The Lion's Mane: Outlandish Blood

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Lion's Mane
Title: Outlandish Blood
Author: scfrankles
Rating: G
Author's Notes: ...there was some strange outlandish blood in the man, which showed itself not only in his coal-black eyes and swarthy face but also in occasional outbreaks of temper, which could only be described as ferocious…


“I’m sure Mr. Holmes did not mean to be offensive,” said Stackhurst cautiously.

Murdoch set the Strand aside and rolled his eyes.

“I had believed my temper was my own flaw that I alone must take responsibility for...”

He chuckled.

“But it seems my poor, gentle grandfather has a lot more to answer for than my eyes and my abilities.”

Comments

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, by all means, blame the blood!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Stackhurst and Bellamy lose their tempers in the story too, but apparently only in Murdoch's case is ancestry to blame ^^"

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I didn't pick that up. So it's because he's...what? Welsh? Scot? A NILIST?! Too bad he couldn't be LATIN and not just, you know, a ordinary shit who throws dogs through windows when he's angry.

[debriswoman]

Now, there's a thought...:-p

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It's only occurred to me on this reading that at some point Murdoch himself probably read Holmes' story. What he must have thought... ^__^

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Probably affected the shape of the ears too.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Crikey - how long ago CARD seems now... ^^"

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Doyle/Holmes, way to show your Victorian racism.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It's odd but I had never truly noticed this bit of Victorian racism before last week. Perhaps because ACD is only using Murdoch's temper as a red herring.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

"Swarthy" was one of those charming code-words for "Of course he's a brute, he's black/brown/Roma."

Unfortunately, Tolkien and CS Lewis also use skin color as a code for identifying villains in their fantasy works.