From the book
The Gods Are Athirst
Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Phrase.
The sword is a weapon placed in a garland, offered by Gamelin as a decorative pattern for Élodie. The classical allusion carries the association of resistance to tyranny into an intimate object. The supplied edition’s apparatus links it to songs about Harmodius and Aristogeiton, but the immediate French itself specifies the conjunction “a sword in a garland.” Courtship and political conviction share the same design; the image need not be mistaken for a neutral floral ornament.
Places to read
- Chapter III, paragraph 24Frenchle glaive d’Harmodius: une épée dans une guirlande: a political weapon made into a courtship pattern. Gamelin promises the drawing, then sketches swords and flowers.