Kevin's Watch

Posted: **Sun Oct 19, 2003 8:37 pm**

Another topic that involves Haruchai and words...

Uruk-hai in LotR is, sort of, similar to Haruchai. Or rather Haruchai is similar to Uruk-hai.

No, I'm not saying that Haruchai and Uruk-hai are the same in any other way, just that the words are pronounced almost the same.

Also, I know some people think that the chrons are "copied" from LotR, in the same way as the Shannara books of Terry Brooks are. I don't agree. Yes there is a ring and a quest. But that's it. Terry Brooks and David Eddings for that matter don't write anything new in their books. They just fill them with the usual fantasy stuff. A bit hard to say that about SRD...

Haruchai is a good word but isn't it a bit stupid to use a made up word that is almost identical to another (and more well known) made up word?

Posted: **Sun Oct 19, 2003 8:39 pm**

I don't think Tolkien has a patent on the word "hai" does he? Or did he make that up too? I believe hai is some ancient language for "folk" or something. So the Uruk-hai means Orc-people or Orc-folk.

Posted: **Sun Oct 19, 2003 8:46 pm**

But Uruk-hai isn't chai is it? (Not that it is the spelling that matters really.)

Only chai I know of is chai as in tea .

But there could be several different meanings in the same language and chai might be a word in more than one language.

Posted: **Sun Oct 19, 2003 11:10 pm**

If I'm not mistaken "Hai" is Japanese for Yes.

No I don't think there's any plagrasim going on between Donaldson and Tolkien. Inspiration yes but outright copying and modifying to suit? ...nah.

If the script I'm writing (or ANY script) makes it to film there may be comparisons galore. But we, the faithful readers, will know better.

Posted: **Sun Oct 19, 2003 11:22 pm**

All I have to say about this topic is that the Haruchai would mow down the Uruk-hai like they were children.

Posted: **Mon Oct 20, 2003 1:33 am**

lol! oh so true... except that they wouldn't tho would they, they're too nice...

Posted: **Mon Oct 27, 2003 1:53 pm**

I read a transcript of an interview with SRD where somebody asked him how to pronounce haruchai and he said it should be hah-RUE-kai as opposed to hah-ruk-ai (which is how I'd say it).

I think the cadence of SRDs pronounciation results in haruchai sounding quite different to uruk-hai.

No prizes for guessing where J. Michael Straczynski got the inspiration for Z'Ha'Dum though.

Posted: **Mon Oct 27, 2003 3:29 pm**

hmm. I say hah-RUE-chai

Posted: **Mon Oct 27, 2003 3:39 pm**

ditto

this kind of thing has been posited many times before .. but as you rightly say cloudberry .. there is a gulf of difference between the Haruchai and the Uruk-hai ..

the most important being the Haruchai are actually good guys

and not manufactured beings of diverse origin .. lol .. well bi-verse at least

and someone said that Tolkien doesnt have a patent on .. monosyllablous sounds .. ie: hai ..

to me its unsound to draw plagerist arguements .. cos both series are quite distinct .. and distinguishable ..

yet even SRD himself pays homage to Tolkien who inspired him to be a writer ..

and what a brilliant author was born because of such inspiration

Posted: **Mon Oct 27, 2003 3:54 pm**

I'd like to know who these "some people" are!? I'd stick "kick me" signs on their backs and put time delayed tape recorders in their pockets that say "NOM!"

Posted: **Mon Oct 27, 2003 6:08 pm**

thats an intersting idea... would a tape recorded "nom" bring nom to the recorded voice's owner or the person who was holding it?

i tend to think it would be the voice's owner...

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:10 am**

I'd say it would bring, at best, a hologram of Nom. Maybe just a video of him.

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:12 am**

How about using a PC to voice synthesise it?

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:16 am**

Bringing a cgi-Nom?

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 5:42 am**

I think you can find 1 at Nom.com (couldn't resist!)

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 6:02 am**

danlo wrote:I think you can find 1 at Nom.com (couldn't resist!)

Printer and other PC peripheral supplies ... couldn't see any stamps, though.

I thought it was gonna be a big Sandgorgon extravaganza page ... when I realised it was just a supplies company, it left me a little flatfooted.

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 8:14 am**

Navarino wrote:No prizes for guessing where J. Michael Straczynski got the inspiration for Z'Ha'Dum though.

Time for a geeky confession. Whenever I see The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf shouts "To the bridge of Khazad-dum!" I have to fight down the urge to call back: "No! If you go to Z'Ha'Dum, you will die!"

Posted: **Tue Oct 28, 2003 2:55 pm**

Fist and Faith wrote:I'd say it would bring, at best, a hologram of Nom. Maybe just a video of him.

That made me actually LOL for the first time in a while...

Posted: **Wed Oct 29, 2003 1:45 am**

Posted: **Wed Oct 29, 2003 4:27 am**

Theo wrote:
Navarino wrote:No prizes for guessing where J. Michael Straczynski got the inspiration for Z'Ha'Dum though.
Time for a geeky confession. Whenever I see The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf shouts "To the bridge of Khazad-dum!" I have to fight down the urge to call back: "No! If you go to Z'Ha'Dum, you will die!"

lol