Gemini.Finnegans.Wake.11
Somewhere, parently, in the ginnandgo gap between antediluvious and annadominant the copyist must have fled with his scroll. The billy flood rose or an elk charged him or the sultrup worldwright from the excelsissimost empyrean (bolt, in sum) earthspake or the Dannamen gallous banged pan the bliddy duran. A scribicide then and ther is led off under old’s code with some fine covered by six marks or ninepins in metalmen for the sake of his labour’s dross while it will be only now and again in our rear of o’er era, as an upshoot of military and civil engagements, that a gynecure was let on to the scuffold for taking that same fine sum covertly by meddlement with the drawers of his neighbour’s safe.
This paragraph tells the story of a foundational crime against a text and then compares how different eras punish different sorts of criminals.
The Flight of the Scribe
The scene is set in a mythical past, the ginnandgo gap (a pun on Ginnungagap, the primordial void in Norse mythology), a time between the great flood and the beginning of recorded history.
In this void, the copyist must have fled with his scroll. The scribe, a version of Shem the Penman, has run off with the original, sacred text. The reason for his flight is a mystery, with several possibilities offered:
- A natural disaster (
the billy flood rose). - An animal attack (
an elk charged him). - A divine command (
earthspake). - A human conflict (
banged pan the bliddy duran).
The point is that the original text has been removed from its context by a rebellious artist figure, and its origins are now uncertain.
A Tale of Two Crimes
The second half of the paragraph presents a cynical contrast in historical justice.
The Ancient Crime:
Scribicide
In the old days, the murder of a scribe (scribicide) was treated as a minor offense. The perpetrator was let off with a small fine (six marks or ninepins), paid merely for the worthless part (dross) of the artist’s labor. Society placed little value on the life of the male artist.The Modern Crime: A Woman’s Theft
In contrast, in modern times (our rear of o'er era), a woman (gynecure) is led to the scaffold (scuffold) to be executed. Her crime? Stealing the exact same small sum of money by “meddlement with the drawers of his neighbour’s safe”—a phrase that also hints at a sexual transgression.
The injustice is stark. The murder of a male artist is a triviality, but a woman’s petty theft is a capital crime. It’s a sharp commentary on the hypocrisies of law and the shifting values society places on art, money, and gender throughout history.
10/08/2025, P.14.27, to be continued.