Gemini.Finnegans.Wake.27

Posted on

And his two little jiminies, cousins of ourn, Tristopher and Hilary, were kickaheeling their dummy on the oil cloth flure of his homerigh, castle and earthenhouse. And, be dermot, who come to the keep of his inn only the niece-of-his-in-law, the prankquean. And the prankquean pulled a rosy one and made her wit foreninst the dour. And she lit up and fireland was ablaze. And sopke she to the dour in her petty perusienne: Mark the Wans, why do I am alook alike a poss of porterpease?

This paragraph continues the fable of Jarl van Hoother, introducing his two sons and a mysterious female visitor who arrives to disrupt his lonely world.

The Two Sons

Inside the Jarl’s home (castle and earthenhouse), we meet his two little jiminies (twins). They represent the two rival sons, Shem and Shaun, and are here named:

  • Tristopher: A combination of the sad hero Tristan and St. Christopher. He is the gloomy, burdened one (Shem).
  • Hilary: From the Latin for “cheerful.” He is the happy, bright one (Shaun).

They are playing a childishly aggressive game, kickaheeling their dummy, hinting at the primal conflict within the family.

The Prankquean’s Arrival

The main event is the arrival of an intruder: the prankquean. She is a “prank-queen,” a mischievous and powerful female figure who challenges the patriarchal order.

Her arrival is explosive. When she lit up, the result is that fireland was ablaze. This is a pun on Ireland; her presence sets the entire country on fire with excitement, gossip, and conflict.

The Riddle at the Door

The prankquean doesn’t confront the Jarl directly. Instead, she speaks to his closed door (dour) and poses a riddle in a playful, foreign accent (petty perusienne):

Mark the Wans, why do I am alook alike a poss of porterpease?

She asks the Jarl (“Mark the Wans,” for van Hoother), “Why do I look like a pot of peas cooked in porter?”

This is a classic fairy tale challenge. The riddle has many layers, but its surface meaning is a direct provocation. She is asking the great, lonely lord why he is paying attention to her, a seemingly common and humble thing (a poss of porterpease, a simple Dublin dish). It’s a playful but potent challenge, forcing the isolated patriarch to engage with the vibrant, messy world outside his keep.

26/08/2025, P.21.19, to be continued.