McKillip uses several conventional fantasy devices to good effect in this novel. The device of shape-shifting, for example, is thematically related to Morgon's identity problem. This device concerns the sympathetic relationship between humans and the animal and plant world as well. Names with double-meanings are incorporated, most strikingly in the case of Deth, the harpist, but also in place names such as Hed and Hel and in characters such as Raith, Suth, and Yrth. Symbolism is a further technique used in a variety of ways. Several objects take on symbolic meaning, such as the harp, and features of landscape, such as the Wind Tower and the mountains.