The Hrimgar Mountains

By Hersius

Introduction

The Hrimgar Mountains are Gor’s northernmost known mountain chain. They are seen to be a series of volcanic peaks. TGV June 2003. Their name means “Barrier Mountains,” and this must refer to them being a barrier against arctic cold rather than to their crossing. Book 12 Page 192.

The Hrimgar Mountains constitute an ecosystem distinct from those of the polar plains, Torvaldsland, and the Northern Forests, dominated by cold and by, in all probability, a lack of major vegetation and animals. These mountains are not to be confused with the mountains of Torvaldsland, which lie only a few pasangs from the coast.

The Hrimgar Mountains are a series of peaks that, while forming ranges, allow for multiple passes. Glaciers occupy the inter-range valleys. The peaks run diagonally to the east and north of Torvaldsland. The northwest end is at Thassa, where the intermountain Ax Glacier reaches the ocean. The southeastern edge either stops at the Northern Forests or perhaps descends southward into the Northern Forests. The location of the Hrimgars is shown by how the herd of Tancred migrates. A large tabuk herd, known as the herd of Tancred, lives in the Northern Forests east of Torvaldsland. It migrates onto the polar basin in the spring and then returns to the Northern Forests as winter approaches. The herd leaves the Northern Forests west of the Hrimgar Mountains, follows the southwest side of the Hrimgars and so travels east and north of Torvaldsland, enters the Hrimgars at Ax Glacier adjacent to the Thassa coast, crosses Ax Glacier, and leaves the Hrimgars through the Pass of Tancred. Book 12 Pages 36, 190, 192.

Notice that the route travelled by the herd is some distance from the areas occupied by people. Notice also that the herd migrates between the Northern Forests both ways over the same route. This suggests that the Hrimgars may be wider at their southeastern end and narrower at their northwestern end. The northwestern end seems to focus sharply, as both the entry and exit over Ax Glacier take relatively little time (10 days crossing the glacier and 4 days to reach the summit of the Pass of Tancred by people according to Book 12 Pages 190, 192). That’s all it takes to cross the moutain chains at that location. One literally runs out of Hrimgar Mountains at the coast. The question arises as to why the herd does not enter the polar basin east of the Hrimgars, and one logical implication is that the mountains are much wider in the southwest. There has to be a series of ranges according to Norman’s description, and since there does not seem to be much of one at the coast, the mountains have to widen appreciably southeast of Ax Glacier. The question follows as to why the herd does not simply remain within the Northern Forests and skirt the Hrimgars by going south of the mountains even if they are wider there, and so another logical inference is that the Hrimgars may extend into the Northern Forests. Projecting the Hrimgars into the Northern Forests could have the additional advantage of providing the source of the Laurius River, since the source of that river is presently unaccounted for.

These articles estimate the latitudes of the polar basin to be 73-68 degrees. TGV Nov 2005. Ax Glacier and the Pass of Tancred come out onto the polar tundra close to the polar sea, so Ax Glacier can be estimated at 72 degrees north latitude. If the Hrmigars stop at the Northern Forests, they would extend between 72 and 68 degrees north latitude, for a total of 4 degrees of latitude. If they extend a ways into the Northern Forests, their southeastern edge may lie another 2 degrees south. Remember that Norman describes them as being east and north of Torvaldsland, so interpreters must be careful to not make the Hrimgars into a mostly or equally Northern Forests phenomenon.

The longitudes of the Hrimgars will be discussed in the future article on Torvaldsland.

The Hrimgar Mountains are partly within the Arctic Circle since the statement that the nights last for 6 months in the Ax Glacier region is made within sight of the Torvaldsberg. Book 9 Page 157; see also Book 12 Page74.

Background

Gor has seasons, which means that the planet changes its tilt with respect to the sun like Earth does. The Arctic Circle is a latitude determined by how much a planet changes its tilt with respect to the sun as it revolves around the sun. The Arctic Circle is the latitude at which, in polar places, the sun appears at its farthest southern point at the summer solstice in June. Land above the Arctic Circle has at least one full day of sunlight, hence the nickname, “Land of the Midnight Sun.” This day will occur at the summer solstice. Land above the Arctic Circle also has at least one full day of darkness, and this occurs in December at the winter solstice. Because the atmosphere refracts light, on Earth there is a 90 kilometer “fudge factor” on either side of the Arctic Circle since places that distance south may also see the midnight sun and places that distance north may also see sunlight during the day of darkness. On Earth, the Arctic Circle is currently around 67 N and the Antarctic Circle is about 67 S. Each planet will have a unique latitude for its Arctic Circle. If Ax Glacier is located at 72 N then the Gorean Arctic Circle may be estimated at 71 N currently. This is close enough to Earth’s Arctic Circle for the novels to retain their verisimilitude.

The Hrimgar Mountains must be extremely cold. Temperature is a function of many things, including latitude, altitude, and convection.

Latitude relates to the angle of presentation of sunlight. If you shine a flashlight directly onto the surface of a table so that the circle of light is the smallest, the concentration of light is at its greatest. If you angle the flashlight so that an oval of light is projected over a broader surface, the same amount of light becomces diffused and so its effects are weakened. The angle of sunlight relates to heat. At Earth’s orbital distance, sunlight hits the extreme latitudes at a sharper angle, and as the planet tilts and alters its presentation, the land experiences seasons. The significance of the tilt can be shown by the fact that, since Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle, the planet is sometimes closer to the sun and sometimes farther away, and, due to the change in the tilt, Earth’s northern hemisphere experiences summer when the planet is farther from the sun and it experiences winter when the planet is closer to the sun. The angle of presentation of sunlight makes the seasonal difference. The Hrimgar Mountains are found at the same latitudes as the polar basin, so they can be expected to evidence arctic conditions.

Altitude relates to air pressure. The average height of the Hrimgar ranges is not specified. The height of the Torvaldsberg is given as 17,000 feet. Norman says that it is not the highest peak on Gor. Book 9 Pages 220-221. The context seems to imply that the Torvaldsberg looms higher than the Torvaldsland mountains and the Hrimgar ranges in general, and these articles surmise that the Thentis Mountains contain the tallest peaks. TGV April 2003. The Hrimgars Mountains are tall enough and wide enough and layered deep enough to protect the Torvaldsland coast from being like the polar plains, so they should be expected to be tall enough to experience a lowering of temperature due to lower air pressure. The boiling point of water illustrates how air pressure has measureable effects. At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees F. In Denver, which is officially one mile in altitude, the air pressure is such that water boils at 205 degrees. At 14,000 feet (Colorado has lots of ”14ers“ and for comparison, the average elevation of Tibet is 14,000 feet), water boils at 187 degrees. Try bicycling or marathon running at the Colorado National Monument if you have only trained at sea level, and you will quickly experience the effects of lower air pressure. In terms of overall temperature, air molecules that are farther apart retain less ambient heat, so the higher the altitude, the colder it gets and can become.

Convection relates to winds. Wind lowers the ambient temperature in what is known as the “wind chill factor.” The Hrimgar Mountains must expereince fierce polar winds on their northeast side. Glaciers occupy the land between the peaks, so any polar winds that blow within the ranges will blow over glaciers. The cold environment begun by latitude and exacerbated by altitude has to be made even more extreme by winds. The U.S. National Weather Service provides an online chart and wind chill factor calculator at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml.

The Hrimgar Mountains, at least the portion north of the Northern Forests, must be desolate except for some hardy life forms blown in by winds from the Northern Forests or Torvaldsland. The extreme conditions projected for the Hrimgar ranges can be illustrated by thoughts on the peopling of the Americas. Scholars theorizing that people crossed the Bering Strait from Asia into the Americas understood that such populations could not cross the glacier-filled Canadian mountain ranges. They had to propose two scenarios: either there had to be periods when there was an “ice-free corridor” between the mountain ranges, or people had to travel down the coast and enter the continent from coastal (now underwater) places. The Ice Age cold found at those Canadian latitudes coupled with the high mountain altitudes would have prevented most vegetation from growing. Recall that Norman says that, if it were not for the Torvaldsland current, Torvaldsland itself would be incapable of growing crops. Book 9 Page 55. In addition, periodic glaciermelts result in vast lakes of ice water, making foot travel impossible. Without sufficient vegetation, small game would not be found in the Hrimgars, and melting ice alone does not create a fish population. The Hrimgar Mountains have to be barren and indeed, forbidding.