Lord Foul’s Bane
Chapter 5: Five: Mithil Stonedown
by Donaldson, Stephen R.The chapter begins with Thomas Covenant emerging from a harrowing ordeal on Kevin’s Watch, feeling a sense of purification and relief. Despite his physical injuries—scraped hands, bruised knees, and aching muscles—he resolves to move forward and survive. His leprosy leaves him unable to feel pain, making his wounds dangerously unnoticed. When Lena, a woman from Mithil Stonedown, notices his condition, he urgently explains his need to clean his injuries to prevent infection. She leads him to a secluded valley with a stream, offering a serene and healing environment far removed from the overwhelming landscapes he previously faced.
As Covenant washes his wounds in the stream, Lena searches for a rare substance called hurtloam, a mystical mud with healing properties. Initially skeptical, Covenant resists her insistence that it will heal him, fearing contamination. However, Lena applies the hurtloam to his bruises and cuts, and he is astonished as the pain dissipates and his injuries begin to heal rapidly. The mud’s golden gleams and tingling sensations suggest a deeper, almost magical power at work. Covenant’s disbelief grows as his wounds vanish, challenging his understanding of reality and his own leprosy.
Covenant’s shock deepens as he observes the miraculous healing of his injuries, which defies his medical knowledge and experience as a leper. Lena, amused by his earlier skepticism, teases him, but Covenant remains serious, grappling with the impossibility of what he has witnessed. The chapter highlights his internal conflict between disbelief and the undeniable evidence of his healing. Lena’s quiet explanation about the Earth’s power hints at a broader, mystical force at play in the land, further unsettling Covenant’s grasp on his surroundings.
The chapter concludes with Covenant’s profound sense of awe and confusion, as the hurtloam’s effects force him to confront the possibility of a reality beyond his rational understanding. Lena’s faith in the Earth’s power contrasts sharply with his skepticism, setting the stage for his ongoing struggle to reconcile his leper’s pragmatism with the magical world he now inhabits. The encounter underscores the chapter’s themes of healing, disbelief, and the tension between the tangible and the mystical in Covenant’s journey.
FAQs
1. How does Covenant’s leprosy affect his perception of pain and injury, and why is his interaction with hurtloam so significant?
Answer:
Covenant’s leprosy has left him unable to feel pain in his extremities, which is both a symptom and a danger of his condition. As he explains to Lena, his lack of sensation led to previous injuries going unnoticed, resulting in severe infections and the loss of his fingers. When Lena applies hurtloam to his wounds, Covenant is shocked because the mud not only heals his cuts and bruises rapidly but also seems to stimulate tingling sensations in his nerves—something he thought impossible. This moment is significant because it challenges his understanding of his disease and the reality he knows, forcing him to confront the possibility of miraculous healing in this unfamiliar world.2. Analyze Lena’s role in this chapter. How does she serve as both a guide and a catalyst for Covenant’s internal conflict?
Answer:
Lena serves as Covenant’s guide, leading him from Kevin’s Watch to the healing stream and introducing him to hurtloam. Her knowledge of the land and its remedies contrasts sharply with Covenant’s skepticism and fear. She is also a catalyst for his internal conflict because her actions—particularly her insistence on using hurtloam—force Covenant to question his rigid, leper’s mindset. Her cheerful demeanor and faith in the healing earth clash with his grim realism, creating tension between acceptance and denial. Her laughter at his initial refusal highlights his resistance to the unfamiliar, pushing him toward a crisis of belief about his circumstances.3. What does the setting of the small valley with the stream reveal about the broader world Covenant has entered, and how does it affect him emotionally?
Answer:
The secluded valley, with its lush grass, sparkling stream, and fragrant pines, represents a pocket of tranquility and vitality within the vast mountain landscape. Unlike the overwhelming vistas from Kevin’s Watch, this setting is intimate and nurturing, offering Covenant a sense of safety and beauty. Emotionally, it stirs a deep grief in him, as the vibrant health of the environment contrasts painfully with his own incurable condition. The valley’s restorative qualities—embodied by the hurtloam—also foreshadow the potential for healing and renewal in this world, which both comforts and unsettles Covenant, as it defies his understanding of reality.4. Why is Covenant’s reaction to hurtloam so conflicted, and what does this reveal about his character?
Answer:
Covenant’s conflict arises from his ingrained leper’s caution: he fears infection and mistrusts anything that seems too good to be true. His initial refusal to use hurtloam—”Do you want to cripple me?“—reflects his defensive mindset, where survival depends on strict hygiene and suspicion. However, the hurtloam’s undeniable effectiveness forces him to confront something beyond his rational framework. This reveals Covenant’s deep-seated resistance to hope or magic, as accepting such healing would undermine his grip on reality. His stunned whisper, “That’s not possible,” underscores his struggle between empirical disbelief and the evidence before him.5. How does the chapter use physical healing as a metaphor for Covenant’s broader journey?
Answer:
The healing of Covenant’s wounds mirrors his potential for emotional and psychological renewal in this new world. Just as the hurtloam repairs his physical injuries and awakens dormant sensations, his experiences challenge his emotional scars and rigid self-concept. The chapter suggests that Covenant’s journey may involve not just survival but transformation—if he can overcome his resistance to the unknown. However, his shock and denial hint at the difficulty of this process, framing his arc as one of grappling with belief versus skepticism, healing versus disease, and ultimately, acceptance versus despair.
Quotes
1. “Go forward, he said to himself. Don’t think about it. Survive.”
This quote captures Covenant’s fundamental survival mentality as he grapples with his strange circumstances. It represents his initial approach to coping with the Land’s reality - a pragmatic, almost willfully ignorant stance that contrasts with the deeper philosophical questions raised later.
2. “I’m a leper. I can’t feel this. No pain… That’s how I lost my fingers. I got hurt and infected, and they had to cut my hand apart.”
This crucial exchange introduces Covenant’s leprosy and its implications in the Land. The quote is significant as it establishes his physical vulnerability and the constant vigilance required by his condition, which becomes a recurring theme throughout the story.
3. “This is hurtloam… It is for healing… There is power in the Earth-power and life.”
This quote introduces the magical properties of the Land through the hurtloam’s miraculous healing. It represents the first major challenge to Covenant’s worldview, forcing him to confront the reality of the Land’s magic against his leper’s skepticism and caution.
4. “He was so stunned that for a moment he could only gape at his hands and think, Hellfire. Hellfire and bloody damnation. What’s happening to me?”
This internal monologue marks a pivotal moment of cognitive dissonance for Covenant as he witnesses impossible healing. The quote captures his profound shock and the beginning of his existential crisis about the nature of his experience in the Land.