The Harlequin
From Barbelith
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Harlequin, The
Group Affiliation:
Unknown. (One of the "greater reality" characters, like The Blind Chessman.)
Background
Nice shoes.
This multiple character is one of several "interruptions" into our reality from the larger universe represented by the Invisible College, Outer Church or Magic Mirror.
In a way, The Harlequinade is an aspect of the Outer Church perceived as a person. Or persons. This fits, in some ways, with traditional representations of/ideas about Harlequin, as mentioned on the Seven Soldiers Annotations page devoted to Nebula Man. Both Harlequin and Nebula Man are associated with legends of the Wild Hunt, the otherworldly tempest that abducts and transforms any unsuspecting humans unlucky enough cross its path.
The secular (or even profane) trinity of Harlequin, Pierrot and Columbine were the central characters of the old European Commedia Dell'arte (http://www.theatrehistory.com/italian/commedia_dell_arte_001.html), which evolved into the more familiar Punch and Judy puppet shows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_and_judy).
Mario -- Some French sources call the Wild Hunt "The family of
Harlequin". One possible derivation is that Harlequin is actually
"Herla Cynig", or King Herla, an ancient king of the Britons. King
Herla was cursed to endlessly wandering on his horse, along with his
knights, after spending time in the land of Faerie. (If he dismounts,
he'll die, much like Ossian, the Irish hero.
But who was Herla? One of the titles of Odin (also a leader of the
Wild Hunt) is believed to be "Herjan", which means "Lord of Warriors"
(see the related "Einherjar", which literally translates as "those of
one army", tho probably not "One Army Corps" )
I dug a bit further, and found that the root word "her-", also found
in words like "hero" and "Herr", goes back through Greek Mythology
("Hera" is a female form) all the way to "Hr/Heru/Horus", the Egyptian
god.
Of course, the wildest bit is that as a child god, he was given the
name Harpocrates, and believed (incorrectly) to be the god of silence.
And in pantomime, Harlequin is a silent clown with magical powers. The
greatest silent clown in the modern era?
Harpo Marx.
Related Individuals
Lord Fanny Jack Frost Pierrot and Columbine Lady Edith Manning Tom O'Bedlam
Related Analysis
Hand of Glory The Harlequinade
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