Titus Groan disturbed and uneasy about all that has happened, and disturbed about Steerpike's sudden rise. Yet neither is able to connect Steerpike as the cause of the tragic events, as he was their apparent saviour from the fire in the library. Soon afterwards, the “Earling” takes place, and young Titus is officially made Earl of Gormenghast. In a ridiculously elaborate ceremony on a nearby lake, little Titus holds aloft the sacred symbols of his status – the stone and ivy branch, and to the horror of observers, promptly drops them both into the lake. The scene is silent except for the
Gormenghast (series) Groan; Mervyn Peake is credited in the sleeve notes. The "Gormenghast" series has influenced other fantasy works. Gormenghast (series) Gormenghast is a fantasy series by British author Mervyn Peake, about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, gothic-like structure. Originally conceived as a single on-going novel, the series was ended by Peake's death and comprises three novels, "Titus Groan" (1946), "Gormenghast" (1950), "Titus Alone" (1959) and a novella, "Boy in Darkness" (1956), whose canonical status is debated. Peake was writing a fourth novel, "Titus Awakes" at the time of his death, which was later completed and released by Peake's