The Queen of Nothing

In the opening chapter, royal astrologer Baphen consults the star charts at the time of Cardan’s birth and prophesizes, “He will be destruction on the crown and ruination of the throne. Only out of his spilled blood can a great ruler rise” (2). The prophecy forms a key plot point and motif in the narrative. After hearing prophecy, Cardan’s father, High King Eldred, washes his hands of the child, while his mother, Lady Asha, turns bitter toward Eldred and decides to overindulge the child. Baphen notes with trepidation that “some prophecies are fulfilled by the very actions meant to prevent them” (3). The text raises an important question here: Had the prophecy not been made or not been revealed, would Cardan’s life have panned out differently? As it happens, the prophecy causes people to behave differently toward Cardan and thus becomes self-fulfilling. Given the centrality of predictions and omens in the realm of Faerie, the prophecy eclipses Cardan’s actions. It is believed he will be a poor king because it is so predicted, as Madoc notes. Cardan’s kingship is, according to Madoc, a foolhardy attempt to “charm his way free of fate” (93). Such a thing is impossible, according to Madoc, and hence he is justified in claiming Cardan’s crown.

Knowledge of the prophecy makes Cardan act in a way that ends up fulfilling it. He physically breaks the crown, believing the prophecy to be a metaphor, but instead unleashes Grimsen’s curse on himself and the throne. What Cardan doesn’t understand is that in the world of Faerie, the metaphorical and the literal often coincide. The throne splits in half when Cardan breaks the crown. Yet, the physical change heralds the figurative one: a change in the world order. Jude understands the key to the prophecy when Mother Marrow tells her it is the answer to its own riddle. Jude must literally spill Cardan’s blood to catalyze the figurative aspect of the prediction. The blood spilled, a great ruler does rise, and it is none other than Cardan. The prophecy is fulfilled, but in a way that few could have predicted. As in Greek myths and other stories involving prophecies, Cardan’s prophecy is difficult to interpret and influences people’s actions in ways that have unpredictable outcomes.