Title: Malazan Book of the Fallen #2 – Deadhouse Gates
Author(s): Steven Erikson
Release year: 2000
Publisher: Bantam Books
Why in Database: The second volume of the ten-book series “Malazan Book of the Fallen” has several turtle elements.
In the first fragment , the turtle is used as a reference in the comparison:
The man writhed on the ground like an upended tortoise, his legs still trapped in their crossed position.
The second reference is to turtles in a military context, some references to the testudo formation can be found here:
‘I’d heard that he was working the soldiers to exhaustion, that he didn’t even need to enforce the curfew since everyone was so eager for sleep and the barracks were silent as tombs by the eighth bell. If not practising wheels and turtles and shield-walls, then what?’
The next fragment is a common phenomenon of “turtle-ing the translation”, ie in English it is only about something very slow, while in the Polish edition we have “turtle pace”.
‘Four and a half feet deep, over four hundred paces… those animals should be crossing at a crawl.
– Cztery i pół stopy głębokości, ponad czterysta kroków… zwierzęta powinny przechodzić rzekę w żółwim tempie.
The next fragment is againwith the added turtle. In the original version, the tortoise (in a way suggesting that the above-described associations with the Testudo formation are rather correct) appears only once, and in the polish edition the name appears twice, the second time the phrase “under shields” was translated as “under the armored back of the turtle “:
Suddenly arrows filled the sky, sweeping down like rain. Horrendous clattering racketed over Duiker’s head as shafts snapped, skidded across the upraised shields, some slipping through to strike armour and helms, some piercing flesh. Voices grunted beneath the turtle’s back. Cobbles pitched underfoot. Yet the carapaced wedge climbed on without pause.
The historian’s elbows buckled as an arrow struck his shield a solid blow. Three more rapped down in quick succession, all glancing impacts that then skittered away across other shields.
The air beneath the shields grew sour and turgid – sweat, urine and a growing anger.
Pod pancernym grzbietem żółwia coraz trudniej było oddychać. Powietrze wypełniał kwaśny zapach potu, moczu i narastającego gniewu.
The last fragments are two mentions of turtles, this time as real animals, and their habits related to hibernation:
The dirt-smeared face above them grinned. ‘Guess what turtles do in the winter?’ he shouted down, then pulled back and out of sight.
(…)
A turtle burrows come winter. The bastards snuck onto the banks last night – under the very noses of Reloe – and buried them.’ selves. What in Hood’s name for?
The sappers, still wearing their shields on their backs, milled about, preparing weapons and other gear. One stepped free to wave the Foolish Dog riders forward.
The ramp trembled.
