THE CELTIC LOVE KNOT
A great way to understand the evolution of power in petraglifs is to follow the emotional journey of the Celtic Love Knot throughout the Wullie series. This was a cheap touristy trinket that Finn bought for Hadley in Edinburgh when they were in Sixth Grade. He bought it because he thought that it was “cool looking.” She liked the intricate woven pattern because it reminded her of mathematical puzzles. So, the Celtic Love Knot became imbued with friendship, love, curiosity and emotional energy. But when Hadley heard that it represented the knot of everlasting love, she was embarrassed. When she and Finnley had a falling out Hadley hit the brooch with an axe and put a daub of green paint on it to show that she didn’t want anything to do with that kind of lovey-dovey nonsense! The Celtic Love Knot absorbed all that embarrassment and anger.
When they made up and were friends again Hadley tried to scrape the pain off and keep it. It still looked ugly and damaged, but as a petraglif it now became stronger because it soaked up a bigger dose of love mixed with regret. In Book 2, Twilight Cave, Hadley brings the Celtic Love Knot along with her when she tries to rescue Finnley in Barcelunda. It falls into enemies’ hands. It is put around Finn’s neck before he is to be sacrificed. Desperandum rubs acid onto it to claim Finnley’s power for himself. In so doing the emotional power of the brooch keeps growing. At the end of Twilight Cave, the Celtic Love Knot gets released and drops onto the ground at Calanais when Finn is rescued.
In Book 3, Chondrite Vault, Desperandum finds the Celtic Love Knot and uses it to track Finnley. Desperandum has it with him in the Great Chambered Tomb at the climax of Book 3. The power of the brooch continues to grow in Book 4, Shadow Canyon, when it stays within the Chambered Tomb when Varry Doo enters to return the Tomb to Cnoc Liath.
By the time Varry Doo uses the Celtic Love Knot in Book 5, Desolation Moor, the brooch has become an even more powerful petraglif. It now has had greed, hatred, and a longing for power added to its emotional stew. Because of this complex emotional history, Varry Doo is able to use the Celtic Love Knot for an incredibly powerful spell to trap Finnley and Hadley. And so, you can see that in the eyes of gomes the value and power of a human petraglif lies not in its monetary value but in the depth and variety of emotions that it contains. In this way a cheap touristy trinket can become more powerful than a ten-carat diamond.