Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 5:05 pm
danlo wrote:It is????Coercri, from where Starfare's Gem departed, is on the West coast
Nope, its EAST. My bad. I was never good at directions.
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danlo wrote:It is????Coercri, from where Starfare's Gem departed, is on the West coast
Danlo's right; Seareach is in the north-eastern portion of the Land, not the West coast.danlo wrote:It is????Coercri, from where Starfare's Gem departed, is on the West coast
So Kastenessen was not transformed and retained his old self when he was freed, while Findail was transformed and has lost himself and cannot be restored. (The Colossus Elohim is likely in the same boat as Kastenessen.)In the Gradual Interview was wrote:Meanwhile, this is the ol' apples-and-oranges problem. First, the Elohim who was bound into the Colossus wasn't Appointed: her binding was the will of the forest(s), not of her people. I'm not prepared to commit myself about her; but I'm inclined to think that she may have been able to slip free when the "will of wood" became too weak to hold her.
Second, Kastenessen. If I had been able to foresee (way back in the early '80s) this bit of confusion, I might have omitted the word "name" from "reaving him of name and choice and time". I've always intended that he would retain himself: he was "bound" in the sense of "being tied down" (magically, of course), not in the sense of "being transformed into something else." (Don't forget that his Appointment was in part a punishment. What good is punishment if he isn't somehow aware of being punished?)
Third, Findail. Now *he* was transformed. Sure, his essence, the substance of who he was, remains alive in the Staff of Law. But his melding with Vain by wild magic altered him so profoundly that concepts like "sentience" and "identity" no longer have any meaning. I don't doubt that the Staff could be destroyed, but doing so would not restore Findail to his former self. Instead his essence would probably be absorbed by Earthpower in general.
Which may have been the fate of the Elohim who was bound in the Colossus; but as I say, I'm not prepared to commit myself.
(03/07/2007)
So somewhere between five hundred and one thousand years. Definitely not coincident with either the ceasures or the ascendancy of the Masters.In [u]The Runes of the Earth[/u] was wrote:She made an attempt to go on. "How long-" But her throat closed, choked by auguries and dust. She had to swallow several times before she could ask, "How long has the Dirt been up there?"
Her companion shrugged. "Twenty-five score years? Fifty score? The bones of the Earth do not regard such details."
EL: In the GI ( oh, grow up! )...
Mastery ... of their domain?dlbpharmd wrote:When did the Masters assume their , uh, Mastery?
I... don't get it.iQuestor wrote:WayFriend wroteEL: In the GI ( oh, grow up! )...
Mastery of the Land - do we know when they decided to become Masters?Wayfriend wrote:Laugh it up, furball.
Mastery ... of their domain?dlbpharmd wrote:When did the Masters assume their , uh, Mastery?
I think it was immediately after Linden returned home. In Runes, pp 132-3: Stave is answering Linden's questions after she proved herself.dlbpharmd wrote:Mastery of the Land - do we know when they decided to become Masters?Wayfriend wrote:Laugh it up, furball.
Mastery ... of their domain?dlbpharmd wrote:When did the Masters assume their , uh, Mastery?
What if Covenant betrayed himself? What if he was betrayed by his own reasoning/assumptions? I think his betrayal is similar to Kelenbhrabanal’s: sacrifice does not suffice.Someone has betrayed Thomas Covenant.
Something tells me it can only be Linden. No one else is in such a position of trust as far as I can tell.
But then, are the Masters innocent? How can they repress the people of the land, assume a mastery that it not theirs to assume, prejudge everyone, and yet still be innocent? Ignorance was the third response Linden had to the Master’s charges: the reasons why they were wrong to judge her. They were inadequate, arrogant, and ignorant. These are not reasons why they were innocent, but reasons why they were wrong.The title of this part of the book is "the only form of innocecse". I speculated that this refers to ignorance.
Which makes Linden's lines below noteworthy.
Quote:
"I've got one more answer for you."
Ignorance.
And then she desperately calls Anele forward.
If Anele's monologue in the close sways the Masters, if he does anything to prove his worthiness, then it is that he shows the Masters how they are ignorant. Ignorant of what is really going on in the Land. What is really at stake. What is the real danger of despair. What is the real danger of supressing the people of the Land, their service.
The text reference aside, the meaning of this is very revealing. The Masters refuse to accept the possibilities which will cause grief: letting people make their own choices, choices which may cause harm. They are trying to insulate themselves in a way similar to Covenant cutting himself off from human connections in LFB. Following the baby analogy above: mothers can be overly protective of their children because they are scared to grieve for their children—which is another way of saying they can’t face the possibility that harm may come to them. This fear can become something which itself harms, if it causes a mother to be overly protective (like the Masters have).Linden thinks, Liand was right about the Masters. They feared to grieve.
What was this in reference to?
Looking back, the concept of Covenant's betrayal first appeared in Linden's visions as she came to the Land.Malik23 wrote:What if Covenant betrayed himself? What if he was betrayed by his own reasoning/assumptions? I think his betrayal is similar to Kelenbhrabanal’s: sacrifice does not suffice.Someone has betrayed Thomas Covenant.
Something tells me it can only be Linden. No one else is in such a position of trust as far as I can tell.
Here it is clear that betrayal refers to Joan's betrayal of Covenant by leaving him. But by transposition, because Linden "is" in some way Joan in the vision, we can assume that the betrayal corresponds to what Linden will do, in some way.In [u]The Runes of the Earth[/u] was wrote:She had a son, a ten-year-old boy. He gazed at her earnestly, absorbing every word, while she held his face between her hands. He goes somewhere, she told him. I know he does. She loved and loathed Roger's features as though they were his father's. It's a powerful place. He matters there. He makes a difference. Everyone makes a difference. Now the face she held was Thomas Covenant's, the man she had known and loved and betrayed. I have to go there. I have to find that place.
...
Only the man you betrayed can expiate for you.
Righteous and enraged, Thomas Covenant turned his back on her.
The complete reference is:Malik23 wrote:But then, are the Masters innocent? How can they repress the people of the land, assume a mastery that it not theirs to assume, prejudge everyone, and yet still be innocent?
In other words, to someone casting about for whom to blame for their troubles, ignorance can deflect their blame.In [u]The Wounded Land[/u] was wrote:He peered at the triangle and the writing, muttered, "Jesus saves," under his breath, then sighed. "Occupational hazard. I've been going to church faithfully in this town for forty years. But since I'm a trained professional who earns a decent living, some of our good people-" He grimaced wryly, "-are always trying to convert me. Ignorance is the only form of innocence they understand." He shrugged, returned the note to her. "This area has been depressed for a long time. After a while, depressed people do strange things. They try to turn depression into a virtue-they need something to make themselves feel less helpless. What they usually do around here is become evangelical. I'm afraid you're just going to have to put up with people who worry about your soul. Nobody gets much priva
cy in a small town."
But there's a crucial difference too: Kelenbhrabanal made a deal w/ Fangthane, which the Despiser never meant to keep. Covenant and Foul made no such deal. I don't know what this implies, but it is a major difference in the intent. Though for SRD's purposes your point may be right.Malik23 wrote:What if Covenant betrayed himself? What if he was betrayed by his own reasoning/assumptions? I think his betrayal is similar to Kelenbhrabanal’s: sacrifice does not suffice.
Here it is clear that betrayal refers to Joan's betrayal of Covenant by leaving him. But by transposition, because Linden "is" in some way Joan in the vision, we can assume that the betrayal corresponds to what Linden will do, in some way.Only the man you betrayed can expiate for you.
Righteous and enraged, Thomas Covenant turned his back on her.
And it's also about another mother who has done the same thing - Joan left TC to protect her son. Following the logic of protecting the innocent through ignorance, maybe Joan betrayed Roger somehow (?)All this becomes even more relevant when we remember that this entire Chronicles is about a mother who will do anything to protect her child.