“It is in the nature of languages that a pretty translation is not accurate, and an accurate translation finds its own beauty without help.”

The stranger, more mystical elements of the novel could be explained by translation errors, though this discussion of the “nature of languages” also implies Ahmad describes is at least emotionally true. The novel encourages the reader to find their own version of beauty in the story; the novel does not strive for an objective truth but seeks to impart a more abstract meaning, making it more like a folk tale or legend, even though it is presented as eyewitness testimony. 

“Well, very shortly, a sense of permanence.”

The Norsemen’s culture is almost mystical to Ahmad, especially in the preliminary stages of his encounter. Just as the Norsemen appear out of the mist, Ahmad finds them difficult to define. To him, the Norsemen are as evasive and as opaque as the drifting mists of Northern Europe.

“In any case, the reader may judge for himself.”

The question of truth is left to the reader to decide. As such, the novel rejects the idea of an objective, authoritative truth, and demands a metafictional engagement that maintains the reader’s awareness that they are engaging with a fictionalized text. The reader becomes the ultimate arbiter of reality, deciding for themselves whether Ahmad is telling the truth or embellishing his memories, and what liberties Crichton has taken.