Review: Three Hearts and Three Lions (Poul Anderson)

Following Bob's suggestion, I took daughter #2 and her friend down to the York Emporium on Wednesday.   While they didn't find anything they wanted, I picked up a copy of Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions.  I had a paper back copy of this book back in high school, but hadn't read it in many decades.

It's the story about a Danish man (who had spent some years in America) in the middle of a fight with the Nazis finds himself transported to an alternate world which is much like the world of the Carolingian and Arthurian romances of the middle ages.  It's framing device is almost the same as Edgar Rice Burrough's Princess of Mars. 

As he travels around with a dwarf, swan-may and eventually a Saracen, he slowly realizes that he is a famous hero of that world (whose shield design is the titled three hearts and three lions).   He has to overcome various monsters such as an elf-knight, dragon, giant, were-wolf and the blandishments of Morgan LaFey. 

First thing that's notable is just how short it is; only about 190 pages.  Still, there are some really interesting things in it for the D&D gamer.   First of all the Troll he fights is without any doubt the origin of the D&D troll.  Not only does it regenerate all damage, sticking on chopped off limbs, and can only be killed when the bits are dropped in the fire, but the description of its face, with its long nose and eyes like black pools are exactly like D&D trolls.

Secondly, it's description of the two forces "Law" and "Chaos" with various unaligned individuals, is the basic framework of the original D&D alignment system.

Thirdly, the hero is clearly the inspiration for the D&D paladin.  His alternate identity is Holger Danske, a.k.a., Ogier the Dane.  Who in medieval romance was one of Charlemagne's Paladins or chief knights.   In the book, Holger has similar protections from evil like a D&D paladin, and even "Lays on Hands" at one point.   While this is a common feature of Christian miracle healing, associating it with a paladin begins here I think.  When Gary wanted a "super fighter" to beef up fighters in relation to magic-users, I think he went to this book for his inspiration for a Champion of Law.

There is also a wizard in the book who has an "unseen servant" tidy up for him.

It does have elves and dwarves, but they are nothing like D&D elves and dwarves.   The elves are evil and can't touch iron.  The dwarves are good guys, but they really can't fight--as they are small dudes.   I wonder if Anderson wasn't reacting to Tolkein in some way.   The way Holger defeats the giant is strikingly reminiscent of Bilbo and the Trolls and Bilbo's riddle contest with Gollum in The Hobbit, but with a sort of modernistic, snarky twist.  I don't know for sure whether he had The Hobbit in mind, or it's a question of using the same sources.

I'm not the first to point out any of this, but it was really striking while re-reading it again.