improvisation) is a particular indicator of Cynthia's state of mind.

A motif.

Snakes appear early in TDW as a symbol which binding a wizard's power (p7-8). Vampires are also frequently referred to as "serpents" (p49).

However, the strongest association is the army which Henry Tydder leads into England in chapter 13. Henry wears the Red Dragon as his badge, but the army's force comes chiefly from magic, fueled by the Welshmen who have been drawn into it by the dragon-stamped medallions. The spell eventually appears as a literal (if illusionary) dragon image of vast size (p362).

Sixth rank of the Mithraic mystery cult. (Latin: Heliodromus)

Third rank of the Mithraic mystery cult. (Latin: Miles)

("Lord Stanley"; later in our history, "Earl of Derby.")

Brother of William Stanley. His first wife was Eleanor Neville, a sister of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. His second was Margaret Beaufort, widow of Edmund Tydder and mother of Henry Tydder.

Stanley was a powerful supporter of Edward IV. When Edward died, Stanley remained loyal to the young Edward V.

Stanley remained ostensibly on Richard's side until Tydder's uprising. He brought his troops to Bosworth Field, but withheld them from supporting Richard; see p368.

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

A Wallachian (Romanian) vampire; blind. Married to Juliette Ionescu.

In several versions of the Richard III story (including TDW), Richard refers to John Morton's strawberry gardens.

Gallic god of agriculture, depicted as carrying a hammer.

Chief military engineer of Cosmas Ducas.

"Tertullian" was the name of a major writer and leader in the early Christian church (around 200 AD). He lived over a century before the reign of Julian, so there is no reason to believe that he did not also exist in TDW history. However, it is unclear why a Byzantine in TDW would be named after a Christian; this may imply a different history for the early Tertullian, or it may be a coincidence.

• The Tertullian Project, writings of and commentaries on the historical Tertullian (via tertullian.org)

A theme.

Theater is frequently tied to espionage in TDW. They have common elements (deception, impersonation, creation of a plausible story) and common skills (makeup and disguise). The direction of actors on a stage is also explicitly compared to the manipulation of human assets by a director of intelligence. (See p23.)

Some symbols and themes that recur in TDW:

• Eggshells
• Games
• Secret Agents
• Singing
• Snakes and Dragons
• Theater

Ford's permanent floating themes, across all his works, are generally accepted to be "theater, gaming, and trains." (Growing Up Weightless is his densest combination of the three.) TDW certainly scores theater and games. Trains are only visible in some transiently mechanical aspects of the Red Dragon (see p362).

Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. Wife and co-emperor of Justinian.

Or, I should say, the things that I felt smug about figuring out.

• Flower of Gaul (p25): An awful three-part pun.
• Arturo Poliziano (p65): Is not named "Angelo."
• Commedia dell'Uomo (p87-88): Is not named "The Divine Comedy."
• The Letter (p97): Long after TDW was published, evidence was discovered that Federigo da Montefeltro (the honorable mercenary of chapter 3) had actually supported the assassination plot against Lorenzo de' Medici.
• Secret Signals (p110): In the sugar.
• Magical Photocopies (p152): Lord Darcy would be proud.
• Sweet Breath (p187-188): In TDW, George's wife died of diabetes. (Other references to kidney disease: p87, p113.)
• Erzsébet Báthory (p259): Cameo by Countess Erzsébet Báthory, famous murderess.
• By Candle-Light (p258): How many miles to Babylon? A popular spell.
• The Goth (p289): Elaborate pun on the word "Goth"?
• Empire as Rape (p340): The impact of the Byzantine Empire on the lives of the protagonists, matching Cynthia's experience of victims of rape.
• Joan of Arc (p354-355): Covert reference to Saint Joan, famous visionary.
• The Year of Partition is the year that Byzantium received a letter from Prester John.
• A magical amulet was discovered near Richard's home (a few years after TDW was published).
• Names of bit characters seem to be selected from an encyclopedia of art history.
• The Rienzi wand as told by Edward Bulwer Lytton.
• Hywel's enterprise has a familiar crew.
• The narrative structure of TDW.

These, in contrast, are the things which I still don't understand. (When I say something is "unclear," that's secret code for "I haven't the foggiest.") If you have a theory, please let me know. Contact information is on the front page.

• The Damned Snakes (p7-8, p260): Why do they bind wizards and their magic?
• Hywel's Eye (p24): Why does Ptolemy take Hywel's right eye?
• Like an Obscenity (p37): So what is Lucian's Egyptian name?
• Free Italian States (p72, p293): Just which Italian states in the North are free of Byzantium?
• Power of the Crocus (p94): In what way did Federigo's mother heal him with the crocus?
• Internal Viewpoint (p162): Why does this one scene peer into Cynthia's thoughts? (Unlike the rest of chapters 4 through 7.)
• Eight-Rayed Star (p164): Are vampires affected by holy symbols?
• Commanded To England (p165): What spell is Hywel casting on Margaret of Anjou?
• A Mysterious Thing (p196): What is it that Dimi understands?
• The Medallion Warming (p242): Is the medallion influencing Hywel here?
• Little Domesticities (p324-325): Why is Tyrell uncomfortable?

And a list of lesser, but still obscure, points: Tertullian, Vlad IV of Wallachia, p28 (Jewish banker), p32 (Lord remind him), p39 (Great Raid), p59 (the order was formulated), p61 (last night of summer), p65 (Archimedian), p132 (treatise on the gout), p134 (all Imperials), p144 (small efforts), p145 (men understand), p161 (foul-spoken Wales), p183-184 (essential rule), p184 (no favorites), p222 (machina infernalis), p229 (entrare), p275 (died at Northampton), p302 (hospitality), p305 (rare disease), p357 (Breton savior).

Norse god of thunder.

Egyptian god of science, writing, magic, learning.

Ptolemy implies that Thoth is his god, and (in some sense) the god of all wizards.

An alias of Hywel Peredur.

The name refers to the dialogue Timaeus, written by Plato. In this dialogue, the philosopher Timaeus of Locri discusses natural philosophy and the structure of the universe.

• Timaeus, Plato, tr. Benjamin Jowett, via gutenberg

Italian who goes by the name "Nottesignore." He claims to be a wizard, but Hywel states that he is not one (p124).

One of Richard of Gloucester's captains.

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

A boy vampire, afflicted with vampirism by Duke Sforza. Killed by Cynthia Ricci.

We know nothing else about him, except that he was educated and "could read Plato in Greek."

A Byzantine wizard, who controls the Red Dragon.

Vampirism is viewed by TDW science as a disease, not a supernatural condition. (The term "hematophagic anaemia" appears.) Whether this is a correct view is unclear.

Vampires have recuperatory powers far beyond normal humans; wounds, disease, drugs, poison, and aging do not trouble them. Vampirism is regarded as a way to avoid death, even for a terminal patient.

To kill a vampire, one must destroy the heart (specifically the cardiac plexus), and sever the spinal cord at the neck.

Vampires must consume blood regularly, although not much in one feeding. Animal blood suffices most of the time, but the vampire must consume some human blood occasionally. If either of these is put off too long, hunger drives the vampire into a frenzy, which can only be sated by a great deal of human blood.

Vampires are unnaturally pale, but their cheeks are flushed red -- particularly after they have fed. Their blood is also pale and thin. They are very strong, and do not require much sleep. Their eyes are unusually sensitive to light. They otherwise appear human; they eat and drink normally, and they do not have fangs.

Vampires are not sensitive to cold or heat. However, temperatures severe enough to burn or freeze flesh will damage them.

The value of holy symbols is unclear. At one point Gregory turns away from a symbol of Ishtar (p164). However, he encounters many other symbols during the book, and shows no such reaction. It is possible that the faith of the symbol's bearer is a factor.

Being fed upon by a vampire carries a risk of infection, if there is direct physical contact with the open wound. The risk is given as one chance in eleven for a single feeding; but vampire blood in the wound makes it certain. (The disease does not appear to spread by skin or sexual contact.) Only humans can be infected, not animals.

Vampires in TDW:

• Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan
• Gregory von Bayern
• John Argentine
• Justinian of Byzantium
• Stefan Ionescu
• Theodora of Byzantium
• Unnamed boy
• Vlad IV of Wallachia

Roman goddess of love and beauty.

French poet, and stand-in for Louis XI of France.

• Ballade of the Hanged (Villon's Epitaph) plus biographical notes, via Sitaram Iyer, Rice U.

Italian doctor; father of Cynthia Ricci.

Prince of Wallachia (in chapter 6, and the years previously, as noted on p144). A vampire.

• Rulers of Wallachia, Miroslav Marek

Brother of Lord Stanley.

William Stanley, along with his brother, arrived at Bosworth Field as a part of Richard's army. However, he switched sides (p368), throwing the battle to Henry.

• Genealogy (via thepeerage.com)

Wizards in TDW, and those described as having been wizards:

• Guillaume
• Hywel Peredur
• Jacquetta of Luxembourg (see p277)
• John Morton
• Kallian Ptolemy
• Owain Glyn Dŵr
• Mary Setright
• Merlin
• Morgaine or Morgan le Fay (see p277)
• Patrick of Ireland
• Reynard
• Unnamed wizard
• Virgil (see p87-88)

The book also describes several mountebanks, or hedge-wizards:

• Guido Tomassi/"Nottesignore."
• Meredydd ap Owain was considered a wizard by the young Hywel Peredur, but probably was not one.
• The man who claimed to be able to cure Cosmas Ducas (see p46) claimed to be a wizard. He failed (and appeared to expect failure), so he probably wasn't one either.

Greek god of the west wind.

Chief of the Greek gods.