Myriam

Myriam del Drago, later Myriam terGorden, is the mother of David terGorden and one of the most pivotal figures in the mythology of the Die Terranauten saga. Though she dies in childbirth around 2475 AD, her legacy -- as prophet, scientist, and bridge between humanity and Yggdrasil -- defines the entire arc of the series. She is referenced or appears (in visions and flashbacks) across at least twelve booklets, and her written work, the Book Myriam, becomes a sacred text for the Terranauts and a key to David's destiny.

Biography

Origins: The del Drago Clan

Myriam's maiden name, del Drago, connects her to the ancient lineage of the dragon witches of Adzharis, a people living in the Sealed Land who possess formidable PSI abilities and ride dragons. This heritage is not merely ornamental -- it is central to her identity and to the mystical bond she shares with Yggdrasil. The del Drago clan later plays a critical role in the saga: La Strega del Drago ("the Witch of the Dragon"), a Driver in Asen-Ger's lodge, serves as a spiritual intermediary who helps David terGorden connect with Yggdrasil in booklets 002 and 003, and whose spirit later confirms the Kaiser Corporation's plan to destroy the tree (007). Nayala del Drago, a young dragon-witch and cartographer from the Sealed Land, becomes one of David's closest companions from booklet 056 onward. Whether La Strega and Nayala are direct relatives of Myriam or simply kinswomen within the broader del Drago clan is never fully clarified, but the bloodline clearly runs deep with PSI-gifted women who serve as guardians of cosmic forces.

Arrival at Biotroniks (~2475 AD)

Myriam's story is told primarily in flashback, through the eyes of Merlin III and David terGorden, in the two-part prequel arc of booklets 030 ("Glimpse of Yesterday") and 031 ("The Solitary of Ultima Thule").

She arrives at Ultima Thule in Greenland, introduced to Growan terGorden by his nephew Mar-Estos. She expresses immediate interest in the "Yggdrasil Project" -- the research initiative studying the primeval tree and its mistletoe blossoms, which are essential for Driver space travel. Growan hires her as a coordinator for the project.

From the start, Myriam operates on two levels. Publicly, she is a brilliant biologist integrating herself into the corporate hierarchy of the Biotroniks Corporation. Privately, she is a committed Terranaut, meeting with Mar-Estos and a cell of fellow operatives -- Algol Kuhn, Santiago Lema, Carlos Lema, Shadow, and Jonsson -- to plan their infiltration of Biotroniks and their broader campaign to challenge the tyranny of the Manags and the Council of Corporations.

Abduction and Rescue

Myriam's double life quickly draws danger. She is attacked and abducted by masked men -- an operation later traced to Clint Gayheen, Growan's security chief and secret agent of Max von Valdec. During her captivity she is tortured by an unseen figure who demands information about her origins and her connection to Yggdrasil. The Terranauts launch a rescue mission. Algol Kuhn is killed in the operation, but Myriam is saved. The Gray Guards involved are eliminated.

This traumatic event only deepens Myriam's resolve. She accuses Gayheen directly, though Growan terGorden dismisses the accusation. In the aftermath, Growan promotes her to Chief Biologist of the Biotroniks Corporation.

The Yggdrasil Connection

Working in Odrodir (the Holy Valley where Yggdrasil grows), Myriam develops an unprecedented bond with the primeval tree. She begins injecting herself with a distillate derived from Yggdrasil -- a practice that alarms those around her but which appears to deepen her PSI abilities and her communion with the tree's intelligence.

It is during this period that Merlin III manifests physically in Odrodir, claiming that Yggdrasil sent him to protect Myriam and guide humanity. She brings Merlin to Growan, who is deeply skeptical. Merlin requests a tunnel from Odrodir to the palace -- a request Growan denies, though such a tunnel is later constructed after Myriam's death.

Myriam's connection to Yggdrasil becomes so profound that she eventually spends most of her time directly linked to the tree, a fact reported by Jonsson (who has been coerced into informing for Gayheen) and by Gayheen himself.

Marriage to Growan terGorden

Growan proposes marriage to Myriam, offering her a share of the Biotroniks Corporation. She accepts -- but her motives are complex. She plans to continue overseeing the Yggdrasil research. Growan, for his part, plans to replace her with George Hados as head of the project. The marriage is thus marked from the beginning by mutual strategic calculation layered over genuine, if complicated, feeling.

The wedding itself is disrupted by a self-proclaimed prophet who accuses Myriam of witchcraft. Shadow intervenes to protect her but is injured by Gray Guards in the confrontation.

Increasing Isolation

After the marriage, Myriam finds herself increasingly isolated. She is surrounded by Gray Guards, cut off from the Drivers, and unable to communicate freely with her Terranaut allies. Gayheen manipulates events from the shadows, attempting to have her declared insane. Shadow, attempting to warn Myriam, is fatally wounded by a Gray Guard.

Myriam uses her PSI abilities to maintain contact with the resistance, but her world grows smaller. Growan, suspicious and possessive, considers abandoning the Yggdrasil Project entirely. When Myriam proposes to lead it herself, he reluctantly agrees -- but the walls close in further.

Gayheen's ultimate treachery is exposed when Mar-Estos discovers he has been using Myriam's ID card to access Growan's Council Chamber and has been in direct contact with Max von Valdec. Growan gives Mar-Estos authority to deal with Gayheen, who is captured and presumably killed. Growan then confronts Valdec in Berlin. Mar-Estos disappears after his flight with Gayheen.

Death and Prophecy (~2475 AD)

Myriam gives birth to a son, David, but dies shortly after. In her final moments, she makes a shattering declaration: David is not Growan's son. She prophesies that the child will free humanity -- that he is, in some mystical sense, the son of Yggdrasil.

Growan, devastated and furious, rejects the infant. Merlin III takes the child and raises him. Growan orders the destruction of the laboratories. Only years later does Growan visit David, agreeing that Merlin will raise him until the age of three.

This deathbed prophecy becomes the foundation of the Book Myriam, the sacred text that guides the Terranaut movement for the next quarter-century. It is the Book Myriam that names David the "heir of power" -- the prophesied savior who will end the tyranny of the Council.

The Book Myriam

The Book Myriam is one of the saga's most enigmatic artifacts. It functions as both a Terranaut "Bible" containing prophecies about the coming of a savior (001, 002) and as a deeply encoded repository of scientific and mystical knowledge about Yggdrasil and the network of World Trees (073).

Key facts about the Book Myriam:

• It prophesies the coming of the "heir of power" who will end the tyranny of the Council of Corporations (001).
• It is described as being written by Myriam herself, containing information about Yggdrasil and the network of World Trees (073).
• It is encoded in the very structure of the Biotroniks Corporation Headquarters in Ultima Thule (074). Growan terGorden left recordings indicating the Book was embedded in the palace's architecture.
• Its secrets are stored in the memory banks of the Primeval Palace's Central Computer -- the original Biotroniks headquarters beneath the current one (074).
• The secrets are tragically destroyed when Chan de Nouille's Gray Guards "rescue" David and demolish the Primeval Palace's Central Computer (074).
• David spends much of the later saga searching for the Book Myriam, hoping it will unlock his potential and reveal his true destiny (072, 073, 074).

Posthumous Presence

Though Myriam dies before the main narrative begins, she is far from absent. Her presence reverberates through the saga in multiple forms:

Spectral Appearances

• In booklet 001, David has a vision of his mother alongside Yggdrasil when he first learns he is the "heir of power."
• In booklet 007, David and Llewellyn 709 enter Space II and encounter a woman resembling Myriam terGorden. She reveals that Yggdrasil is exhausted from protecting Earth and advises David to seek the tree in space and flee to Rorqual.
• In booklet 030, David experiences Merlin's memories of Myriam, witnessing her entire journey at Biotroniks through Merlin's eyes.

Legacy Through David

• David is repeatedly identified by his matrilineal heritage: he is "the son of Myriam del Drago" as much as or more than the son of Growan terGorden. When Asen-Ger seeks help from the dragon witches in booklet 056, he describes David as "the son of Myriam del Drago" to establish his claim to their aid.
• In booklet 059, Asen-Ger argues before the dragon-witch Council that David, as "son of Myriam del Drago," has a right to their support.
• David's quest to plant a new Yggdrasil seed on Adzharis (059) can be read as the fulfillment of his mother's life work -- extending the reach of the World Trees.

The Book as Living Legacy

• David's search for the Book Myriam drives the later saga (072-074), making Myriam's written legacy a kind of holy grail. The Book is ultimately described as containing the secrets of Yggdrasil and David's destiny, encoded into the very architecture of the family seat.

Key Actions

Relationships

Growan terGorden -- Husband

Their marriage is a union of mutual need more than uncomplicated love. Growan admires Myriam's brilliance but cannot understand or accept her bond with Yggdrasil. He is possessive, suspicious, and ultimately incapable of trusting her. When she declares David is not his son, Growan rejects the child entirely. Their relationship is a tragedy of two powerful people whose visions of the future are fundamentally incompatible.

David terGorden -- Son

David never knows his mother except through visions, Merlin's memories, and the Book Myriam. Yet she is the defining figure of his life. Her prophecy marks him from birth. Her written legacy guides the Terranauts. Her del Drago heritage connects him to the dragon witches of Adzharis. Her scientific work on Yggdrasil prefigures his own mission to plant new World Trees. He spends much of his adult life searching for the Book she left behind.

Mar-Estos -- Ally and Kinsman

Growan's nephew, Mar-Estos introduces Myriam to Biotroniks and serves as her primary Terranaut ally. He tries repeatedly to protect her from Gayheen's machinations. After Myriam's death, Mar-Estos continues as a key figure in the saga; he is later revealed to be a previous incarnation of Llewellyn 709, deepening the bond between Myriam's circle and David's.

Merlin III -- Protector and Guardian

Yggdrasil sends Merlin specifically to protect Myriam. He appears in physical form in Odrodir and becomes her spiritual ally. After her death, Merlin raises David for the first years of his life, honoring his bond with the mother. Merlin later serves as the vehicle through which David experiences Myriam's story (030).

Asen-Ger -- Terranaut Comrade

Asen-Ger visits Ultima Thule during the prequel era and reveals himself as a Terranaut to Myriam's circle. He warns about the Kaiser Force and urges action. Their relationship is one of mutual respect between fellow revolutionaries. Decades later, Asen-Ger still invokes Myriam's name -- calling David "the son of Myriam del Drago" -- to secure alliances (056, 059).

Clint Gayheen -- Antagonist

Gayheen is Myriam's primary nemesis. As Growan's security chief and Valdec's secret agent, he orchestrates her abduction, isolates her from her allies, coerces Jonsson into spying on her, and attempts to have her declared insane. He represents the corporate-authoritarian machinery that crushes individuals.

Yggdrasil -- Symbiont

More than any other human in the saga, Myriam achieves a true communion with Yggdrasil. She was the first to believe the tree possessed intelligence. She injected herself with its distillate. She spent her final months directly linked to its consciousness. Her son's prophesied nature as "the son of Yggdrasil" suggests that this communion was not merely metaphorical.

La Strega del Drago -- Kinswoman (del Drago Clan)

La Strega, "the Witch of the Dragon," is a Driver in Asen-Ger's lodge who helps David connect with Yggdrasil (002) and whose spirit later confirms the Kaiser Corporation's plot (007). Her del Drago name links her to Myriam's clan. She functions as a spiritual successor -- or perhaps predecessor -- maintaining the del Drago women's role as intermediaries between humanity and Yggdrasil.

Nayala del Drago -- Kinswoman (del Drago Clan)

Nayala, a young dragon-witch from the Sealed Land of Adzharis, becomes one of David's most loyal companions. Her del Drago heritage makes her a living connection to Myriam's bloodline and to the ancient PSI traditions of the dragon-witch clans.

Appearances

Themes

The Absent Mother as Origin Story

Myriam is the saga's great absence. She is dead before the first page of booklet 001, yet everything flows from her: David's identity, the Terranaut prophecy, the Book that guides the movement, the del Drago bloodline that connects David to the dragon witches. Her absence is itself a narrative engine -- David's search for his mother, her book, and her legacy drives dozens of booklets.

Science and Mysticism

Myriam embodies the fusion of scientific inquiry and mystical communion that defines the saga's relationship with Yggdrasil. She is a trained biologist who applies rigorous methods to studying the tree, yet she also injects herself with its distillate and achieves a transcendent bond with its intelligence. She is the first person to believe Yggdrasil possesses consciousness -- a conviction that the entire saga eventually vindicates.

The Sacrificial Prophet

Myriam dies to bring forth the prophesied savior. Her death is simultaneously biological (childbirth) and mythological (the mother consumed by the power she channels). Her final words -- that David is not Growan's son but will free humanity -- echo biblical annunciation narratives, casting her as both Mary and prophetess.

Women as Intermediaries with Cosmic Forces

Myriam belongs to a lineage of del Drago women who serve as bridges between humanity and greater powers. La Strega del Drago channels Yggdrasil's messages. Nayala del Drago rides dragons and wields weather-magic. Myriam herself communes directly with the World Tree's intelligence. The saga consistently positions women of the del Drago bloodline as the primary conduits for cosmic PSI forces.

Knowledge Encoded and Lost

The Book Myriam -- written by a dying woman, encoded into architecture, stored in ancient computers, and ultimately destroyed by the very forces that claim to protect David -- is a powerful metaphor for suppressed truth. The Council, the Gray Guards, even Growan terGorden all participate in burying Myriam's knowledge. David's quest to recover it is a quest to reclaim a truth that power structures have systematically erased.

Potential for a Prequel Novel

Myriam's story, as revealed in booklets 030 and 031, is rich enough to sustain a full-length novel. The material practically demands expansion:

• Her origins among the del Drago dragon witches of Adzharis -- how she left the Sealed Land, her training as a biologist, her recruitment by the Terranauts.
• The political intrigue at Biotroniks -- her double life as scientist and revolutionary, the cat-and-mouse game with Gayheen, the uneasy alliance with Growan.
• Her communion with Yggdrasil -- the gradual deepening of her bond, the Yggdrasil distillate experiments, the scientific and spiritual dimensions of her research.
• The arrival of Merlin -- the collision of ancient Celtic mysticism with far-future corporate warfare.
• Her marriage and isolation -- a claustrophobic domestic drama set against galactic stakes.
• The birth and prophecy -- the climactic moment that creates the entire saga.

A prequel novel centered on Myriam would also provide the opportunity to explore the del Drago clan's history, the founding-era Terranauts, the origins of the Kaiser Corporation's rivalry with Biotroniks, and the nature of Yggdrasil's intelligence in ways the booklet format could only sketch. Myriam's story is, in the deepest sense, the origin story of Die Terranauten itself.

See Also

• David terGorden
• Growan terGorden
• Book Myriam
• Yggdrasil
• Terranauts
• Mar-Estos
• Merlin III
• La Strega del Drago
• Nayala del Drago
• Asen-Ger
• Clint Gayheen
• Biotroniks Corporation
• Ultima Thule
• Odrodir
• Sealed Land
• Adzharis