Is Covenant 'made' or 'summoned'?

[Phil Connors]

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the title, I wanted to be as vague as I could.

First post here, and I hope my query isn't mind-numbingly moronic. I'm still reeling from Fatal Revenant and it's myriad implications.

Upon closing the book, I was happy with my interpretation that Linden has effectively created a 'body' to house the remnants of Covenant's soul - the part of him which up until that moment, formed the keystone of the Arch. He appeared dressed as he was because that was her last reference for him, T-Shirt with a hole in it, jeans, boots - so using the power of the three artefacts -Staff, Ring and Krill - she literally re-fashioned his physicality, made his nebulous remnants corporeal. By giving him back a 'body', she has diluted or eradicated his control over the Arch - and that's what he was so upset about ('What have you done??!').

My brother finished the book a couple of days later, and his interpretation was wildly different. He believes that Linden has basically reached across Time and plucked Covenant from the climax of White Gold Wielder, (he posits that the 'burning' reference - ie he's being burned to 'life' instead of 'death' - is the direct physical correlation between those 'moments') By implication, all that went after that moment, from Covenant's triumph and sacrifice at the end of WGW up to his reappearance in Andelain, may have been changed. And that's what he is so upset about.

Where do you guys come down on which....'version' of Covenant this is, or is there another obvious interpretation I'm missing?

Thanks for reading,

Phil

[High Lord Tolkien]

I have no idea but dam-it man, that's an awesome first post!
Your brother's interpretation would certainly cause the crashing of the Arch and the rousing of the Worm.
I would say *no* though because TC went on to defeat Foul after his death and even "talked" to Linden.
Changing that is pretty extreme.
So a change like your brother is describing doesn't seem even remotely possible to me.

[wayfriend]

Great Question.

I don't agree with either of you! I don't think Linden created a body to house a spirit. And I don't think she reached back in Time.

The Law of Life was broken. The Dead can be returned to the Living. No time travel is required. It is a crossing of a boundary.

I don't think Donaldson particularly cares where Covenant's physical material came from. It's "magick". What matters is that Covenant crossed back over the boundary from the Dead back into the Living. The body is gratis, I suppose.

The Law of Life was damaged, but not completely undone. So it requires extreme amounts of power to resurrect someone, to pull them across that boundary. That's what all Linden's power (and Caerroil Wildwood's lore) went into doing. It wasn't about creating a vessel per se. It was about crossing a boundary.

Finally, Donaldson wound not be Donaldson if Covenant's last words in FR meant what we thought they meant.

Look at it this way: Did Covenant fall to his knees, raise his arms to the sky, and shriek "Oh my god, what have you done!"? No, it was considerably more mild than that -- although worrisome nonetheless. So it's hard to believe that something really utterly devastating happened.

Besides, since it is "crossing a boundary", it may not have so immediate affect on the Arch, since Covenant still is who he is. He was bound to the Arch in life, and remained so when he died, and would remain so when brought back to Life, I think.

[iQuestor]

Phil, agreed GREAT first post. Wow.

I think he was ressurected, and not summoned for the reasons given earlier; We could get technical and ask OK how did his clothes go back to exactly what they were, but writers dont give us those kinds of boring details. He was rezzed, IMHO.

[Ur Dead]

Great post..

I guess we might found out in AATE.

[Phil Connors]

Thanks for the kind words guys, and the lovely welcome. Some great points and food for thought. Looking forward to hearing any other theories - I can see myself spending a lot of time here!

Best,

Phil

[Relayer]

Now that this has been done, is the Law of Life significantly more damaged, or even completely broken? Could it now be easy for others to cross back into life?

Finally, Donaldson wound not be Donaldson if Covenant's last words in FR meant what we thought they meant.

Assuredly

[earthbrah]

My memory is fuzzy on the details of FR at this point, but I seem to recall a talk or mention of Covenant's bones/remains needing to be found somewhere in the Land. Well, now that he is back to life, what implication do they have? Probably none, I just thought I'd mention it. And now that he's back to life in the Land, does that have implications for his real world self? (I know, maybe a stupid question/thought...but again, I just thought I'd throw it out there.)

I don't think either scenario that you describe, Phil, is the case. Like Wayfriend, his clothes and physical vessel are brought about by the exertion of so much magic; their specific source is irrelevant, essentially. But your ideas are interesting, especially your brother's, even if I disagree.

Hail to Phil and a great first post on the Watch!!

[Phil Connors]

Thanks for commenting earthbrah, and the welcoming words

I guess I'm still flummoxed as to 'where' Covenant is pulled from though - if option A is he is drawn down from the Arch of Time into a physical form and option B is he is pulled forward to this time from the past, what is option C? His soul, his very recognisable personality, the human being standing smouldering in front of Linden at the end of FR has to come from somewhere?

I don't know, I still suspect he's either The Man Who Fell To Earth or Marty McFly...



(edited to make more sense)

[wayfriend]

The words the author leaves you with seem to indicate he did not receive a new body, but got his old body (and clothes) back, scars and imperfections and all.

Yet he was alive. In some sense, he was whole; unmarked except by his old wounds. Even his clothes were intact. Linden could see the rent in his T-shirt where he had been stabbed for Joan's sake. His hair was tousled silver like reified white gold.

Will need to adjust to imagining Covenant with silver hair. Maybe Indiana Jones 4 will help...

[Phil Connors]

The words the author leaves you with seem to indicate he did not receive a new body, but got his old body (and clothes) back, scars and imperfections and all.

Yet he was alive. In some sense, he was whole; unmarked except by his old wounds. Even his clothes were intact. Linden could see the rent in his T-shirt where he had been stabbed for Joan's sake. His hair was tousled silver like reified white gold.

Will need to adjust to imagining Covenant with silver hair. Maybe Indiana Jones 4 will help...

The clothes are key alright - I read it as Linden conjuring them from her last, vivid memories of Covenant (bar the robe on Starfare's Gem, she never saw him in anything but those clothes). Thanks wayfriend, Phil.