Ohthere

Kinbote is complaining about John Shade's reluctance to share about the poem on their walks in the commentary about line 238: empty emerald case and on page 170 says,

"And thus it came to pass, my dears, that a fabulous exile, a God-inspired northern bard, is known today to English schoolboys by the trivial nickname: Ohthere."

So, I went in search of Ohthere.

From Wikipedia:

Ohthere, Ohtere (the name is sometimes misspelt Ohþere), Óttarr, Óttarr vendilkráka or Ottar Vendelkråka (Vendelcrow) (ca 515 - ca 530^[1]) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden belonging to the house of Scylfings.

His name has been reconstructed as Proto-Norse *Ōhtaharjaz or *Ōhtuharjaz meaning "feared warrior".^[2]

In the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf the name of Ohthere only appears in constructions referring to his father Ongenþeow (fæder Ohtheres),^[3] mother (Onelan modor and Ohtheres),^[4] and his sons Eadgils (suna Ohteres,^[5] sunu Ohteres^[6]) and Eanmund (suna Ohteres).^[7]

When Ohthere and his actions are concerned, he is referred to as Ongenþeow's offspring together with his brother Onela. The section deals with Ohthere and Onela pillaging the Geats at the death of their king Hreðel, restarting the Swedish-Geatish wars:

Þa wæs synn and sacu Sweona and Geata, ofer wid wæter wroht gemæne, here-nið hearda, syððan Hreðel swealt, oððe him Ongenþeowes eaferan wæran frome fyrd-hwate, freode ne woldon ofer heafo healdan, ac ymb Hreosna-beorh eatolne inwit-scear oft gefremedon.[8]

There was strife and struggle 'twixt Swede and Geat o'er the width of waters; war arose, hard battle-horror, when Hrethel died, and Ongentheow's offspring grew strife-keen, bold, nor brooked o'er the seas pact of peace, but pushed their hosts to harass in hatred by Hreosnabeorh.[9]

Later, it is implied in the poem that Ohthere has died, because his brother Onela is king. Ohthere's sons Eadgils and Eanmund fled to the Geats and the wars began anew.

Then, I found

Ohthere of Hålogaland (Norwegian: Ottar fra Hålogaland) was a Viking adventurer from Hålogaland. Around 890 AD he travelled to England, where Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, had his tales written down.

Opening lines of Ohthere's Old English account, from Thorpe's edition of 1900: "Ohthere advised his lord Alfred king that he lived north-most of all the Northmen..."

This seems to me, reminiscent of Kinbote telling John Shade the tale of his life in the distant northern land of Zembla.

Is it possible that King Alfin/Alfred is John Shade and Ohthere is Kinbote or rather King Charles? I wonder of this argument can be made following the Wizard of Oz logic we have been discussing in class.

Kinbote's adoration of Shade seems to be of the type that could be seen as father-son relationship or admiration. Shade is kind and patient in a fatherly way to Kinbote. Clearly Kinbote worships Shade, in a similar way King Charles and the people of Zembla worshipped King Alfin. Kinbote wanted to world to see and admire Shade the way he did.

I will have to keep my eye out for any other clues that might support this interpretation. If you find any that supports or disproves it please let me know.