immune systems

[vt53]

I am new here so forgive me if this has been covered before.

When I first read the First Cronicles of TC I saw a lot of allegories to the human body and its defence mechanisms. As SRD's father was an MD I felt he was discribing the disease leporcy and his bodies failing mechanisms to combat the progression of the disease.

I felt
"the land" = TC's body
"the bloodgaurd" = Antibodies
"giants" = white blood cells
"the lords" intelligence fighting the disease (VSE)

ETC

di anyone else look at the books this way?

[MokshaTuriyaSamadhi Raver]

I didn't see that but it could be valid.

The beauty of books (and nearly everything else, but book in particular) is that any reader can see anything and take out of it more than the author ever could give.

[Fist and Faith]

Nice thought vt53! I like it! Whether or not SRD ever imagined your analogy, it's great fun thinking them up. We had fun comparing the Chronicles to Norse mythology.

[Drinny]

Great idea vt53!!!

That idea would have never come to me... and when I think about it now, it makes a lot of sense (personally, I always thought about the chronicles from a more mythical or psychological point of view).

Some other things that might fit in with your idea:

The Illearth Stone - a deadly infection (obviously; also a possible parallel to TC's leprosy)

The Ravers - a different sort of infection; more like a virus. Note how they take over other people's bodies (like a virus takes over a normal cell).

Your point about the Bloodguard is on the spot, I think - I could never make any sense out of that name (except for the fact that it sounds cool ). Maybe SRD did or didn't have something like this in his mind when he was writing, but it in any case is a very clever interpretation.

[Vain]

I think there's quite a lot of symbolism - intentional or otherwise - in the chrons. I'm a bit unsure about the linkage between "The Land" and TC's body though.

Germs could be Ur-Viles though

[vt53]

I think there's quite a lot of symbolism - intentional or otherwise - in the chrons. I'm a bit unsure about the linkage between "The Land" and TC's body though.

Germs could be Ur-Viles though

Maybe the land could be better thought of as the largest organ, skin. this would be particularly true with lepercy

[Revan]

I think it is pausible, and a very interesting one, there are too many things like that in the chronicles, its NEVER clear.

[Revan]

Grrrrrrrrrr

[vt53]

Grrrrrrrrrr

Huh?

[dukkha]

The use of blood is interesting throughout both Chronicles. Power of Command. Bloodguard. And of course all the blood in the 2nd Chronicles. I think there's a clear metaphor between the Land and a body. This doesn't mean it's T.C.'s body necessarily - it's just that the Land becomes personified in the Chronicles.

[phoebe]

The parallels to the human body are definitely there. (even if we're reading lots into it, it's fun anyway)

the Ritual of Desecration = Harsh attempt to kill disease, harming body in the process?? Like overdosing on a drug because you want quick results

I don't know, more will probably come

[Damelon]

the Ritual of Desecration = Harsh attempt to kill disease, harming body in the process?? Like overdosing on a drug because you want quick results

I don't know, more will probably come

Come to think of it in that way the Ritual of Desecration was kind of like chemotherapy, a real nasty way to try to eradicate a cancer.

[pitchwife]

I think I remember the Elohim defining themselves as the heart of the Land.
Yes, there are definately a lot of metaphors of the Land as a body, and the Land's plight as a sickness (especially in the second Chrons)

[amanibhavam]

I usually don't fall for direct analogies - I personally doubt that SRD had a human body in his mind when he craeted the Land.
Besides, I'm hermetic - I believe everything is connected to everything, so of coure there might be some truth in what you say, but that is not the whole picture.