McCarthy: roehawks

[Marius Hancu]

Hello:

~~~
[Boy journeying across Texas then Mexico, in an irregular military
company. He is in his 2nd outfit here already. Mountain storm.]

All to the north the rain had dragged black tendrils down from the
thunderclouds like tracings of lampblack fallen in a beaker and in the
night they could hear the drum of rain miles away on the prairie. They
ascended through a rocky pass and lightning shaped out the distant
shivering mountains and lightning rang the stones about and tufts of
blue fire clung to the horses like incandescent elementals that would
not be driven off. Soft smelterlights advanced upon the metal of the
harness, lights ran blue and liquid on the barrels of the guns. Mad
jackhares started and checked in the blue glare and high among those
clanging crags jokin roehawks crouched in their feathers or cracked a
yellow eye at the thunder underfoot.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
~~~

"All to the north": the whole site north side (of the horizon, perhaps)?

"lightning shaped _out_ the distant shivering mountains": different
without "out"?

"roehawks": didn't find them, but they seem to be hawks; why "roe"?

Thanks.
--
Marius Hancu

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Sunday, November 17, 2013 7:03:02 PM UTC-5, Marius Hancu wrote:

> "All to the north": the whole site north side (of the horizon, perhaps)?

duh

> "lightning shaped _out_ the distant shivering mountains": different
> without "out"?

Does lightning shape mountains? Not in any geology I've heard of.

> "roehawks": didn't find them, but they seem to be hawks; why "roe"?

Why not?

[Jerry Friedman]

Maybe "out" suggests bringing their shapes out of the darkness.

> "roehawks": didn't find them, but they seem to be hawks; why "roe"?

Why "jokin"? Does McCarthy usually drop g's in the narrative? Are
jokes involved? "Jokin roehawks" looks like some kind of massive typo,
I don't know for what. (However, other versions on line have it the
same way.)

I suppose one could imagine that roehawks are hawks big enough to take
roe deer, a Eurasian species, if such hawks or even eagles existed.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Tony Cooper]

I guess no one's a-Googlin this. There's a whole page of explanations
of McCarthy's usage at
http://listography.com/yonina/learning/words_learned_specifically_from_blood_meridian_by_cormac_mccarthy

It includes "jokin" and "roehawks". It's under "jokin":
"In a further note on that sentence, "roehawk" is not any particular
type of hawk, but a word that McCarthy created by combining "roe" (a
description of coloration) and "hawk." p186"

Whether or not the list is any more accurate than our guesses is
anyone's guess, but reading this might cut down on Marius' posts by
wagonload. And, let him read through this quicker.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando FL

[CDB]

On 18/11/2013 12:49 AM, Jerry Friedman wrote:

> Marius Hancu wrote:

>> [Boy journeying across Texas then Mexico, in an irregular military
>> company. He is in his 2nd outfit here already. Mountain storm.]

>> All to the north the rain had dragged black tendrils down from the
>> thunderclouds like tracings of lampblack fallen in a beaker and in
>> the night they could hear the drum of rain miles away on the
>> prairie. They ascended through a rocky pass and lightning shaped
>> out the distant shivering mountains and lightning rang the stones
>> about and tufts of blue fire clung to the horses like incandescent
>> elementals that would not be driven off. Soft smelterlights
>> advanced upon the metal of the harness, lights ran blue and liquid
>> on the barrels of the guns. Mad jackhares started and checked in
>> the blue glare and high among those clanging crags jokin roehawks
>> crouched in their feathers or cracked a yellow eye at the thunder
>> underfoot.

>> Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

[...]

>> "roehawks": didn't find them, but they seem to be hawks; why
>> "roe"?

> Why "jokin"? Does McCarthy usually drop g's in the narrative? Are
> jokes involved? "Jokin roehawks" looks like some kind of massive
> typo, I don't know for what. (However, other versions on line have
> it the same way.)

"Jokin" is the given name of a couple of Spaniards listed in Wikipedia.
"Joaquin", I suppose. One of them is named "Aramburu", so maybe it's
the Basque version of the name. Conceivably a varietal designation
(term.?), like "Steller's Jay"?

> I suppose one could imagine that roehawks are hawks big enough to
> take roe deer, a Eurasian species, if such hawks or even eagles
> existed.

There are a lot of athletic teams called "The Redhawks". Idle
speculation; there are no "jokin['s] redhawks" at google.

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

Randolph High School (Texas) has a Ro-Hawk as its mascot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_High_School_%28Texas%29

....
Among other notable activities is the award-winning Mighty Randolph
Ro-Hawk Marching Band.

Also The San Antonio Ro-Hawks:
http://www.sarohawks.com/rohawkhome.htm


I'm not sure about the first one, Randolph High School as the logo is a
blue and white hawk riding a rocket. The "Ro" part of the name may come
from "rocket", or there may be a double meaning.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

[Jerry Friedman]

...

I did, but apparently not skillfully enough.

> There's a whole page of explanations
> of McCarthy's usage at
> http://listography.com/yonina/learning/words_learned_specifically_from_blood_meridian_by_cormac_mccarthy

--
Jerry Friedman

[Tony Cooper]

On Mon, 18 Nov 2013 09:20:05 -0700, Jerry Friedman

There is another thread in which "nothing new under the sun" is a
topic of discussion. In this case, that I am more skillful than
others in the art of Google is something new under the sun.

> > There's a whole page of explanations
>> of McCarthy's usage at
>> http://listography.com/yonina/learning/words_learned_specifically_from_blood_meridian_by_cormac_mccarthy
--

[Marius Hancu]

On Monday, November 18, 2013 1:44:40 AM UTC-5, Tony Cooper wrote:

Thank you very much for discovering this list and posting it.

Now, each such list has gems and common stuff.

The entry for this particular item, "jokin", is one of the gems.

Many others I have covered them by myself and not posted on AUE.

Say:


• rebate (v) - 1 to reduce the force or activity of : diminish 2 to reduce the sharpness of : blunt p139

• acequia - Southwest : an irrigation ditch or canal p139

• kiva - a Pueblo Indian ceremonial structure that is usually round and partly underground (Hopi etymology) p139

• maguey - 1 : any of various fleshy-leaved agaves (as the century plant) p147

• legatee - one to whom a legacy is bequeathed or a devise is given p152

• rowel - a revolving disk with sharp marginal points at the end of a spur "riders put rowels to their mounts" p 155

• wickiup - a hut used by the nomadic Indians of the arid regions of the western and southwestern United States with a usually oval base and a rough frame covered with reed mats, grass, or brushwood (resembling a teepee); also : a rude temporary shelter or hut p155

• fontanel - a membrane-covered opening in bone or between bones; specifically : any of the spaces closed by membranous structures between the uncompleted angles of the parietal bones and the neighboring bones of a fetal or young skull (this is from the passage in which the Delaware bashes babies' brains out) p 156

were all terms that I was able to cover by myself.

Now, for those several gems, I would have preferred to find this list earlier.

Advancing through the book was relatively fast, I am pretty close to the end. Covering some of the words or turns of phrase for a deeper understanding is another matter and I appreciate your help and patience.

Thank you, everyone.
--
Marius Hancu

[Jerry Friedman]

On Sunday, November 17, 2013 11:44:40 PM UTC-7, Tony Cooper wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Nov 2013 22:49:37 -0700, Jerry Friedman
> <jerry_f...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >On 11/17/13 5:03 PM, Marius Hancu wrote:
>
> >> [Boy journeying across Texas then Mexico, in an irregular military
> >> company. He is in his 2nd outfit here already. Mountain storm.]
>

> >> Mad
> >> jackhares started and checked in the blue glare and high among those
> >> clanging crags jokin roehawks crouched in their feathers or cracked a
> >> yellow eye at the thunder underfoot.
>
> >> Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

...

> >> "roehawks": didn't find them, but they seem to be hawks; why "roe"?
>
> >Why "jokin"? Does McCarthy usually drop g's in the narrative? Are
> >jokes involved? "Jokin roehawks" looks like some kind of massive typo,
> >I don't know for what. (However, other versions on line have it the
> >same way.)
>

> I guess no one's a-Googlin this. There's a whole page of explanations
> of McCarthy's usage at
> http://listography.com/yonina/learning/words_learned_specifically_from_blood_meridian_by_cormac_mccarthy
>
> It includes "jokin" and "roehawks". It's under "jokin":
>
> "In a further note on that sentence, "roehawk" is not any particular
> type of hawk, but a word that McCarthy created by combining "roe" (a
> description of coloration) and "hawk." p186"

...

The description of coloration might be this from the OED:

"Probably a transferred use of roe n.1, on account of the resemblance of
the markings to those of a roe deer.

"An arrangement of markings in the grain of a piece of wood
(typically mahogany), which gives the appearance of short stripes or
streaks on the surface of timber cut from it. Cf. roey adj."

As for "jouk", it means "perch", or in falconry, "roost, sleep".
Could McCarthy have gotten his spelling from one of the quotations
in the OED?

"c1575 Perfect Bk. Kepinge Sparhawkes (1886) 32 Or elles sodenly awake
her from jokin."

--
Jerry Friedman

[Marius Hancu]

Jerry Friedman wrote:

>> ~~~
>> [Boy journeying across Texas then Mexico, in an irregular military
>> company. He is in his 2nd outfit here already. Mountain storm.]
>>
>> All to the north the rain had dragged black tendrils down from the
>> thunderclouds like tracings of lampblack fallen in a beaker and in the
>> night they could hear the drum of rain miles away on the prairie. They
>> ascended through a rocky pass and lightning shaped out the distant
>> shivering mountains and lightning rang the stones about and tufts of
>> blue fire clung to the horses like incandescent elementals that would
>> not be driven off. Soft smelterlights advanced upon the metal of the
>> harness, lights ran blue and liquid on the barrels of the guns. Mad
>> jackhares started and checked in the blue glare and high among those
>> clanging crags jokin roehawks crouched in their feathers or cracked a
>> yellow eye at the thunder underfoot.
>>
>> Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
>> ~~~
>>
>> "All to the north": the whole site north side (of the horizon, perhaps)?
>>
>> "lightning shaped _out_ the distant shivering mountains": different
>> without "out"?
>
> Maybe "out" suggests bringing their shapes out of the darkness.

That was exactly my take. Thanks for confirmation.

>> "roehawks": didn't find them, but they seem to be hawks; why "roe"?
>
> Why "jokin"? Does McCarthy usually drop g's in the narrative? Are
> jokes involved? "Jokin roehawks" looks like some kind of massive typo,
> I don't know for what. (However, other versions on line have it the
> same way.)
>
> I suppose one could imagine that roehawks are hawks big enough to take
> roe deer, a Eurasian species, if such hawks or even eagles existed.

Thanks.
--
Marius Hancu

[Snidely]

Marius Hancu wrote on 11/17/2013 :

> "All to the north": the whole site north side (of the horizon, perhaps)?

Not of the site, of the horizon, the whole north of the world ...
everywhere they could see to the north had the black tendrils from the
thunderclouds.

(I didn't want PTD to feel lonely in discussing this, but based on the
short passage here, it does seem pretty obvious, which may be why
others didn't pick it up.)

/dps

--
Who, me? And what lacuna?

[jkfre...@gmail.com]

Why ask why? Read e.e. cummings or even Dr. Suess.