Astronomy Helliconia lies in a loose
binary star system, which consists of a yellow-orange dwarf similar to the
Sun,
Batalix (
spectral class G4), and a hotter and brighter white star,
Freyr (Type A supergiant). Helliconia orbits Batalix, which in turn orbits Freyr. A Helliconian week is eight days. There are six weeks in a tenner, and ten tenners in a Helliconian small year. While seasonal changes in the small year are slighter than those of Earth, the long seasons of the great year are much more marked. When distant from Freyr, Batalix's illumination is sufficient only to maintain ice-age conditions. However, Freyr's output is many times greater than Batalix's, so as Helliconia approaches Freyr, the tropics of Helliconia become hotter even than the tropics of Earth. Previously Helliconia only orbited Batalix, but the Helliconia-Batalix system was captured by Freyr's
gravitational pull about eight million Earth-years ago (i.e., very recently by astronomical and evolutionary standards). The Freyr stellar system originally consisted of two stars, but during the encounter by Batalix, the sister-star of Freyr was thrown out of the system, along with one of Batalix's original planets and Helliconia's moon. Batalix has a total of 4 planets in orbit. They are, closet to farthest, Copaise (0.31 AU distant), Aganip (0.82 AU distant), Helliconia (1.26 AU distant), and Ipocrene (1.53 AU distant). To the inhabitants of Helliconia, the other planets appear in the sky to be bright stars, along with one other rapid-moving star called "Kaidaw" (actually the Earth Observation Station Avernus).
Geography Helliconia is 1.28 times the mass of Earth with a greater
axial tilt of 35 degrees. The small-year seasons are harsher, but the planet still has huge
polar ice caps, capable of surviving even the great summer, and the
human-habitable surface area is comparable to that of Earth. There are three continents: a central continent (Campannlat), a northern continent (Sibornal) and a southern continent (Hespagorat).
Helliconia Spring and
Helliconia Summer mainly take place in Campannlat, with its tropical climate and rich vitality;
Helliconia Winter focuses more on the polar regions of Sibornal, where the harsher environment encourages technological progress. The southern continent, Hespagorat, another polar region, features only briefly in the books, when an ice company's ship captain sails to Lordryardry to harvest huge blocks of ice to sell in Campannlat.
Language Aldiss has written the trilogy in the English language, but readers are made to understand that the Helliconians are indeed speaking their own language(s). That humans on Helliconia have evolved totally separate from humans on Earth supports this. A few languages are described throughout the trilogy, including the following:
Olonets The primary language of humans (especially on the continent of Campannlat). The name of the language is ancient, and refers to when humans had recently evolved to their present hominid form on Helliconia, as they had been split into the "Ten Tribes," or "Olle Onets." In truth, Olonets is but a greatly modified version of Native Ancipital, and the Olonets name for the planet, "Helliconia," is a modified version of the original Ancipital name for the planet, "Hrl-Ichor Yhar." Olonets is, during the events of the books, further divided into two main classes: Pure Olonets and Local Olonets. Pure Olonets is used mainly by nobility and religious leaders, while Local Olonets is used by the general population. Though humans are the chief speakers of the Olonets language, other species are able to gain some proficiency with it. Some phagors (especially those who are kept captive or otherwise made to spend greater amounts of time around humans) are able to speak it—though with some difficulty, as they struggle to understand differences of tense and their cattle-like mouths give them marked trouble pronouncing sibilant sounds. Even some of the human-like Madis (especially those with some more recent human ancestry due to cross-species breeding) have proven themselves capable of handling Olonets, though they may still be prone to singing it rather than speaking it.
Sibish Another language spoken by humans (especially on the continent of Sibornal). It has its own distinct written script, and boasts multiple tenses and conditionals, such as the continuous present, the conditional-eternal, the past-into-present, the transferential, the subjunctive, the past continuous, the future compulsive, the avoidance-subjunctive, the fatalistic future, and others still that are combinations of the aforesaid. In
Winter, the Sibish phrase "Abro Hakmo Astab!" is a known phrase of defiance, as it is understood to describe the action of defiling the planet's suns (Freyr and Batalix) performing irrumation on both of them.
Ancipital The primary language of phagors. The native ancipital language is unsuited for abstract thought, and deals with only one tense: the continuous present. An auxiliary mode of ancipital, called Eo-Temporal, is a sacred mode of speech phagors use as the language of the trance-state "tether" (the phagor equivalent to the human trance-state "pauk"). The name of Helliconia's former moon in Native Ancipital is "T'Sehn-Hrr." The table below shows some words/phrases in Native Ancipital, with the approximate Olonets equivalents (set here in English):
Hurdhu A bridge language between humans and phagors. The language is also referred to as an intraspecific mode of communication, a genuine bridge between human and non-human concepts, and is said to have originated from the continent of Sibornal. This tongue is purportedly heavy with nouns and gerunds, and many of its sounds emanate from the back of the throat. The table below shows some words/phrases as understood in Olonets and Native Ancipital, with the Hurdhu equivalents (set here in English):
''hr'Madi'h'' The primary language of the Madis, a species of nomadic semi-humans constantly migrating across the continent of Campannlat. The language is also referred to as a proto-gnostic language. It is not a rigid sort of language, being more fluid and thus more suitable for singing than for speaking. There is no written form of the Madi language, and words or phrases may more accurately describe concepts rather than fixed ideas. In
Summer, the Madi word "Ahd" can refer to a "life," a "journey," or another collection of events (as, for the Madis, their journey is their life). The table below shows some words/phrases in the Madi language, with the approximate Olonets translation (set here in English):
Language change over time As a feature of his invented world, Aldiss has given the readers examples of
language change, by which some words and names persist with alterations over time. Helliconian languages exhibit such alterations over the course of a Great Year. Courtesy of written records that manage to survive, some characters are still remembered many years after they are gone. The table below shows examples of how some words and names are reckoned at different points in the trilogy:
Technology Different individuals and groups exist at different stages of Helliconia's Great Year, each hoping in some way to preserve knowledge. Some of these are reduced to folklore, others have their efforts ruined, while others still manage to persist more efficiently.
Masters Corps At the time of
Spring, various
guilds or "masters corps" exist, each dedicated to the perpetuation of certain profession and crafts. The masters corps were founded by King Denniss, who ruled before the end of the previous Great Year. Generally, only men are permitted membership (though during
Spring, the apothecary's corps allows one woman, a skilled herbalist, to join). Revealing secrets of the corps is punishable by death. At the beginning of
Spring, there are seven old corps of Embruddock, only five of which are made known. They are: • Metal-makers corps • Colour-makers corps •
Brewers corps • Tawyers and tanners corps •
Apothecary’s corps During the course of the story of
Spring, two new corps of Embruddock are created. They are: •
Harness and lorimers corps •
Outfitters corps Due to the
durable goods and technology that still exists here and there in Embruddock, such as towers and telescopes, some characters of
Spring come to suspect that other corps once existed. They would have been: •
Mason-makers corps • Paper-makers corps • Glass-makers corps
Biology Although Helliconia appears to share many organisms in kind with Earth, the trilogy describes a variety of exclusive plants and animals, and how they cope with the extremes of the climate. A memorable example is Wutra's Worm, an immense creature whose
life span matches the great year, the Helliconian equivalent of a
dragon. As spring unfolds the young worms emerge from underground and sprout wings to take flight, in the summer the adolescent worms are sea-dwellers, and in the winter the now-wingless mature worms return to a life below the surface in a great network of tunnels.
Flora Several kinds of plant life are described across the changing seasons, and the humans of Helliconia find various uses for them. In
Spring, some newly emerged plants find applications as herbal remedies, especially at around the time of the Bone Fever epidemic, when flowers are used as a sort of nostrum to sterilise the nasal passages and ward off "
bad airs." In
Summer, when temperatures are stifling, some plants are used decoratively (Scantiom—hung for its appearance and cooling balm), recreationally (Veronikane—set alight in a way similar to
tobacco), or even for nourishment (Pellamountain—infused in water to prepare a kind of
tea).
Fauna Some of the animals in the trilogy have the same name as Earth animals, although Aldiss does not state these are identical to their Earth equivalent. There is also a variety of imagined creatures.
Phagors Phagors, also called ancipitals (meaning "double-edged", in reference to their horns), "shaggies," and "fuggies," are white-furred humanoid beings, roughly the size of humans but with features resembling the mythical
minotaur. They are intelligent, with their own language and culture, but their civilisation has never advanced beyond a
hunter-gatherer level. Having evolved during Helliconia's earlier cold period, phagors are very different from humans in many ways: their blood is golden rather than red, their guts are located above their lungs, their brains are uni-hemispheric, and they have an utterly alien intellect and psychology. They are described as hardy and long-lived, though not tolerant of warm conditions and water. If a phagor reaches great age, it begins to shrink and gradually becomes
keratinised, so that it eventually resembles a small totem showing no outward signs of life. Living phagors continue to be able to communicate with the spirits of these keratinised ancestors by assuming a mental state called
tether. When in tether, they perceive their ancestors as small quadrupedal sprites. These sprites, as ancestral spirits able to be contacted, fulfil the same role as the human "gossies" and "fessups". Since the capture of the Helliconia system by the star Freyr and the subsequent evolution of humans, the two species have been in constant conflict, with the phagors dominant during the great winter and the humans dominant during the great summer. The slow swings in fortune between the two species are governed by the planet's climatic and biological cycles, rendering military conflicts between them essentially irrelevant. In a reversal of their original relationship, phagors are sometimes employed as soldiers or kept as slaves by humans, and humans are sometimes kept as slaves by phagors, during both seasons. When humans have phagors as slaves or pets, they may have their horns removed.
Humans Phagors were the dominant race on Helliconia before Batalix and the planets in orbit about it were captured by Freyr. The increased temperatures and UV-radiation caused by the new stellar configuration encouraged the evolution of humans on Helliconia. Before this, the ancestors of humans had been ape-like creatures from the continent of Hespagorat (once joined to the continent of Campannlat by a land bridge), sometimes kept as pets by the phagors. Because humans emerged after the solar system's capture by Freyr, the phagors associate them with the new star, and thus call them "Sons of Freyr". Remnants of human evolution can be seen in the continued existence of several sub-human and semi-human species on Helliconia. The humans of Helliconia and those of Earth are therefore unrelated despite their apparent near-identity, products of convergent evolution. By the end of each great autumn, humans have developed levels of civilization comparable at their most advanced to
Renaissance Europe, with technology such as telescopes, map-making, porcelain and glass-crafting, and even gas-lamps. However, each time the centuries-long great winter (also called the "Weyr-Winter") returns, human civilization inevitably regresses and has to be rebuilt again the next spring.“So greatly had time dismantled a once proud city that its inhabitants did not realise that what they regarded as a town was nothing more than the remains of a palace, which had stood in the middle of a civilisation obliterated by climate, madness, and the ages.” (
Helliconia Spring, Chapter VIII)The books hint that humans in some regions are becoming more competent at preserving knowledge and social structures through the winter, and that over the next few great years they may develop a scientific-industrial civilization capable of surviving throughout the great year, and thus completely dominating Helliconia.
Semi-humans Several species similar to humans have evolved on Helliconia, and exist contemporaneously with the dominant species of human we follow across the trilogy.
Madis A nomadic species that experiences life as passage of distance, rather than a passage of time. Madis are similar to humans, but more slender and of smaller stature, possessing a consciousness described as not-quite-human; they have dark skin, faces described as somewhat bird-like, excellent eyesight, and
zygodactylous fingers and toes (four opposing four on the hands, giving them extraordinary grips; four facing forward and four at the heels on the feet, giving them an especial nimbleness). Madis communicate by singing their language, and generally mate for life. When two of them are joined in what they recognise as a form of marriage, they merge their names (ex: the name of a married pair may be "The Cathkaarnits," the male called "Cathkaarnit-he," and the female "Cathkaarnit-she"). Some Madis have been known to associate and cross-breed with humans, though the humans are usually the ones to initiate such relationships, as the Madis generally care only for their nomadic journey.
Nondads A subterranean species known to inhabit Campannlat. Pockets of these semi-humans live underground in a vast network of caves and tunnels known as “The Eighty Darknesses,” entering and exiting via burrows at the bases of rajabaral trees. Nondads are described as similar to Madis, possessing eight-fingered hands and standing no higher than the average human’s waist, but their bodies are much hairier and their faces more dog-like, with protruding muzzles. They are mostly peaceful, having designated a special ruler/warrior class of select males permitted to act on violent impulse. A female may hold a role as a comforter or healer, known as a “snoktruix.” They communicate constantly — even while eating — through a mix of snorts, whistles, and clicks. Most Nondads appear to strive towards uniting all members of the tribe in a sort of collective consciousness, many acting in the same way and communicating the same thing at the same time. This is done supposedly in accordance with the will of their god, Withram, whom they believe to oppose individuality. Unlike humans, Nondads have had no prior exposure to the helico virus. In
Spring, a group of Nondads that has ventured to the surface abducts a weakened Laintal Ay (at the time ill with Bone Fever) and brings him underground to look after him, unwittingly exposing the entire tribe to the helico virus and causing mass death.
Ondods A species similar to Nondads, but inhabiting Sibornal. The word "Ondod" supposedly means "Spirit People" or "Spirited People," as Luterin Shokerandit understands in
Winter. Intimate relationships appear to rely heavily on insults, with males and females constantly slandering each other (even in the presence of strangers) but still showing some genuine affection at times. They have their own language, but are also able to communicate with humans by using a broken Sibish. The table below shows some words/phrases in the Ondod language, with some rough Sibish translations (set here in English):
"Others" Some species of semi-humans are described, but not in great detail, being referred to simply as "Others." From descriptions of their dark fur and white faces, habitation among trees, and swinging from different structures using their hands, feet, and tails, it can be presumed that Others are similar to monkeys, though ape-like tailless species exist, and a species of "gorilloid" Others is also mentioned.
Virology The Helico Virus On Helliconia, a virus carried by ticks is both a harbinger of death and a natural safeguard against total human extinction. Endemic twice in a great year, it causes widespread devastation and transformation to the Helliconian humans toward the beginning of the great spring and toward the end of the great autumn. The virus, while essential for human survival on Helliconia, is fatal year-round to the humans aboard the Earth Observation Station
Avernus, who have no natural defenses against it. Nonetheless, many inhabitants of
Avernus choose to enter a lottery in which they can win the chance to visit the planet's surface and interact with the population, knowing that the virus will kill them within a matter of days. Notably, phagors carry the virus, but are immune to its deadlier aspects with which the ticks afflict the humans.
Symptoms of the Helico Virus Though fictional, the helico virus appears to be an amalgamation of different real-world illnesses, displaying features of
Mumps (viral structure and bodily rashes),
Meningitis (cerebral inflammation and sensory disruptions), and
Tetanus (muscular spasms and locked limbs).“Their lips were blue, peeled back to reveal yellow teeth and gums. Their limbs were distorted, their bones creaked. They were in some way aware of their position, yet unable to cease a constant motor movement, making their eyeballs roll horribly in their stretched facial skin.” (
Helliconia Spring, Chapter XIII)
Helico Virus in Spring: Bone Fever As the planet warms during the onset of the great spring, the virus rages in the form of Bone Fever. Populations across the globe can expect to be reduced by about half. At this phase, the main feature of the virus is the immediate onset of an acute form of
anorexia. Humans afflicted experience revulsion at the thought of eating, starving themselves and shedding about one-third to one-half of their normal body weight. Survivors achieve thinner bodily frames and altered metabolisms to prepare future human generations for centuries of warmer weather.
Helico Virus in Autumn: Fat Death As the planet cools during the end of the great autumn, the virus rages in the form of Fat Death. Populations across the globe can expect to be reduced by about half. At this phase, the main feature of the virus is the immediate onset of an acute form of
bulimia. Humans afflicted experience unquenchable appetites, eating just about anything they can—food, feces, even their own children—and gaining about one-third to one-half of their normal body weight. Survivors achieve heavier bodily frames and altered metabolisms to prepare future human generations for centuries of colder weather.
Other notes Bone Fever and Fat Death cause great suffering and have very high
mortality rates. However, survivors (and therefore, their progeny) are left with bodies much thinner or fatter and, metabolically speaking, better adapted to the coming conditions of summer or winter, respectively. Hence, humans have a
symbiotic relationship with the virus and – unknowingly – with the phagors, who carry the ticks and therefore the virus. Some rare people in remote areas happen to be immune to the virus; these are considered ugly pariahs by the majority of the population, as they are horribly fat or thin compared to the prevailing standard. Outside of the hyperactive periods of the plagues at spring's onset and autumn's end, bites from phagor ticks may also cause the virus to manifest in a less active form, causing intense hallucinatory fevers and blotchy rashes over one's entire body; these symptoms persist for about a week, but ultimately fail to produce the permanent metabolic changes characteristic of a true Bone Fever or Fat Death. In
Spring, Aoz Roon wrestles with a live phagor and Laintal Ay wears the skin of a slain phagor in an attempt to disguise himself as one—both men fall ill of the helico virus in its "lesser" form.
Religion & spirituality Akhanaba Akhanaba, also referred to as "Akha's Naba," "Naba's Akha," or simply "Akha," is a chthonic deity (said to resemble a human in
Spring, and a phagor in
Summer) worshipped as a god of the earth and darkness by some of the humans on Helliconia. Followers of Akha may construct various shrines and idols from dug earth or stone—generally not permitted to be exposed to sunlight—and make public displays of obedience, as well as offerings of food and money that are ultimately directed to the priesthood. It is believed that Akha must remain engaged in an everlasting war with his counterpart, Wutra. Hence, human affairs are considered unimportant to Akha. In the prelude of
Spring, a young Yuli in Pannoval elects to be a priest of Akha. At this time, a street-preacher named "Naab" begins to advocate for reform among the people, so that they may become worthy of the god Akha's care. But as soon as Naab suggests that reform is also necessary among the ranks of the priesthood, he is arrested and later ritualistically executed. Even so, rumours of his preachings persist, then over many years his name is modified to be "Naba," and he is elevated from the status of preacher to prophet, sparking revitalization among a lesser known sect of the priesthood, called the Takers. In this way, the name of the god transitions over time from "Akha" to "Akhanaba." Later, when Yuli forms his new settlement of Oldorando, he permits no mention of Akha, having become disillusioned with the god and the corresponding priesthood. In
Summer, the god Akhanaba is still worshipped, yet to an even greater extent across Campannlat, for Pannoval has over centuries become the head of a theocratic empire.
Wutra Wutra is a celestial deity (said to resemble a phagor in
Spring) worshipped as a god of the skies and light by some of the humans on Helliconia. In
Spring, a woman named Shay Tal learns from the gossies and fessups of the underworld that Wutra as god does not truly exist. Rather, “Wutra” is but the name human slaves gave long ago to their phagor masters. What the word/name "Wutra" means is not clear, but it seems to denote the submission and dread humans experience at the hands of phagors during times of extreme cold.“…and Wutra what of him he did not aid our distant fessups when they lived. In the days of the old iron cold came the white phagors out of the murk and took the town by storm making the humans their slaves who worshipped their new masters by the name Wutra because the gods of ice winds ruled…” (
Helliconia Spring, Chapter VIII)
God the Azoiaxic & The Great Wheel of Kharnabhar Humans of the northern continent Sibornal worship the god they call by the moniker
Azoiaxic, intended to describe a being which has always existed, and forever revolves about, constantly encouraging and encapsulating life. The Sibornalese have developed the Church of Formidable Peace for worship of God the Azoiaxic. The Great Wheel of Kharnabhar was constructed and dedicated to this god. Monks who worship God the Azoiaxic staff the wheel. Many people believe in its sanctity and make pilgrimages to the site of the Great Wheel. The Sibornalese believe that the act of turning the wheel is akin to turning a cog that propels Helliconia vessel-like across the heavens and toward the warmth of the star Freyr.
Magic Some humans on Helliconia are willing to accept the possible existence of magic and/or sorcery, though examples of it in the story are explainable by science. Some timekeeping systems are regarded as sinister and associated with witchcraft and the occult. There is supposedly an older form of the Olonets language used for channeling magic. In
Spring, a woman named Shay Tal gains a reputation as a sorceress after appearing to produce ice from a pool of water, freezing a band of phagors. Unknown to her, this occurred because the phagors had disturbed still supercooled water; she later makes attempts to reproduce and determine the extent of her supposed magic, though each attempt fails. In
Summer, a man named Billy Xiao Pin (from the Earth Observation Station Avernus) brings a wristwatch-like timekeeping device to Helliconia. Humans on the planet have knowledge of calendars and timekeeping, and can make clocks, but believe that the device is a magic artifact, as they are unable to explain its electronic interface and other functionings. Even phagors are wary about doing anything with Billy's watch, as they observe that it can perform tasks by unknown means and seems to hold unspecified powers.
The Original Boulder/Beholder Just as Earth in the novels is sustained by
Gaia, the Earth-mother force, Helliconia is tended by a similar yet separate entity referred to as the "Original Beholder" (or in
Helliconia Spring the "Original Boulder"), often represented in artwork as a benevolent female figure, a maternal force watching over the world. A striking difference between Earth-humans and Helliconian humans (and phagors) is the latter's ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead as their life force is slowly returned to the Original Beholder. Both humans and phagors can enter a sort of
shamanistic trance allowing this direct communication, a state which the humans call
pauk (also "father-communing" or "paterplacation"), and the phagors call
tether. Recently deceased human spirits are called "gossies"; those of more ancient demise are "fessups." A plot point in the trilogy is the changing character of the
pauk experience for the Helliconian humans: In
Spring, the spirits of the dead are described as exceedingly bitter and scathing. They feel they were cheated out of better things in life, and direct all despair for their current condition at the living. After humans on Earth become interested in Helliconian civilization (at about the time of
Spring), a planet-wide effort is made on Earth to transmit psychically an amount of empathic energy from Gaia to the Original Beholder, in order to lend support to the humans on Helliconia. This effort has a positive effect on the spirits of the dead Helliconians, making them happier and more nurturing toward the living. So, at about the time of
Summer, the spirits of the dead are described as excessively sweet and consoling. They offer solace toward the living and heap forgiveness upon them, no matter how their previous lives may have turned out. And many years later in
Winter, the spirits of the dead are described as having reached a more neutral emotional state. They are more at ease and cooperative, usually willing to give explanations and advice to the living.
Land-Octaves Land-Octaves are described as invisible paths of the planet, similar to veins in a body. Stone pillars set around the planet mark the known locations of local land-octaves. Humans believe that the powers of land-octaves vary by season, and can even control the sex of babies born along them. Scholars on Helliconia note that land-octaves appear to follow geological strata and mineral deposits, thus influencing health. Supposedly, humans on Helliconia are happiest and most fulfilled when they conform to whichever land-octave they were born on, and it is considered proper practice to bury the dead along their correct land-octaves.
Air-Octaves Air-Octaves are described as invisible paths of the planet, similar to ribbons set afloat in the wind. Ancipitals are known to refer to air-octaves as either "favourable" or "unfavourable," obeying and following "favourable" ones and refusing to venture near or take action involving "unfavourable" ones. Even Madis seem sensitive to the presence of air-octaves. Ancipitals believe that air-octaves make a sort of song, and while in
tether, they can be "seen" as strings running through the cosmos and along which celestial bodies travel. == Calendrical Timekeeping ==