What Did the Bloodguard do after the Ritual?

[duchess of malfi]

As I said, my copy is floating around my house somewhere, but that does sound right! Thanks!
The Earthpower certainly seems sentient here...

[Fist and Faith]

In the words of the English version:

"As they spoke the hot words - <I>Ha-man rual tayba-sah carab ho-eeal</I> - the ground seemed to grow hot and cognizant under their feet, as if the Earthpower were drawing near the surface to hear them. And when they brought their Vow around full circle, sealing it so that there was no escape, the rocks on which they stood thundered, and fire ran through them, sealing their bones to the promise they had made."

This wasn't quite Korik remembering, though. The narrative pov had switched from him (3rd person, but him), about to begin the trial of leadership, to the <I>Haruchai</I> history, including finding Revelstone and taking the vow. At that point, it wasn't really any person's pov. I don't know the proper term. Just narration? Anyway, it goes back to Korik again after saying how Kevin's act of ordering them away before the RoD changed them: "Now the Bloodguard knew how to doubt. And now their Vow had revealed an additional demand: to fulfill it, they must preserve the Lords from self-destruction."

Anyway, yes, the earth at least "seemed" to be cognizant. That is more in favor of my belief. (Aside from Atarian and Mhoram believing that the Earthpower talked to Berek, and the wording when Glimmermere held TC up.)

Mind you, I can still understand someone thinking otherwise. This can all be taken in more than one way. But, for the reason I gave, I'll believe that the Earthpower is conscious until we find quotes that actually contradict it, forcing me to have a more poetic, less literal interpretation of these things.

The important thing is that this has gotten some of us looking into the Chronicles in general, and the <I>Haruchai</I> in particular, in delicious detail. And can that be a bad thing??

New signature quote:

[danlo]

Ok Syl now I'm convinced u r SRD in disguise, either that or ur quoting abilities indicate u have much more time on ur hands than me!! I bow 2 ur passion 4 the books! ...There is power graven in every rock... when Mhoram raises his eyebrows at the word "scenery" that just says it all 2 me about Earthpower--they r "at once" or "as one" with the Land. What about ol' Salt signing 2 his tiller! Perhap's the Haruchai's Atman is directly connected 2 their Bhraman?!

[[Syl]]

I think that's one of the highest compliments I've ever received. However, I must confess that I have some help. I have text files of all the books. I get an idea of what I'm looking for, then do a word search. It's a lot faster than going through my books (unless the word i'm looking for is something like hair... which convinces me SRD has a thing about hair).

I do have a pretty good memory, though, as well as a passion for the books. I feel towards them somewhat the way a lot of people feel towards the bible.

[Fist and Faith]

I do have a pretty good memory, though, as well as a passion for the books. I feel towards them somewhat the way a lot of people feel towards the bible.

Amen! Me too. I first read them when I was in high school. Which is a time when most people are doing a lot of soul-searching, discovering who they are, whatever you want to call it. TCTC was right there with me as I was doing that. How much of it actually influenced me? And how many times did I feel grateful to SRD because I saw my feelings reflected in someone else?

[danlo]

I kno what u mean--I won't repeat what I said in another post--suffice to say that I twice attempted 2 cut off two of my fingers and carried my own LF on my back 4 27 years. He does have a way of reaching us "lone wolves"

[DarkReflection]

This ones easy, they went to the mountains like Berek said, then a few days later they heard a loud BOOM! Bannor gets on top of a high peak, looks down and says, "Oh Sh*t."

[Furls Fire]

[drew]

Just thought I'd bump this old thread up for a new disscusion.
I'd imagine that for quite a while, the Bloodguard probebly beat themselves up (literally) for letting Kevin kill himself, and then they probebly vowed to themselves not to let the new Lords (when they enevitably show up) do the same. But since it was at least a couple of centuries that they had to wait, I'd imagine that there was a lot of meditation.
I know we don't ever hear about the Haruchai meditating..but these weren't just Haruchai, they were Bloodguards, sworn by Earthpower to Serve the Lords of Revelstone, with no Lords, it's possible that they kind of Hibernated.

[High Lord Tolkien]

I understand this thread is over two years old and my own opinions change all the time but I want to put my two cents in on whether or not the EarthPower made a conscious decision to empower the Bloodguard.

I say a strong NO.

I always thought it was the special language of the Haruchai that triggered or shaped the Earthpower to effect the Haruchai.
Much like the Seven Words or a Forbidding.
That their collective passion in taking the Vow triggered the Earthpower in much the same way the Lords use it.
Immense power can be called up from the earth with passion alone, look for Trell for that example.
And the passion of the Haruchai for the Land was supposed to be incredible!

[danlo]

Hmmm...that gives one time for pause.

drew: I sorta wished you hadn't bumped this thread as SRD now knows me as "danlo" and I rather not have him knowing my finger amputation lust!

[Durris]

Yikes, how can I have missed THIS thread?! I have been out of circulation. (Larval stage in medical writing isn't quite as all-consuming as larval stage in programming, but at least three-fifths as much...)

danlo, don't go too far with life imitating art. We need the words that your fingers, all ten of them, type.

You and I can look on the Haruchai with awe, respect, admiration, etc. (I hope nobody's going to say that they look on them in any negative ways!!) But if the Earthpower is conscious, then IT ALSO looks on the Haruchai with at least some of those same feelings that I do. Oxygen does not think, "I like these Haruchai. I think I'll help them stay alive by being the power source for their cells." (Or whatever it is exactly that oxygen does for us.) But the Earthpower is saying, "The Haruchai are living examples of discipline, dedication, and honesty. Their fealty is so sure, like stone and sea, that it has come to even my attention. I will help them." And more, it might possibly also be saying, "If I join with them, I will share in their glory. I'd like to be associated with such a noble thing as these people." I don't want just us readers to recognize the wonder of the Haruchai, I want their world to see it too. Not just the other people who, in some ways, pale in comparison to them, but the world itself. Maybe the Haruchai didn't always have this connection with the Earthpower, but were as true as we know them. After thousands of years, maybe the Earth itself noticed the purity and truth that was emanating from this little mountain range.

Fist, that made my screen go all blurry.

While I don't regard the Earthpower as having fully complete self-awareness (it isn't exactly a character), it's IMHO a mistake to regard anything in Donaldson's cosmos as totally lacking sentience. And Gilden-Fire does sound as though the Earthpower were in some sense a consenting participant (partner?) in the Vow.

I don't imagine the Bloodguard hibernating for the interim between the Desecration and the New Lords; that would be too much like a good night's sleep. I do imagine that they recited the Vow silently an awful lot.