The Lost Continent · Chapter
XX: On the Bosom of the Deep explained
The narrator and Nais endure a harrowing journey in the Ark, which is guided solely by the High Gods.
What happens
The narrator and Nais endure a harrowing journey in the Ark, which is guided solely by the High Gods. After a week of storms, they emerge to a calm sea, find the Ark well-stocked and marvelously constructed, and the narrator destroys the ancient writings of the Mysteries, later rewriting the chronicle of Atlantis's fall.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the protagonis…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Fate and Free Will
The narrator and Nais resign themselves to the will of the High Gods, who have sole control over the Ark's direction and their fate.
- Decay and Destruction
The chapter vividly describes the aftermath of Atlantis's destruction, with wreckage and corpses littering the sea, and the narrator's act of obliterating the ancient Mysteries.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator describes the journey in the Ark, his destruction of the sacred writings, and his rewriting of Atlantis's history.
- Nais
Nais is with the narrator throughout the voyage, sharing in the silence and companionship, and is brought up to the deck for rest and sunlight.
- The Gods
The High Gods are credited with guiding the Ark and controlling the fate of the survivors.
- The Sun
The Sun is adored and thanked by the narrator and Nais for providing light and warmth after the storm.
Key passages
“The High Gods that had chosen the two of us to be the only ones saved out of all Atlantis, had sole control of our fate, and into Their hands we cheerfully resigned our future direction.”
The narrator and Nais accept that the High Gods alone decide their path, and they willingly submit to divine guidance.
Highlights the theme of fate and free will.
“I took hot irons, and with them seared the wax on the sheets till every letter of the old writings was obliterated.”
The narrator deliberately destroys the ancient records of the Mysteries, fearing the burden of their power.
Shows the narrator's decision to erase dangerous knowledge.
“The living timbers had been put in place and then grown together by an art which we have lost today, but which the Ancients knew with much perfection.”
The Ark was built using a forgotten technique that fused wood seamlessly, making it incredibly durable.
Emphasizes the lost advanced technology of ancient Atlantis.
