Shahin: What we know about him and what we don't

(NOTE: Page numbers refer to the hardcover edition.)

NOTE: This is from 20 years ago, before The Fire was published. We learn a lot more about Shahin in The Fire. Someday I will revise this based on what we know from The Fire.

First of all, we don't know how old Shahin really is. When Mireille first meets him, in 1793, he might be the same age as his "parallel character" Kamel, who is in his thirties. But Shahin seems much too wise for someone so young; of course, he might be "wise beyond his years". Shahin must have been relatively young in 1793, though, since he is still alive and active in 1830, when Mireille drinks the elixir. My guess is that he was about 35 in 1793 and 72 in 1830.

We know that Shahin is a close friend of Napoleon's family, especially Napoleon's mother and grandmother, but we don't know how he met them. One possibility is that he was educated in France and that he met them during that time; he certainly speaks French very well.

We also know that Shahin can see into the future; he knows that Mireille's baby will be a boy with red hair and blue eyes and the ability to see into the future. In London, he can sense the presence of Catherine Grand, the White Queen, and he knows that Mireille is in danger from her. Most importantly, he knows Mireille better than she knows herself. In the desert, he tells her that she will kill Marat; at first Mireille says that she would never kill anyone, but Shahin knows better. All along, Shahin knows how important Mireille is; even before Mireille finds out from Corday that she is the Black Queen, I think Shahin knows it. But how did Shahin get the ability to see into the future? That is what we don't know.

Shahin must have been married and had children, since Kamel is his descendant, but we never meet his wife (or wives?) and children. When Shahin first meets Mireille, he seems to be all alone; he certainly stays with Mireille and her son for many years. Could it be that his wife died before he met Mireille? This is one possibility. Then, of course, his wife could have been alive at the time he met Mireille, but since Shahin knew of Mireille's importance, he might have left her for a time, returning once in a while when he did not need to be with Mireille.

Shahin knows several languages; he grew up speaking Arabic and Kabyle; later, he teaches those languages to Mireille's son. He also knows at least a few words of Hebrew (see p. 511). As I said before, Shahin obviously speaks French very well, since he and Mireille can understand each other. Of course, he might have taught her Arabic and Kabyle, and I think this is very likely, but then there is the scene where Mireille talks about Marat in her sleep, and Shahin understands what she is saying; I'm sure Mireille would have been speaking French in that scene. Although he knows French very well, he does not understand English (see p. 436).

Finally, I'd like to know what happened to Shahin after Mireille drank the elixir. How much longer did he live? Mireille certainly remained in contact with his family and descendants, since she eventually married Kamel's father, who had been a close friend before their marriage. Did any of Shahin's descendants inherit his ability to see into the future? I don't think Kamel can see into the future, but one of Shahin's other descendants might have had that ability.

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Copyright 1997 Vicki Kondelik.