Thomas Covenant Chronology

Post by **emotional leper** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:48 am

Does anyone know the chronology for the 'real world' in the Chronicles of Thomas covenant? I don't recall an explicit mentioning of exactly how old TC is, and I can't remember exactly how long Joan had left him at the start of the series. Anyone remember?

Post by **hierachy** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:19 am

Well, Covenant was about 30 at the start of the first Chronicles, I believe.

I think there is about a 10 year gap between 1st and second Chronicles, and about the same again between second and third... and then Roger is 21... so I am guessing Joan had not long left him at the start of the first chrons. I think it was a couple of years, though.

Post by **emotional leper** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 11:41 am

I was wondering more about Real World chronology. Like, in years before LFB. How old was Roger at the start of the series, that sort of thing. How old exactly was TC. I have some interesting ideas on things in the real world that might have affected the Land. Like, say, did Covenant's birth coincide with the first time Lord Foul showed up in the Land (even though he had been there all along.) Or, exactly how old is the Land?

Post by **hierachy** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:04 pm

It's all been discussed before, I can assure you

Post by **emotional leper** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:06 pm

James wrote:It's all been discussed before, I can assure you

"Same as it ever was."

Maybe I should repost this in a different forum.

Post by **Believer** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:42 pm

SRD may not have thought it through in that much detail. someone in the GI proposed that the ritual of desecration coincided with the real-world timing of the onset of his leprosy. SRD responded that it was such an obvious parallel it's too bad he hadn't thought of it

Post by **emotional leper** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:51 pm

Runes Spoiler? Maybe? Below

Spoiler

I think Roger Covenant is Lord Foul.

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:52 pm

Believer wrote:SRD may not have thought it through in that much detail. someone in the GI proposed that the ritual of desecration coincided with the real-world timing of the onset of his leprosy. SRD responded that it was such an obvious parallel it's too bad he hadn't thought of it

That was me. <beams with pride>

It's generally believed that Covenant was about 30 years old at the start of LFB, as James said above, and thus was about 40 at the start of TWL.

1 day in the "real world" = 1 year in the Land

So, if Covenant's birth coincides with Foul coming to the Land, then that would've happened almost 11,000 years ago - and that's just too long based on what we know from LFB.

BTW - based on same logic, the timing for the RoD and Covenant's leprosy doesn't work out either.

Post by **emotional leper** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:02 pm

dlbpharmd wrote:
Believer wrote:SRD may not have thought it through in that much detail. someone in the GI proposed that the ritual of desecration coincided with the real-world timing of the onset of his leprosy. SRD responded that it was such an obvious parallel it's too bad he hadn't thought of it
That was me. <beams with pride>

It's generally believed that Covenant was about 30 years old at the start of LFB, as James said above, and thus was about 40 at the start of TWL.

1 day in the "real world" = 1 year in the Land

So, if Covenant's birth coincides with Foul coming to the Land, then that would've happened almost 11,000 years ago - and that's just too long based on what we know from LFB.

BTW - based on same logic, the timing for the RoD and Covenant's leprosy doesn't work out either.

My Math says 1.21 days = 1 year

Post by **I'm Murrin** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:05 pm

SRD has confirmed the 1:1 thing. The "10 years" each time is approximate, though, so we can't really say exactly how much time has passed in the real world or in the land.

BTW, I think Roger was supposed to be around one and a half in the first chrons, with Joan having left Covenant about a year before LFB.

Post by **dlbpharmd** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:07 pm

Murrin wrote:SRD has confirmed the 1:1 thing. The "10 years" each time is approximate, though, so we can't really say exactly how much time has passed in the real world or in the land.

BTW, I think Roger was supposed to be around one and a half in the first chrons, with Joan having left Covenant about a year before LFB.

Agreed.

Post by **emotional leper** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:14 pm

Damned. My theory does not fit.

Post by **drew** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:26 pm

Covenents Leprocy was noticed (by Joan at first) shortly after Roger was born.
She had taken him to visit relatives, and when she returned she noticed the gnagrene on his hand.
It was right after diognosis in the hospital, whe left him. So the next year had him in the leoprosarium, and then his divorce (which I beleive was stated to have been rushed)

Roger being a year and a half sound just about right, give or take a few months.

The beginin g of TIW had TC in the real world for about five weeks...and it was forty years in the Land (The one year to a doay thing works out here)
TPTP he in only home for about a week, giving him seven years absence in the land.

Covenent does the calculation at the begining of TWL, when he tries to figure out how long he was away. He figures the year for a day thing out himself.

Post by **Aleksandr** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:23 pm

Re: The beginin g of TIW had TC in the real world for about five weeks...and it was forty years in the Land (The one year to a doay thing works out here)

Donaldson also timed The Fisrt Chronicles so that it took place during Lent/Holy Week in the real world. Lent is 40 days (from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday) which gives us the 40 years that pass between LFB and TIW. Covenant returned to the land (when Foamfollower and Triock summoned him) on Good Friday (seven years/days later), which date we know because the woman whose daughter he saved from the rattlesnake mentions it. Of course he wakes up on Easter (Dr Berenford complains about being rousted out of church), but he was not in the Land for two years in TPTP so maybe we have to guess that he was unconscious for some time during or after his transition.

Post by **drew** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:05 pm

wow--I had never actually noticed that before.

Post by **Seareach** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:45 pm

drew wrote:wow--I had never actually noticed that before.

Ditto! Brilliant! Thanks Aleksandr!

Post by **Avatar** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:08 am

Wow, yeah...me neither...A death / resurrection parrallel. Nice one.

--A

Post by **SleeplessOne** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:29 am

Donaldson also timed The Fisrt Chronicles so that it took place during Lent/Holy Week in the real world. Lent is 40 days (from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday) which gives us the 40 years that pass between LFB and TIW. Covenant returned to the land (when Foamfollower and Triock summoned him) on Good Friday (seven years/days later), which date we know because the woman whose daughter he saved from the rattlesnake mentions it. Of course he wakes up on Easter (Dr Berenford complains about being rousted out of church), but he was not in the Land for two years in TPTP so maybe we have to guess that he was unconscious for some time during or after his transition.

wow, that's news to me too, very interesting Aleksandr !

Post by **aliantha** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:29 pm

I never made the connection, either. Wow, that's kinda cool...

Post by **emotional leper** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:00 pm

How does Hile Troy fit into that?

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch