Symbols The Devils Joe Abercrombie

The Pillar of Troy: Symbol of Ambition, Power, and Precarious Heights

What Is the Pillar of Troy?

The Pillar of Troy is a colossal artificial tower at the heart of the city of Troy. It houses the Hanging Gardens, the imperial palace, Saint Natalia’s Flame, and the throne room. In Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils, the Pillar is described as an engineering marvel built by the Witch Engineers of Carthage, later expanded by the emperors of Troy. It is both a physical structure and a potent symbol of ambition, power, and the precarious nature of dominance.

Literal Description and Function

The Pillar stands several hundred strides across at its top (chapter 54). It is serviced by a grand lift system powered by water flowing through hidden pipes and cascading down the sides, driving the lifts and watering the gardens. At the summit, the Hanging Gardens create a lush paradise with exotic plants, intricate waterworks, and sweeping views. Key structures include the Basilica of the Angelic Visitation, the palace with Saint Natalia’s Flame, and the Athenaeum—once a great library, later corrupted by Empress Eudoxia into a center for Black Art (chapter 53-54). The Pillar’s base is surrounded by the city of Troy, making it a city within a city.

Recurrence Across the Novel

The Pillar is first mentioned in prophecy by the Oracles in chapter 6, where they chant about “the Pillar of Troy” and “flame at her beginning and end,” linking it to Princess Alexia. It becomes a physical destination in chapters 52-55, when Alex and her companions finally arrive. In chapter 53, Balthazar rides the ascending lift and admires the engineering. In chapter 54, Brother Diaz, Alex, and others explore the Hanging Gardens. The structure reappears in later chapters, notably chapter 56 (Jakob’s climb to the Pharos) and chapter 67 (battle in the palace). It serves as both a goal and a setting for the climax.

Shifting Meanings of the Symbol

Initially, the Pillar represents ambition and divine right. Duke Michael tells Alex that “the right” is hers, and the Pillar is the seat of imperial power. It is described as a place where one can feel the presence of God (chapter 54). However, as the story progresses, the Pillar’s meaning darkens. It becomes a symbol of corrupted power: Empress Eudoxia used the Athenaeum for forbidden experiments, creating hybrid beasts through sarcomancy. The very height of the Pillar—its literal and metaphorical elevation—also makes it precarious. Jakob’s painful climb to the Pharos in chapter 56 underscores the cost of ambition. The structure is a “war in miniature” (chapter 67) where political and physical battles play out. By the end, the Pillar embodies the fragile, deceptive nature of high status: Alex feels like an impostor even as she ascends.

Character Connections

  • Brother Eduardo Diaz is awed by the gardens, calling them “as near as I’ve come to paradise” (chapter 54). His religious reverence contrasts with the underlying corruption. The Pillar tests his faith.
  • Alex (Princess Alexia) arrives as the rightful heir but feels like a fraud. The Pillar represents the impossible expectations placed on her.
  • Balthazar admires the engineering and finds pride in his role in Alex’s survival. The lift ride symbolizes his own ascent from disgraced necromancer to potential redemption (chapter 53).
  • Jakob of Thorn climbs the steps to the Pharos with great pain, reflecting his weary pragmatism and loss of belief in destiny (chapter 56).
  • Cardinal Zizka and Duke Michael see the Pillar as a tool of power. Michael’s description of Eudoxia’s experiments reveals the moral compromise behind the structure’s beauty.

Theme Connections

  • Power and Corruption: The Pillar’s construction and maintenance involve exploitation and dark sorcery.
  • Religious Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise: The Church uses the Pillar as a seat of authority while hiding its tainted origins. The Chapel of the Holy Expediency’s mission is tied to protecting Troy.
  • Identity and Deception: Alex’s false princess identity is propped up by the Pillar’s grandeur.
  • Redemption and Guilt: Characters like Balthazar and Jakob grapple with their pasts amid the Pillar’s ascent.
  • Survival and Pragmatism: The group’s journey is driven by the need to reach the Pillar and survive its dangers.

4 Study Questions with Answers

Question 1: How does the Pillar of Troy contrast the ideals of divine purpose with the reality of corruption?
Answer: The Pillar is described as a place of God’s presence, with the Hanging Gardens resembling paradise. Yet it is built on the work of the Witch Engineers and later used by Eudoxia for abominable experiments. This contrast reveals how religious and political power can mask moral decay. Duke Michael acknowledges Eudoxia’s heresies even as he praises the Pillar’s majesty, showing the dissonance between symbol and substance.

Question 2: What does the lift journey up the Pillar reveal about Balthazar’s character growth?
Answer: In chapter 53, Balthazar feels pride and paternal affection toward Alex, a shift from his earlier arrogance. The lift’s ascent mirrors his own rising sense of purpose and humility. His admission that events have made him reconsider his scepticism about Pope Benedicta shows he is moving from a purely intellectual stance to one open to faith—or at least to the possibility of meaning.

Question 3: Why does Jakob’s climb to the Pharos (chapter 56) represent his personal philosophy?
Answer: Jakob’s painful ascent—forcing himself step by step despite old wounds—embodies his view that life is a series of trials endured without belief in destiny. He tells Duke Michael that he gave up on “God’s plan” and now acts as an “arrow shot from another’s bow.” The climb is a physical metaphor for his pragmatic, weary acceptance of duty without illusions of greatness.

Question 4: How does the Pillar symbolize the precarious nature of Alex’s position as a false princess?
Answer: Although Alex receives a grand welcome and is acclaimed by the Grand Patriarch, she feels like an impostor (chapter 52). The Pillar’s great height represents the elevation she experiences, but also the risk of falling. The dagger that falls from her dress in chapter 55, and her panic during the bath, underscore her insecurity. The Pillar’s physical grandeur cannot erase the lies that underpin her claim, making her rule as unstable as the structure itself.