Kevin's Watch

Hello, folks! This is my first time posting, but I think I've made sure this isn't covered elsewhere.

I presume we all know the word "Elohim" means "God". Funny how I discovered that, actually: I was sitting in church, bored, reading the intro to the Bible in the pew, don't ask me why, and I came across a note about the translation, and how "elohim" meant "god", more or less, in ancient Hebrew or something. I was like 13, and I've forgotten the deatils, but that revelation just blew me away when I saw that. Anyway...

"Insequent" has been bugging me. Apparently it isn't in any normal dictionary. I found some references to geology, with consequent and insequent streams of underground water, that flow according to underground layers of rock, or seemingly randomly, respectively. Hm...So, in the context of the Chronicles, Insequent, to me, implies "Random" or "Goes his/her own way" or "Unknown, deep movements". Which kind of works, given how we're told all the Insequent follow their own paths, their own Wurd, so to speak. You could make a comparison to the Unfettered, too, in how they go to the beat of their own drummers.

I should be careful how I glibly use that term, Wurd. Anyway...

So, Elohim are "God"like (Earthpower incarnate, sure). Should we then try to define the Insequent as the opposite, somehow?, or at least very different. Not devils, certainly. Hm...the key differences I see are: the Elohim start out with power, unearned, while the Insequent seek out their knowledge and power, their near immortality.

Sounding like an SAT English test, Elohim are to Insequent as God is to...humans? Or, maybe we're looking at a question of freedom: free knowledge and lack of freedom to use it, versus earned knowledge, and the power to make a difference.

Well, that's getting into deeper waters than I wanted to wade in. I'll stop here.

Thanks!

Mythago

Mythagp wrote: ...the key differences I see are: the Elohim start out with power, unearned, while the Insequent seek out their knowledge and power, their near immortality.

Sounding like an SAT English test, Elohim are to Insequent as God is to...humans? Or, maybe we're looking at a question of freedom: free knowledge and lack of freedom to use it, versus earned knowledge, and the power to make a difference.
Mythago

I think that's right on it. Especially the bit about being able to make a difference based on the earning of the knowledge. That said, the Elohim seem to be portrayed thus far as more powerful than the Insequent, with only The Theomach being able to transcend that. IMO, it's all a set-up, SRD will eventually push the story to where the "power" the Elohim seem to have and think they have is in fact useless to save the Earth.

CT wrote: IMO, it's all a set-up, SRD will eventually push the story to where the "power" the Elohim seem to have and think they have is in fact useless to save the Earth.

Very interesting. Have we ever actually seen the elohim do ANYTHING substantial...and by that I mean to affect the Earth itself. Sure, they shut TC up for a few chapters, played some mind games at Elemendsne, and talk a good game, but what have they ACTUALLY done? We only really have their word (wurd, wyrd?) that they can rally accomplish anything substantial.

They "Appoint" a few of their own to do stuff, but it seems that mostly consists of the appointed complaining a whole bunch and then getting screwed over by powers beyond their control. (Findail entrapped by Vain, Unamed Appointed zapped into the collosus, etc)

It may be as they say, that they are "Earthpower incarnate" but maybe by their very nature they can't do anything without some sort of outside force really doing the heavy lifting...

Long thread about the meaning of "Elohim" here.

Thread started a few days ago about the meaning of "Insequent" here.

It IS permissible to contribute to existing threads. In case you were wondering.

It sure is, Wayfriend.

Yeah, yeah, you got me. (Actually, if I had ever even seen that thread, I would have been glad of it, as I could have avoided the problem of seeming like I plaguerized your thread. This is the first hint I had of it. You should have told me! )

Seems to me like the Elohim have already gone on record as being more about preserving the Earth more than saving it. In the Elohim continuum, they state that they would greatly prefer the permanent installment of LF as unstoppable ruler of the preserved Earth (which is akin to damnation to me), in lieu of any scenario that even slightly risks ending it all outright. Even though evidence is mounting that the Insequent are the shadow on the heart of the Elohim, I have always thought it was their own unwillingness to gamble even a little for the best of all possible outcomes - the safer way always taking precedence, where one does not put the future of the entire Earth in the hands of a mere mortal.

The flipside of their haughtiness is their cowardice - that is a worse by-product of their immortality. The end of the Appointed's lives never seems to be voluntary at the very last bit, does it? There is always a construct there to ensure they are drawn in, willing or no, right?

Is it the author's emphasis, or is it my reader bias that has me inferring that mortal self-sacrifice somehow comes off as more noble than that of an immortal? And what are the Insequent, but beings that have close to the power of the Elohim, but behave much more aggressively - with a much more mortal perspective - and with good or ill intentions? No wonder they are at odds...

Insequent: "You have all this power, and what do you do with it? Nothing!"
Elohim: "You have all this power, and you behave like a reckless mortal? You are a danger to the very Earth! Go away, or I shall taunt you for a second time!"

dw