In the fourth chapter of The Kingdom of Gods, Sieh is visited by his mother and then finally meets Shahar’s mother. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Kingdom of Gods.
Chapter Four
You know, it wasn’t until after I’d finished this chapter that it struck me: I have no idea why anyone or anything would afflict Sieh with this condition. I don’t see how anyone benefits from it, and even after Shahar explains why her mother wants to keep Sieh around, I don’t think this is an Arameri plot, either. I DON’T GET IT. Oh my god, N.K. Jemisin’s mysteries are so well-designed, I swear.
There’s a lot going on here, and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF IT.
Sieh’s mortal body
Unlike what we experienced in The Broken Kingdoms, I really think Jemisin explores the idea of humanity and mortality in a visceral way when it comes to Sieh. He’s now got to deal with things that we all generally accept as part of our lives: clothing, hairstyles, the length of his legs, aging, aches and pains, and so on. It’s acknowledged constantly throughout the chapter, and I’m really digging it.
Sieh’s orrery
Y’all, Jemisin punches us RIGHT IN THE HEART at the beginning of this chapter by revealing to us that Sieh’s affliction has rent his orrery into chaos and death. The magic he used to keep all those glowing orbs and planets and suns alive and spinning is gone, and it’s yet another very brutal sign of how Sieh’s life has changed, perhaps irrevocably so. Which made me wonder if it was possible for Sieh to ever return to the life he once led. I’m not speaking of a cure, though I am curious if there is one. No, I just mean… this is going to change his outlook forever, isn’t it? In that sense, this is a subtle way for for Sieh to understand what it was like for Itempas to be made into Shiny, isn’t it? I think you could view it that way. Still, it certainly has altered most of the way Sieh operates on a daily basis.
I liked that it was Yeine who gave Sieh comfort here, no matter that it was only a small amount. She turns the remaining sun, En, into a tiny gem that Sieh can wear next to his heart, and she gives him some motherly affection, too. However, Jemisin doesn’t refrain from spelling out Yeine’s weaknesses and inadequacy. In one sense, she’s unable to help Sieh because she’s just as puzzled by his condition as he is. But Jemisin doesn’t forget that of all these gods, she is the youngest. As she puts it:
She was still so young, so mortal. She knew the story, but she had not been there to see what Itempas had done to Nahadoth, or to the rest of us Enefadeh. She lived with the aftermath – as did we all, as would every living thing in the universe, forever and ever – but that was entirely different from knowing firsthand.
Of course, this is an important point in general. Lived experience cannot be replaced, and no matter how much studying or theorizing is made, you can’t ever get it true. It’s vital here because Yeine came upon her godhood after the centuries-long bout of Arameri slavery, and while she demonstrates a healthy distrust of all things Arameri, it can’t hold a candle to what the Enefadeh and Nahadoth went through under Itempas. Granted, I realize that this means that there’s not deus ex machina here at all, LITERALLY so, since the gods cannot come up with a solution to Sieh’s problems. Plus, Itempas is just gone??? Okay, what’s that about? TOO MANY MYSTERIES.
Arameri family
I was just floored by the proper introduction of Remath Arameri and the completely bewildering things that happen after Sieh discovers that the Arameri family head wants to keep Sieh around. It’s a strange arrangement because Sieh knows what his presence means in Sky, and he certainly knows that he shouldn’t trust these people now that T’vril is dead. I was quite amused every time he directly addressed this, like when he said:
“Naturally,” I said,” since if you can figure out how it happened to me, you might be able to do it to any god who threatens you.”
Bless him. Hell, he’s not exactly wrong, is he? I’m fairly positive that the Arameri would do this given the chance. HELLO, THE WHOLE LAST BOOK KIND OF ADDRESSED THIS ALREADY. Plus, Remath doesn’t exactly stray from Sieh’s expectations of an Arameri, does she? She offers Shahar up to Sieh to “see to [his] comfort at any cost.” Which is a thinly veiled way for her to say that he can do whatever he wants with her. Clearly, Remath’s detached parenting style is something Shahar expects, and I imagine that Shahar has been building up a hatred for this for years. We know that Shahar blames Remath for what happened to her brother, and she makes reference to some “duties” of hers that will be interrupted by her mother offering her up to Sieh. So yeah, she’s pissed. Well, I suppose that’s not a mystery at all, given this:
I expected her to be sad. When she opened her eyes, however, the fury was still burning. Coldly. “Will you help me kill her?”
WELL. OKAY. THERE’S THAT. But part of that murderous resentment is due to the fact that Remath is never pleased with Shahar, and that’s a terrible, horrible thing to experience from your parents. I KNOW THIS INTIMATELY. I spent the bulk of my teenage years in fear that I was constantly disappointing my mother. So I get the anger she feels, especially when Remath is openly dismissive of her daughter.
Sieh/Shahar
Okay, I admit that this is super weird. I loved the scene where Sieh and Shahar jumped on the bed together. To me, it felt like Sieh was trying to capture that childish energy and joy that was his essence as a godling, and I understood why he’d try to do that. However, I’m guessing that as a sign of his mortality, Jemisin is maturing Sieh, which means he’s developed some sort of sexual or romantic desire that he didn’t have otherwise. Of course, this is all acted out with Sieh’s recollection of the revolting sexual things he was forced to do as an Arameri slave, so I imagine that any sort of attraction to Shahar is extra strange for him. But what does it mean? Why does it feel “right” for these two to do this? I’m intrigued. And uncomfortable, but still intrigued!
The original text and videos contain uses of the words “mad,” “idiot,” “crazy,” and “insane.”
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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