Covenant Humor

[Romeo]

Was toolin' around the entire site today (not just the discussion board). Nice redesign of the main page!! Sorry I didn't notice it sooner - it's usually all I can do to drop by the board, read a few threads, and make the occassional library-sized post.

Saw this humor item, though, and thought I'd add some thoughts:



Remember that Joan's maiden name is Macht. So would she be considered a Macht 1, and Roger a Macht 2?

On a more serious note, I wonder if there was any symbolism intended in her name. "Machen," if I remember any of the German I took over twenty years ago (yikes!!), means "to make." "Macht" would be a conjugation of that verb (er/sie/es macht ... he/she/it makes).

He usually chooses names because of their sound and/or inherent meaning. Can anyone think of what "Macht" may have been meant to convey? It might not make any differene in the Last Chronicles, since the name was chosen when there was only three books in his plans. But ... any ideas? Is there a less common connotation of the German use of the word that wouldn't be obvious to low-level students in the US?

[drew]

RE: Joan's name.
If you say say her name outloud, it would sound like:
Joan Mocked Covenant.

That's what I figured anyways.

[High Lord Tolkien]

How many more months until Gillette comes out with a 7 blade razor and then sues Jay?

[Nerdanel]

I seem to remember Macht means roughly covenant in German. So Joan would be Joan Covenant Covenant.

[ur-monkey]

I seem to remember Macht means roughly covenant in German. So Joan would be Joan Covenant Covenant.

'Macht' can also mean 'power'...

Perhaps he was getting at Joan's power over TC? The plot thickens...

[kevinswatch]

Haha, oh yeah. I remember making that years ago.

Oh no! People are using my humor in order to analyse deeper into the methaphorical meaning of the Covenant series! It's just a joke, people!!!

How many more months until Gillette comes out with a 7 blade razor and then sues Jay?

Haha. Probably not too long. I'm doomed.-jay

[Revan]

Haha, oh yeah. I remember making that years ago.

Oh no! People are using my humor in order to analyse deeper into the methaphorical meaning of the Covenant series! It's just a joke, people!!!

How many more months until Gillette comes out with a 7 blade razor and then sues Jay?

Haha. Probably not too long. I'm doomed.-jay

On the other hand, you can let them bring it out- and then sue them... I mean you made it first

[Torrent]

It's a little late now, but Romeo and ur-monkey were both right about the meaning of "Macht" (power/makes).

On the other hand it doesn't have anything to do with the meaning of the word "covenant". "Covenant" would be translated as "Bund", I think.

For example: Der heilige Bund der Ehe (the holy covenant of marriage). It sounds more old-fashioned and at the same time more 'important' (from a moral/spiritual standpoint) than a mere contract (=Vertrag).

I didn't know Joan's maiden name was "Macht". Strange. I guess the ring could be interpreted as a fusion of power/Macht and covenant/Bund then. It's a symbol for the covenant between Thomas and Joan in our reality, and a symbol for power in the Land. Or something along those lines.

[Xar]

So Joan's ring would be the Ring of Power!

[Torrent]

One for the Lords at Revelstone.
One for the Giants in their ships of stone.
One for the Ramen in whateveritistheycalltheirhome.

[Cmdr_Floyd]

Macht = makes as in the classic German line 'Arbeit Macht Frei' (Work makes one free) as seen at all good concentration camps and Foul's Creche....