stains

[Warmark]

sorry if this has been discussed before

but in the first chrons TC gets covered in tree stains and this seems to be significant but nothing ever comes of it

somewhere it says its like a map?

[wayfriend]

Sourly, he reached a hand up to get his staff from Dura's saddle, and noticed for the first time what Morinmoss had done to his white robe. It was spattered and latticed with dark green stains - the markings of the moss.

The stains offended him. With a scowl, he looked around the company. The other riders must have been more adept at dodging; they showed none of the green signature of the moss. Lord Mhoram was the only exception; each shoulder of his robe bore a dark stripe like an insignia.

Roughly, Covenant rubbed at the green. But it was dry and set. Darkness murmured in his ears like the distant rumor of an avalanche. His shoulders hunched like a strangler's. He turned away from the Questers, stamped back into the river. Knotting his fingers in his robe, he tried to scrub out the stains of the Forest.

But the marks had become part of the fabric, immitigable; they clung to his robe, signing it like a chart, a map to unknown regions. In a fit of frustration, he pounded the river with his fists. But its current erased his ripples as if they had never existed.

But it is significant.

The markings, along with the loss of his original clothes, represent the Land exerting it's unwanted influence upon him, changing him, perhaps permanently. Covenant is offended because, to him, this implies that his dream is becoming more influential; that, in fact, he is growing irreperably insane.

Spoiler

And then, at the end of the book, when all these things are gone, as if they have never been - this, too, is profound.

[drew]

Excellent post wayfriend...
But I too was like Warmark, I always hoped that some more would come out of the stains.

[dlbpharmd]

Have you guys seen the discussions about this topic in Runes forum?

[wayfriend]

But I too was like Warmark, I always hoped that some more would come out of the stains.

Ummm ... like what, for example?

[Warmark]

like a real map to somewhere - that would have been cool if someone cool if somebody turned up that could read his robes

[drew]

Well....Morrinmoss is part of what was the One Forest. If someone were able to read some history in the markings (Runes Spoiler)

Spoiler

The Way Anele can read mountains

It might have helped out the cause.
Or the people might have learned how the trees perceive to current Land inhabitants....stuff like that!!

[Warmark]

if he could have found the robe in the 2nd chrons it might have told him the way to the one tree. that would have been good the one forest (or part of it) helping to find the one tree

[BraulioB]

In Lord Foul's Bane when they exit Morrinmoss Covenant is covered in the green spotches from the moss. Also, Mhoram has a bit on his shoulders. I always took this as marks of their power. Covenant, of course, has the white ring, but Mhoram, as we see, becomes a very potent person too.

It's sort of like when they make it to the bridge in Mount Doom. Covenant sees the Bloodguard as solid, Mhoram a bit less so, and Prothall flickering. It's their potential power.

B

[dlbpharmd]

It's sort of like when they make it to the bridge in Mount Doom.

Would this be a good examply of a "Tolkien slip"?

[Landwaster]

I wanted to revive this first to make fun of the Mount Doom thing and second to add something to the stains thing.

From memory, Covenant had a mishmash of marks on his robe, while Mhoram had something on his shoulders, almost ordered, kind of like an insignia or signage. Correct my inaccuracies as my books are in storage.

Now, I could surmise until the cows come home, and I will.

I have two comments re Covenants seemingly random marks.
1) Could it be a comparison of authoritative power? 'You Are The White Gold'. Some where is he marked? All bloody over. Mhoram has marks on his shoulders, where the stripes and insignia of authorities often lay (coppers, military, regency). Seems Mhoram's signify his being 'in charge', the decision-maker for the people. Alternatively it may relate to the role of the shoulders, Mhoram's great strengths include bearing burdens of leadership, knowledge and doom.
2) This one is more simple. Covenants is all over, weird pattern. Mhorams' is more orderly. What's the story with Covenant's? Surely nowhere else in the entire story is any mention made of designs so elaborate and complex that they seem illegible, but hint at order?

All those who discuss can go to the mountains. All those who abstain can watch me read this little spell I copied out of the library.

[stonemaybe]

Going by other encounters that happen in the Chronicles, you would expect one of the Land's races, maybe the Waynhim, to be able to read meaning into the stains, make alot of them, but of course not tell TC what they mean!

Or maybe because Morinmoss had 'gone to sleep' as it were, the designs were an attempt at communication that had no chance of succeeding because the forest was beyond communicating intelligently?

[Landwaster]

I definitely believe it IS the work of Morinmoss ... sheesh the name of the forest even has MOSS in it, so it obviously gets all excited about moss.

So the forest done gone and did it, I'm certain. Was it attempting to communicate with TC and Mhoram? Or was it purely marking them with its perception OF them? It is possible that it could be both, perhaps it was designating what import these two had. Its a forest, part of the One one from ages ago, its probably thinking fairly big-picture

So I reckon its attempting both, duplicitly judging and making the judgees aware of those judgements (though the judgees could not decipher), and their station in Morinmoss' eyes can't have been too slight, if Morinmoss went to the effort.

On the other hand, what if they were simply pass-outs? Or some form of two-for-one offer (thank you please call again).

By the way I worked out what the marks on TC's robe meant anyway, if not Mhoram's ... TC's meant "amanibhavam poisoning sufferer, if found, please administer the life of one unfettered but if pain persists, kill him and sell his ring on ebay".