July 2024

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lady-harrowhark:

theriverbeyond:

monakisss:

hey do you guys know why harrow’s name is written as “harrow nonagesimus” in the book sometimes? like i feel it only happens when she’s being vulnerable or in a very intimate moment… is there an actual reason/deep meaning behind it or am i just crazy? i’d like to know y'all thoughts


some examples below the cut

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I can’t speak to the specific importance/meaning of every instance you pointed out, but I DO think the naming is intentional, as pointed out directly here in GtN:

And then the outside of the First House was open to them, a rush of warm air ruffling their robes and drying the sweat on their faces. Before the hatch had even shuddered to a halt, Harrow, aggravated, had disappeared completely: Lady Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the Reverend Daughter of the House of the Ninth, swept onto the docking ramp instead. Counting five full breaths to mark time, Gideon Nav, Cavalier of the Ninth House, came following behind, praying that her unfamiliar sword wouldn’t tangle in her robes.ALT

“Harrowhark Nonagesimus” is a performance and a shield that Harrow puts up when she needs to Be Someone. “Harrow” is what’s left when it’s only Gideon in attendance

You’re absolutely on to something! I’m just copying over my tags from this post by @procrastinationaccount because I don’t think I’ve come up with anything more eloquent since then:

#no fr i think about this all the time#like it’s really interesting to keep an eye out for when she’s referred to as Harrow vs Harrowhark#it’s not 100% clear cut#but it’s often that Harrowhark is used in scenes/statements where her role as necromancer and/or Rev. Daughter is emphasized#and then obviously Nonagesimus emphasizes her Ninth-ness and links to her father but is also more impersonal#whereas Harrow is a bit more intimate and raw#so i’m a little soft for the book title being Harrow the Ninth rather than Harrowhark the Ninth#but using Harrow with Nonagesimus rather than Harrowhark really throws the discrepancy into relief#Harrowhark: the future (and past) of the Ninth. their sacrifice. their hope.#Nonagesimus: the archetype. the role. the duty.#and Harrow: the girl. the pride. the desperation.#the latter two together carry so much nuance#just something i have on my radar for this reread :)#i’d be curious to know if SHE has a preference between Harrow and Harrowhark

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“You know that too, don’t you? It’s the easiest thing in the world … to forget.”

Says God to Harrowhark, the girl who tore her own brain apart to forget, who spent a book bleeding out of her ears because of the hole left behind, and even that wasn’t enough