Wondelone, hluntheline, and Sehnsucht - Elizabeth Roy

Wondelone, hluntheline, and Sehnsucht
Space Trilogy Blog
Elizabeth Roy
4/19

In Out of the Silent Planet, we are again faced with the concept of longing. Previously, when talking about The Chronicles of Narnia, we discussed Sehnsucht, the inconsolable desire for we-know-not-what. In Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis says, “there were two verbs which both, as far as he could see, meant to long or yearn; but the hrossa drew a sharp distinction, even an opposition, between them. Hyoi seemed to him merely to be saying that every one would long for it (wondelone) but no one in his senses could long for it (hluntheline)” (74.) I do not think that either of these correspond to Sehnsucht, rather, I think that the three are entirely different. These three types of longing, from profane to sacred or significant, are wondelone, hluntheline, and Sehnsucht. To me, wondelone seems close to “to wish.” The hrossa might wish to hear a splendid line of a poem over and over again, or perhaps they might even wish to mate past their time. However, these wishes would never pass to hluntheline. In my mind, hluntheline is close to “to want” or “to desire.” It has an inherently active component. Someone who truly wants something will pursue it or perhaps even obsess over it. Lastly, Sehnsucht is the deep desire or inexpressible longing, with the implication being that the individual will not be complete without it. These three types of longing interact with each other to form an integral part of the human experience.