love like a sunset

kvngslayer:

Alright, so, I was wondering last night whether Julian could be the mysterious bacchanal entity that Henry believes was Dionysus. Now that I am fully awake, let me back this up a little.

First of all. there are some analogies between the Clique and divine beings throughout the book, the first one coming to mind being Richard describing Henry and Camilla as “Pluto and Persephone”.

When it comes to the bacchanal itself, no one is sure what they saw - a deer, a god, a man, the entire nature coming alive to dance with them in ecstacy. Also, Henry (or the others) never mention precisely who was there - only that Bunny was not. And it is known that Julian was encouraging them to do it, one way or another - so, it’s not impossible that he was there.Not actively participating, but as an overlooking figure. “Do what is necessary” - he knows. The murder of the farmer, should be an expected outcome for him. The element of violence is extremely evident in these rituals (..the screams of the abused were drowned out by the din of drums and cymbals..), and Julian is definitely aware of this.

Julian could have been there, as a watching figure, as an initiator, observing his students transcending into another state of being. The mysterious figure they saw - it might have been him. Because this is Julian’s analogy: Dionysus. And Henry knows that.

“How,” he said, “can I possibly make the Dean of Studies understand that there is a divinity in our midst?”