Kevin's Watch

huh? Yea,,Mishio Massima..The author has me scratching my head on this one,,the Ardents " steed" that TC was told not to forget..Mishio Massima..!!

A google of it produces websites in Italian."massima" meaning leadership or leading in authority of..in Italian ..? and Mishio ..Japanese for.".relating to salt"
Okay..it was a very " strange" .."unconnected" scene with the Ardent telling TC not to forget Mishio Massima..weird! to say the least and a bridge in to the future to be crossed for sure. Yet, what of now? As in,,a horse named to regards of being a leading authority on Salt...well..salt peppered on a worm supposedly will kill it...?

Maybe the author refers to ..salt of the earth..humanity?

Then there is Mishio Kaguko(spl?) a leading authority on natural foods and thus lifestyles..hhhmm..connected with TC's repeated exclamations of.." I got to go!" at end of scene..perhaps another SRD joke? Don't forget a daily epsom salt enema to stay healthy? Geesh Donaldson must be feeling his age! Perhaps way too much of a stretch even for Donaldson. Yet,,Joan's existence could be seen as a load of horse crap that had to be put to an end.

Yet,, I seek understanding in this combination of Japanese and Italian for a horses name that the Ardent believes is of Import to TC and Lindens future.
Perhaps the author invites team work in solving this bit of mystery..something to keep us busy until the release of TLD..?...

lurch wrote:huh? Yea,,Mishio Massima..The author has me scratching my head on this one,,the Ardents " steed" that TC was told not to forget..Mishio Massima..!!

Sometimes a name is just a name. That is probably the case with 'Mishio.'

I'm assuming he'll need the horse's name in order to call him in TLD after the Harrow's horse dies.

lurch wrote:

Joan's existence could be seen as a load of horse crap that had to be put to an end.

OMG, that is just too freakin' hilarious!

And how does one put a load of horse crap to an end?

edited: Also, the combination of leading and salt makes me think of Foamfollower. Clearly, this mount will have a role to play before the end.

aliantha wrote:I'm assuming he'll need the horse's name in order to call him in TLD after the Harrow's horse dies.

That's what I'm thinking.

dlbpharmd wrote:

aliantha wrote:I'm assuming he'll need the horse's name in order to call him in TLD after the Harrow's horse dies.

That's what I'm thinking.

Yep. It's not SRD's way to build in such a setup without a payoff later.

yes,,sure,,but, why Mishio Massima? Seems rather extravagant for a name of a horse ,,so,,is there any import to the name and its Future servitude to TC? ..does the name imply its future function? or,,as Worm has it..no,,a name is simply a name. Then why not Spot,,or Trigger,,or Sam..? What I find interesting is that its a first and last name ..Not a lot of first and last name characters in the Land..Most are single name, horses anyway. The name is just so Odd..perhaps thats the whole deal..the horse is Odd..inexplicable in nature. HHHmmm. I'm likeing it. The Ardent and his wish for Experience to be taken there by a horse inexplicable..

heh...the name does seem foregrounded... yea, it has a practical purpose, TC is gonna need a ride...but it seems to hint at more, so I'll play along with some possibles...you tell me what they might mean:
"The principle of salt"
"The adage of salt [or "salt sayings" or "salt maxims"
"Maximum salt"
"All-encompassing" or "girded by" Salt or "Salt that encompasses, engulfs or girds"

Are we having fun yet?

I'm not even sure if the Ardent's mount is worth its weight in salt

Orlion wrote:I'm not even sure if the Ardent's mount is worth its weight in salt

but is it worth the salt in my beer?

Just a thought but could the Ardent have disguised an Insequent's name in his horse's name?

Maybe the horse *is* an Insequent?

aliantha wrote:Maybe the horse *is* an Insequent?

So... no one can talk to a horse, of course, unless that horse happens to be the famous Mishio Massima?

"Furthermore, neeigh! I would like to add that you forgot to add salt to my hay. The ranyhyn council has been notified of your deplorable lack of horse-sense. Now start horsing around. Neeeigh!"

I think the horse's name is grandiose because of the Ardent's grand self-image, not necessarily because it's especially important.

I'm not sure it's important, but I suspect it might be interesting...the guy liked one-of-a-kind, absolutely unique things. Since riding is so ordinary, I'm curious about what's so special with his particular mount.

Unless the horse is an insequent that can be summoned and commanded using its very name

+1 for that suggestion above. I feel like the *name* was pushed a bit too strongly for it to not be important in the future. That horse is special, that much is clear. It seems logical for it to be an insequent.

Alternatively, "My steed" may refer to something else entirely. Not a horse at all. Perhaps some magical transportative force; perhaps a disparaging name for the ardent's body itself. Or maybe something equally weird.

Sometimes a horse is just a horse.

Of course, of course
And no one can talk to a horse of course ...

The last time Covenant needed a horse he didn't need to know its name to summon it. The Humbled Ranyhyn brought it to him on their own. So the Ardent didn't give him his name just so he could summon it.

I know this may sound surprising, but could it be that the Ardent wants someone to care for his horse, his only remaining legacy, after he dies?