Hrossa

The **hrossa** (singular **hross**) are a Malacandrian species of Hnau who resemble bipedal otters or seals, and are somewhat taller and thinner than humans. They are air breathing, but spend much of their time in or near water in the Martian lowlands.

Hrossa come in at least three races - black, silver, white and crested. There might be more but this is not stated in the text. An average lifespan for a hross is 160 years, and they often marry around forty.

The speech of the Hrossa is Hressa-Hlab, which may or may not be related to Old Solar, which they also speak.

## Description

Ransom finds them beautiful and they are described as "*seven feet high, with a snaky body, covered, face and all, with thick black animal hair, and whiskered like a cat. But starting from the other end you had an animal with everything an animal ought to have—glossy coat, liquid eye, sweet breath and whitest teeth*" (p. 59, Chap. 9).

They are also described as "*something like a penguin, something like an otter, something like a seal; the slenderness and flexibility of the body suggested a giant stoat. The great round head, heavily whiskered, was mainly responsible for the suggestion of seal; but it was higher in the forehead than a seal's and the mouth was smaller.*"

## Culture and homeland

Hrossa live in the low river valleys (*handramit* in the speech of the Old Solar) and specialise in farming, fishing, and performing arts such as dancing and poetry. They are especially gifted in making poetry; yet they refuse to write it down as they believe that books ruin words and poems. Their sense of humour is "extravagant and fantastic" (Chap. 18). Their technical level is low, and they wear only pocketed loincloths. The boats that they build are similar to our canoes.

They have a slightly heroic, but not warlike culture. They They take great joy in hunting dangerous animals face to face, such as the Hnakra, and those who succeed are known as Hnakrapunt.

The Hrossa are warrior-poets and musicians prone to flamboyant action and speech; their humour consisting predominantly of elaborate wordplays. and composing epic poems; but are prone to overlook simple practicalities.

The more pragmatic Sorn, Augray is dismissive of them, "*The hrossa know nothing except about poems and fish and making things grow out of the ground.*" Likewise, Kanakaberaka, the Pfifltriggi, says of his own people "*We do not live in holes like the sorns nor in bundles of weed like the hrossa.*"

## Language

The Hressa-Hlab is the speech of the hrossa.

Hrossa add an initial /h/ sound to their words, probably due to their physiology. In the sequels it is made clear that the language of the *hrossa* is the primary Old Solar language, and that the languages of the other two species are late derivatives of it.

## Relation to other works and real life basis

The hrossa are perhaps one of the closest approaches that C.S. Lewis makes in The Space Trilogy to the talking animals of *The Chronicles of Narnia*. Narnia's world includes talking beavers, rats and other creatures reminscent of the hrossa. Lewis and his brother Warnie had created such talking animals as children in their play world, Boxen.

It has also been suggested that the Hrossa are based on the Irish, particularly the Catholic Irish of the West. Lewis was himself Irish but of the Ulster Protestant variety. The aversion to writing things down was an ancient druidic trait, which persisted in some parts of Ireland with the folk tradition.

It has also been suggested that they are inspired by the style of the Nordic Eddas and Sagas.

## Pop culture references

The hrossa, séroni, and pfifltriggi are several of the races living on Mars in Larry Niven's 1999 novel *Rainbow Mars*; they are referred to as the "Pious Ones" by the Barsoomian races. The hrossa are called the "Fishers", the pfifltriggi the "Smiths", and the séroni the "High Folk".

In *Scarlet Traces: The Great Game*, a hieroglyphics-filled chamber seems to show the hrossa, séroni, and pfifltriggi as the original races of Mars, that were wiped out by the arrival of the War of the Worlds Martians.

## Hrossa

* Hhihi
* Hleri
* Hlithnahi
* Hnoh
* Hnohra
* Hnoo
* Hrikki
* Hrinha
* Hyahi
* Hyoi
* Whin

## Gallery

Vaughan Flanagan's Hross illustrationDeimos Remus's first illustration of a HrossDeimos Remus's second Hross illustrationVaughan Flanagan's illustration of Hrossa huts
1. ↑ https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/c-s-lewis-finds-irish-catholics-in-outer-space