ATDTDA (5.4) - Bad Ice After Midnight

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

Some of this requires going back to the book for citations, 
rather than type out whole passages from the novel, I'll 
give reference points, page # and a few sentences:

The search is on, in these deathly far territorries to the north, 
for more RF bandwidth 

             "There was a "Ray-rush" in progress---light and 
             magnetism, as well as all manner of extra-Hertzian rays" 121

There's something weird about this new territory anyway:

             "Here at the high edge of the atmosphere was the next 
             untamed frontier" "heavenwide pulses of color" 121

Pointing to the cutely named I.G.L.O.O., and see what that's become?

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.pdf

             "Yes---these days in the business too many people your 
             age altogether. Unreflective steps, harmful consequences, no 
             attention to history or the sacrifices of those who've gone 
             before, so forth. . . ." 122

Captain Padzhitnoff warns of trouble ahead:

             "The Muscovite skyfarers grew convulsive with sinister 
             merriment." "That creature, we did not have name for. 
             Ever. Do you understand?"124
             "It was something else," said Miles Blundell, the only one 
             of the crew who seeemed to have taken the warning 
             to heart. . . . 125

Miles strikes me as the psychic one in the CoC.

             "Having just missed intercepting the Expedition steamer 
             at Isafjordr" 125

I gonna guess (from Google results) that "Isafjordr" (note Pynchon's use of a 
non-English alphabet here) is an old spelling for what is now  called 
"Isafjordur".

             The capital of the Westfjords is Isafjordur. The fjord 
             has two valleys, Tungudalur and Engidalur, and is 
             surrounded by high and steep mountains. The two 
             valleys are the main outdoor activity areas of 
             Isafjordur. In Tungudalur there is a large golf course, 
             ski slopes, campsites and hiking routes around the 
             forestry area. Isafjordur town has a long history and 
             has for a long time been one of the largest fishing 
             industry centres in Iceland. Neðstikaupstaður, a 
             part of Isafjordur town, consists of the oldest buildings 
             in Iceland including four buildings from the 18th century.

http://www.travelnet.is/JKL/journey/sv_vf/isafjordur.htm

             There are many interesting things to see in Medaldalur. 
             The Thingeyri golf course is situated in this beautiful 
             valley, the remains of an old hydro-electric plant from 
             the beginning of the technological age and an old 
             Iceland spar mine at the head of the valley, to name 
             but a few. It was around 1910 that the valley saw great 
             activity when entrepreneurs searched for Iceland spar, 
             which was at that time used in all kinds of lenses. The 
             mine was around 10 to 15 metres in depth with an 
             opening of around 2.5 metres, but getting narrower as 
             the mine deepened. A lot of material has been brought 
             down into the mine, so it is only 4 to 6 metres in depth 
             today. After work had started it was discovered that the 
             mineral was not Iceland spar, but another, similar 
             mineral called aragonite. There is a road that leads most 
             of the way to the mine, but walking there is advised.

http://www.vesturferdir.is/index.php?id=138&flokkur=400&lang=enska

On 126 through 129, we are introduced to the Etienne-Louis Malus and the 
Penhallows, Constance and her grandson Hunter (who becomes dislocated in time 
when "The Vormance Expedition" shows up in the great city and stays dislocated 
in time throughout the book). Just as important, we are given names central to 
Norse creation myths.

                 Norse Creation Myth

                 When I was very young, perhaps six or seven, I got 
             my hands on a children’s book of mythology. Today, 
             the contents of those pages are little more than a 
             blur – a whirl of surreal color and dusty words. One 
             particular thing has dominated my memory of this 
             encounter, however, and has remained in my small 
             cache of vivid, immutable pictures of the past. Looming 
             over my childhood with a jaundiced, two-dimensional 
             gaze is the single eye of Odin, the great Norse god. 
             Once and for all, I resolve to exorcise the demon, to 
             rid myself of the fleshy folds surrounding the bloodshot 
             orb, to at last tell the story of the events surrounding 
             the epically proportioned incandescent instrument 
             of ogling. 
                  It begins with a void, like many other primal myths 
             of creation. This void was called Ginnungagap, or 
             Yawning Gap, and was a bridge between two not-voids, 
             Muspelheim and Niflheim. Muspelheim (also called 
             Muspell in some reference guides) was in the far south. 
             It was a fiery realm, tumultuous and torrid, that sent 
             tongues of light into the distant corners of the then-world. 
             In the northernmost regions was Niflheim. From its icy 
             stronghold flowed 12 frigid rivers, merging in 
             Ginnungagap. The heat and flame from Muspelheim 
             and the waters of Niflheim wove an ethereal web of 
             mist in the Yawning Gap, a cradle that was to bear the 
             first life of the world. (Hamilton 326)

             Ymir

             There was nothing in the beginning but seemingly 
             almost endless chasm called the Ginnungagap. 
             Ginnungagap was a void like the Greek Chaos. 
             Ginnungagap was bordered by Niflheim, far to 
             the north, and Muspelheim, far to the south. 
             Out of this chaos the first being came into 
             existence from the drop of water when ice from 
             Niflheim and fire from Muspelheim met.

             This first being was Ymir, a primeval giant. The 
             frost-giants called him Aurgelmir, but everyone 
             else called him Ymir. Ymir became father of a 
             race of frost-giants.

http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/beginning.html

             Ginnungagap
             by Micha F. Lindemans
             Ginnungagap ("seeming emptiness"), in the cosmology 
             of Norse mythology, is the primordial void separating 
             Niflheim and Muspell, the land of eternal ice and snow 
             and the land of eternal heat and flame.
             In the beginning, before the world of men and gods 
             existed, the spring Hvergelmir, deep in the frozen
             wastes of Niflheim, gave rise to eleven rivers known 
             as the Elivagar. Over a long period of time, water of 
             the Elivagar ran across Niflheim and poured into the 
             northern part of Ginnungagap. The water froze, 
             forming vast sheets of ice in the void. Hot air from 
             Muspell melted some of the ice, creating a zone of 
             meltwater amid the ice and snow. Here life began, 
             and the first living thing was a frost giant. (See: Ymir.)

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/ginnungagap.html

             Ymir
             In Norse mythology, Ymir is the primordial giant and 
             the progenitor of the race of frost giants. He was 
             created from the melting ice of Niflheim, when it 
             came in contact with the hot air from Muspell.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/ymir.html

Now, my take is that a frost giant frozen in time at a few moments 
after creation is what is unleashed in the Great City. The "Time", 
the local "time" of creation, like the big bang or great flaming 
sword, is dislocated from its local time axis, eons ago. Can you think 
of any other reason (going back through this passage, connecting 
the dots) why things should end up oriented as they are, after having 
been pulled through Iceland, Iceland Spar, Icelandic creation myths:

             I tell of giants from times forgotten.
             Those who fed me in former days:
             Nine worlds I can reckon, nine roots of the tree.
             The wonderful ash, way under the ground

             When Ymir lived long ago
             Was no sand or sea, no surging waves.
             Nowhere was there earth nor heaven above.
             But a grinning gap and grass nowhere.

http://asatru.org/voluspa.html

             The Great Gap

             The Vikings believed that in the beginning, a great 
             abyss (gap) the size of which no one could fathom 
             existed in the centre of space. On one side of the 
             abyss was Niflheim (ne ful ham). It was filled with 
             cold, ice, mist and darkness and from its huge 
             spring flowed twelve large rivers. As the waters 
             flowed into the cold abyss, ice blocks formed and
             filled one side of the gap.

             On the opposite side of the abyss was Muspelheim 
             (mus pel ham). It was filled with the fire, warmth and 
             brightness and was guarded by a flame giant whose 
             sword sent great showers of sparks into the gap.

http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/v_creation.htm
 
"a flame giant whose sword sent great showers of sparks into the gap.'
  
             "Time itself was disrupted, a throughgoing and merciless 
             forswearing of Time as we had known it, as it had safely 
             ticking for us moment into moment, with an innocence 
             they knew how to circumvent. . . ."
             It was understood at some point by all the company that 
             they were speaking of the unfortunate events to the north, 
             the bad dream I still try to wake from, the great city brought 
             to sorrow and ruin." 148