Ending of Runes

[Prover of Life]

Well, since the name of the forum says to expect spoilers, I'm going to talk freely here.

I'm fairly convinced that the person that Linden sees is NOT Thomas Covenant. Remember that the second book will be called "Fatal Revenant", and that the word revenant means ghost (for the most part), so it all kinda makes sense. What or who he is I don't know and can't even begin to speculate who he is. At first I thought it might be a Raver that dug up his body, but Linden would feel that coming, I would think, and would be too easy/obvious.

I'm more excited about the fact that Jeremiah is back. That's what Linden wanted above all else; her son. Well, now she has him back, so now what? 'Tis definitely going to be interesting.

James

Regarding bold>>>> Take a different look at the meanings of "fatal" & "revenant".

FATAL

1 obsolete : FATED
2 : FATEFUL <a fatal hour>
3 a : of or relating to fate b : resembling fate in proceeding according to a fixed sequence c : determining one's fate
4 a : causing death b : bringing ruin


REVENANT

Etymology: French, from present participle of revenir to return
: one that returns after death or a long absence
- revenant adjective


What if the subject referenced is Jeremiah and not Covenant? A fated meeting after a long absence? { coming to "right" mind is a return of sorts both from the "dead" and absence} To me, the question is: How does Jeremiah fit into the Last Chron of TC?

I think it is definately TC who also is a fatal revenant. Also, technically, Linden, Joan, Roger, & possibly Jeremiah are all dead. What is fated about these "revenants"?

[Ellester]

I agree with wayfriend, the first thing I thought of was a fall. I think it is Thomas; he was brought through in a Fall. A raver or LF probably coaxed him into the fall. Just think of the complications if it is he, he could destroy the land by his presence. I also believe it is a Thomas who has no idea who Linden is? He was taken from a time before they met, just to complicate things up a bit.

But that's all speculative; I’m with everyone else we have no idea who or what he is. And I also agree with an above poster, what a cliffhanger to end the book on. Holy cow!

[Jerico]

Yes Linden can sense a Raver, but can she sense Lord Foul? Kevin couldn't and the Hurachi couldn't either.
I think that it is TC but that Jerimiah is possesed by Foul. How would anyone know? They have never seen him as himself?

[MrKABC]

Yes Linden can sense a Raver, but can she sense Lord Foul? Kevin couldn't and the Hurachi couldn't either.
I think that it is TC but that Jerimiah is possesed by Foul. How would anyone know? They have never seen him as himself?

Linden's senses detected Lord Foul's emanations in the Wightwarrens under Mount Thunder. It stands to reason that she would be able to detect Lord Foul or possession by him, since she can also tell when Anele is possessed.

I think that is a gaffe - if Linden's health sense can detect Lord Foul why couldn't High Lord Kevin or his Bloodguard?

[Dragonlily]

I haven't read over this forum before plunging in, so I could be repeating the words of half the posters here and not know it. Anyway...

I think Linden will know at their first encounter whether the seeming TC is really TC. The bigger mystery to me is what happened to Jeremiah to bring him out of himself, to make him capable of the kind of enthusiasm natural to little boys racing across the countryside on such grand horses.

I also like the (possible) concept of the true Covenant as the FATAL REVENANT, stalking the land bringing down every representative of Foul and his works that he can find -- and incidentally endangering the structure of the world he means to save.

The Mahdoubt (evocative name) says: "Be cautious of love. It misleads. There is a glamour upon it which binds the heart to destruction." Linden loves much, so it wouldn't necessarily be her love of Covenant that binds the heart to destruction...

And who is this Mahdoubt?

[Nav]

One thought that has kept coming back to me ever since I started Runes is 'why did Jeremiah develop autism?' One of the more convincing ideas I've had is that when he put his hand into the fire at Covenant's summons was his mind taken to the land and never returned, leaving his body more or less empty all this time? Alternatively was he caught in between, not able to exert full control over his body in this world whilst existing as a spectre in the Land. Certainly something seems to have returned to Jeremiah as we last see him, perhaps it is there has been a reunion of mind and body.

As for TC, I really can't see him being transported through time in a caesure. For starters we know everything that happened to TC whilst he was a corporeal presence in the Land, and he plainly wasn't transported to the future in the first or second chrons. Maybe whatever Covenant had become at the end of WGW was drawn into a caesure later on, but it seems a little bit too convenient for an SRD plot.

[sindatur]

Why is it so surprising that Jeremiah's mind was cured by the Land? Covenant's Leprosy and impotence was cured by the land? What's the difference that's catching everyone's attention? Fatal wounds are healed until it's time to leave the Land?

[High Lord Tolkien]

I think that is a gaffe - if Linden's health sense can detect Lord Foul why couldn't High Lord Kevin or his Bloodguard?

We don't even know if the Bloodguard were at Revelstone at the same time when Foul was there. Foul could have left before they arrived. (I think Foul lured them. I think the Bloodguard has been Foul's unknowing pawns all along. But that's for another thread.)

I believe that the Haruchai would have sensed Foul as a being of Evil.
And the Giants might have sensed some unease in his presence as well.

It looks like Kevin did sense the evil or corruption of Foul. That's why he was given the Test of Truth. The fact that Foul passed the Test of Truth might have been enough. It seems that Kevin was arragant enough to believe that there was NOTHING greater or beyond Earthpower. Hence the seeds of doubt that grew in Kevin planted by Foul which led to the Desecration.

And Linden's health sense is far greater than the Haruchai or Kevin's or the people of the Land, in my opinion.
She retained it under the Sunbane.
But so did the Haruchai.
But I always understood it that she surpassed them in that way, though I can cite no examples off the top of my head.

[drew]

I used to think that Lindens health sense was better than anyones--Even the Haruchai..until I found out that Kevin's Dirt did not hinder them, as it did her.

[amanibhavam]

If Kevin's Dirt is a product of, say, Esmer, he might have tuned it so that it would not hinder his own Haruchai senses.

Another thought: in the days of Kevin Lord Foul maybe could use Earthpower somehow to disguise himself. He tells Covenant in TWL that it was Earthpower that upheld him over millenia while he was recuperating after TPTP.

[Jerico]

In Runes Linden thinks to herself several times that Stave has greater ability with his 'sight' than she does. I believe that it is also mentioned in the second cron.

[dlbpharmd]

To me it's a different kind of sight altogether. Linden is a physician and her sight is manifested as health-sense. She can also project her consciousness into others and control them. No Haruchai can do that.

[kvickie]

That's an interesting thought. I wonder where Kevin's dirt really came from- I guess I just assumed it was created by foul, like the sunbane.

[Dragonlily]

I'm thinking Kevin's Dirt might be created by the Masters' rejection of earthpower.

[MrKABC]

Since the Haruchai don't use lore or external expressions of power, I doubt Kevin's Dirt arises from them. Similarly, I don't believe Lord Foul is responsible, although it does appear to serve his ends. (Remember, he helped Linden find hurtloam). I don't believe the Elohim are responsible either, since the Elohim that appeared in Mithil Stonedown seemed vexed at the Stonedownors' ignorance of their past and their true natures.

That leaves as possible villians: Kastenessen, skurj (whatever THEY are), croyel, or possibly a new bane discovered under Mount Thunder. Remember the passage at the end of WGW? It made reference to Mount Thunder possessing various banes but the time that it might act to cleanse itself was millennia in the future. Well, Runes is set millennia in the future...

[firelion]

Kevins dirt serves the Masters purposes a little too much to dismiss their involvement alltogeather.If they are not capable of such lore themselves,could they not have bargained to have it done with God knows who?As MrKABC pointed out it also would seem to also serve Foul's purposes-a word whispered here and there.

[Kenaustin Ardenol]

Possibly Kevin's Dirt is smog from the Fire set free when Kastenessen was released and now finding its place in Mount Thunder.

[Dragonlily]

My thought about the Masters causing Kevin's Dirt is that it might be an involuntary result of their longstanding intention of blocking all use of earthpower. They wouldn't even know they were causing it.

[amanibhavam]

That's an interesting thought. I wonder where Kevin's dirt really came from- I guess I just assumed it was created by foul, like the sunbane.

Didn't Foul explicitly deny his involvement with Kevin's Dirt when he talked to Linden throgh Anele? Sg like "the fine riposte of Kevin's Dirt was not uttered by me"?

[Spork]

Possibly Kevin's Dirt is smog from the Fire set free when Kastenessen was released and now finding its place in Mount Thunder.

I LIKE this theory. The initial description in runes is of smog. Some tuning might be necessary. The skurj are likely those dragon thingies eating up the land, and maybe that creates the "smog". Question: were the skurj freed "recently" or not?