suru pa maerl

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:01 pm

suru-pa-maerl
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"I was stone questing," she answered. "I am learning suru-pa-maerl. Do you know the stonecraft?" "No," he said between breaths. "Tell me." "It is a craft I am learning from Acence my mother's sister, and she learned it from Tomal, the best Craftsmaster in the memory of our Stonedown. He also studied for a time in the Loresaat. But the suru-pa-maerl is a craft from making images from stones without binding or shaping. I walk the hills and search out the shapes of rocks and pebbles. And when I discover a form that I understand, I take it home and find a place for it, balancing or interlocking with other forms until a new form is made. Sometimes, when I am very brave, I smooth a roughness to make the joining of the stones steadier. In this way, I remake the broken secrets of the Earth, and give beauty to the people." Vaguely, Covenant murmured, "It must be hard - think of a shape and then find the rocks to fit it." "That is not the way. I look at the stones, and seek for the shapes that are already in them. I do not ask the Earth to give me a horse. The craft is in learning to see what it is the Earth chooses to offer. Perhaps it will be a horse."
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On my trip to South Dakota last June, where I saw the carvings of entire mountains into sculpture at Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Mountain, I remembered this passage from Lord Foul's Bane and began wondering what the people of the Land would think of our forms of art. Would they think Mt. Rushmore (where the sculptor spent years looking for the right rockface, then dramatically changed the design several times while in the midst of carving because he said the rock told him to) is a complete abomination or a masterpiece of this craft?
And what about Revelstone, which the Giants carved out of living rock?

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:10 pm

They'd think it would be a pretty good effort considering our rock doesn't have earthpower in it.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:33 pm

I don't remember specific examples, but I get the impression that the people of the Land think Revelstone is as awesome as the First and Pitchwife did. (Maybe to a lesser degree, since they don't have the Giants' knowledge of the process involved in such an undertaking.) If so, then they obviously don't have a problem with carving, as opposed to building.

But even if there was no Revelstone, and nobody in the Land ever conceived of any form of art that carved/cut/chipped/etc, I would think that a "true" artist, if she talked to someone like Michelangelo - hearing about "freeing the form within", and your example of changing the design because the rock/wood told him to - would understand. It might seem strange at first, but I think they could connect in various ways.

I'd really like to know more about suru-pa-maerl, though. I'm not clear on how this works. It seems like she would find a rock with, say, an impression. Just a shallow hole. And then she'd go looking for another rock with a shallow bump that would fit. Like finding the next piece in a jigsaw puzzle. But such a method would likely not produce any recognizable shape at all! Just an interlocking pile of rocks, with a smooth surface here, a jagged edge there, a point over on that side, etc.

What am I missing??

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:38 pm

Yeah I think that was how it worked, except that she'd be much more discerning about which rocks would suit, as some would, as you say, create no recognisable shape.

So it had to be a shaped rock that not only fitted what had also been put together thus far, but that also met the criteria for the shape required overall.

Not only that, but she wasn't to know what that overall shape was meant to be (IIRC). She'd just get a feeling that one particular rock was the right one, and use it. This took a lot of searching, and was part of the craft.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:50 pm

Ah!! So you think there was a bit of communing with the Earthpower, which would point her in certain ways??? That's a pretty awesome idea!! So the greatest artists were the people with the greatest ability to hear the Earthpower speak!

Now THAT is true Zen art!!

The artist, the medium (in this case, rocks), and the Earthpower are all parts of the work of art. It's certainly not the person creating the art, and none of the three is more important than the other two.

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 3:55 pm

Yeah I'm pretty sure of it, and although I don't have the books on me I actually think Lena and Elena both mentioned it at times. Could be wrong!

Its a form of attuning, is it not?

Post by **danlo** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:03 pm

Well since you copied this from the Hangar

I'll just copy my response from there...

That's an interesting and complex question Duchess...You would probably have 2 1st consult a master of rhadhamaerl (stonelore) about this issue. Sculpture is mentioned being displayed in the Hall of Gifts, is it not? And Elena did bone-sculpting in her practice of anundivian yajna (but that was a Ramen craft that was lost before the Ritual...).

If there was any direct sculpting on rock I can't remember (unless it was on a small scale--but still that would seem 2 go against a Gravelingas' connection 2 stone, would it not? And yes the Giants crafted Revelstone out of the sheer mountianside--but that practice would had 2 have been approved by the High Lord and his equivalent of Heartrall at the time. I don't remember any representational art cut in2 the stone the Giants worked with. So yes I guess it would b considered an abomination.

Now who exactly was the HL when Revelstone was built?--Damelon it must have been...iirc...Ridjeck Thome is obviously a building abomination (as if

gave a dern about that...). Are Coecri and RT considered exempt because they r on the other side of Landsdrop and not, technically, connected 2 the Earthpower of The Land?

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:04 pm

Yeah, attuning! It's so much! It's deep meditation. Still the mind, look at the rocks, allow yourself to be directed to the ones the Earthpower wants you to find. You need to give up your self, your ego, in order to become part of the process, and learn what the process is achieving.

Thanks Landwaster! Here, have a half-can on me!! <img src=kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/album_see.php?id=140>

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:06 pm

Went to three buddhist lectures last weekend (DiamondWay), but they never gave us any Whup-Ass for our trouble. Grr.

Looks like I got a bit confused between suru-pa-maerl and anundivian yajna. Lena did the suru, right?

Post by **danlo** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:10 pm

right--but why should I

bother these guys r so involved with their own discussion they don't listen to a single word I say....

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:12 pm

Thanks danlo. (Edit : re your edit : I read it, as you could see *huffy fit*)

Did anyone else (because I did this while reading the books) see a connection between the two crafts? In that they're essentially the same thing, but one with stone and another with bone?

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:13 pm

Landwaster wrote:Went to three buddhist lectures last weekend

You could also walk across your continent with the Real People. Not sure they'd give you any Whup-ass either, but you'll learn. Who knows, they might even know suru-pa-maerl! Lots of rocks out there, I'm told.

Post by **danlo** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:16 pm

Who are the REAL PEOPLE?

Post by **duchess of malfi** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:17 pm

I think there was sculpture mentioned as being in the Hall of Gifts at Revelstone -- but suru pa maerl seems different somehow from sculpting? Are these two different forms of art?

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:18 pm

Danlo why do you say Ridjeck Thome was an abomination? I thought it sounded like a pretty nifty creation, it was entirely seamless, right ... there was some nifty sculpturing going on there.

Did the books mention that there was an ill feeling about the rock, as though it had been abused?

Starting to remember a bit now ... yeah they did call it an abomination, didn't they. But I put it down to what the place was used for and host to, rather than the process of creating it.

Post by **danlo** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:20 pm

Trell digging his hands into the floor of Revelstone was def an abomination he even admitted it...

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:20 pm

duchess of malfi wrote:I think there was sculpture mentioned as being in the Hall of Gifts at Revelstone -- but suru pa maerl seems different somehow from sculpting? Are these two different forms of art?

I'm pretty sure there was suru-pa-maerl sculpture in the HoG.

From memory, I think the term 'sculpture' was used to refer to both suru-pa-maerl and anundivian yajna ... and yet the shapes of neither raw materials were ever forcibly changed.

Seems finding the right pieces and placing them in contact with one another was still called 'sculpting'.

Actually wasn't the colloquial name for anunundivian yajna "bone-sculpting"? If so, then yeah, it could be sculpting without changing the original form of the material.

Sounds like a good name for a song : "Bone-sculptin' son of a gun".

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:22 pm

danlo wrote:Trell digging his hands into the floor of Revelstone was def an abomination he even admitted it...

Yep correct, he did it forcibly though, as opposed to with any form of coercion or gentleness. He wasn't respecting the trust of the stone on that occasion. He was suitably horrified at what he'd done and was whisked away promptly for therapy.

So it still doesn't answer the question of whether there was a form of altering the original make-up of stone without breaching the trust of that stone.

Post by **danlo** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:23 pm

"and yet the shapes of neither raw materials were ever forcibly changed."

That's it exactly, anything else was considered abomination or misuse...

Post by **Landwaster** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:27 pm

danlo wrote:"and yet the shapes of neither raw materials were ever forcibly changed."

That's it exactly, anything else was considered abomination or misuse...

Yes, correct ... but was that the be all and all of "allowable" stonework.

What about Revelstone? Surely there was some forcible alteration made there. You mentioned Coercri, similar style, but way down by the beach it may as you say have been outside the realm of the Earthpower*. Revelstone, though, must have been within its bounds.

* or not, wasn't Earthpower present in other places in The One Tree? How universal is Earthpower? Also c/f the Sunbane only making it as far as Landsdrop, is there contradiction there? New thread methinks. Will do.

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suru pa maerl

suru pa maerl