How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"It is a scene from legend, from the sagas. It depicts the sacrifice of King Eirikr, on this very island here, to appease the gods, and to appease the people, after his crops failed for the third year in a row.
"It is a blood sacrifice, because after two lesser sacrifices, after the previous famines, the high priest has declared that nothing else will suffice. To appease the gods, you see."
The man from the museum inclined his head. "Sacrifice. That's a somewhat … outdated … notion, isn't it? In this modern world?"
"Outdated?" echoed Eric. Suddenly, he felt very old. He felt that he didn't understand.
"The theme is old, but not outdated," he explained, feeling bewildered. "And it refers to the island, this island, whose very name is written in blood!"
"Really?" said one of the men.
"Indeed. People think the name of this island means 'blessed,' and so it does, but 'blessed' does not mean what people think it does. In the old tongue it was bletsian and before that blotsian, and before that, just blod. It means sacrifice.
Sacrifice.
"To bless means to sacrifice, and in blood." (4.11.6-15)
Museum big wigs just don't understand. These guys aren't impressed with the idea that modern folks sacrifice things. Maybe we don't engage in ritual slaughter, but people sacrifice things every day—their time, their freedom, their possessions, their lives—all to make someone else's life a little bit better.
Quote #5
Eric sat in the darkening room staring up at his masterpiece.
Sacrifice, he thought. Outdated?
Young upstarts from the city. Just because we have entered the modern world, have we done with suffering? Have we done with love, and loss? Have we done with wars? Then, there will be sacrifice! And when a parent works themselves to death to feed their child? Sacrifice?
And when a mother dies in childbirth?
Sacrifice. (4.11.20-24)
Nicely put, sir. When people are through with suffering, then people will be through with sacrificing. And that will be, oh, about never o'clock.
Quote #6
The twins stared at each other and at Laura.
"Do you mean, Erik drowned himself?"
Laura nodded, slowly, and the twins' eyes widened.
Erik knew their love could never be, and more than that, Merle's father had threatened to put Erik's whole family out of business. He was so powerful, he could have done it, just like that. (5.6.1-4)
Yet another one of Erik(a)'s sacrifices. This time she drowns herself so that her lover and her family won't be ruined; now she's no longer a temptation. Of course, this doesn't sit too well with Merle.