From: Michael Raaterova (michael.raaterova.7033@student.uu.se)
Date: Mon 11 Nov 1996 - 11:38:35 EET
Peter Metcalfe makes some cryptic remarks:
I gave some examples of
>>Events caused by patterns of the Web (Peter's "inactive agents") in a
>>timely world: the cyclical progression of the seasons, the reality of the
>>Trollkin Curse, the orderly shifting of day and night, the decomposition of
>>a corpse, the endless sequence of waves upon the seas, the non-occurrence
>>of rivers sneaking into a pub to down a few pints on the way towards the
>>ocean, the expiration of temporal spells.
and Peter remarked that
>These things occured during the Godtime. We have people aging and dying.
>We have days, nights and hunting seasons.
Of course these things happened during the God Time - if they didn't, they
wouldn't be patterned within Time. If there weren't days and nights in the
God Time there wouldn't be any within Time.
It seems that Peter has misinterpreted gravely what i wrote.
The difference between God Time and Time is that during the God Time Yelm
The only difference for Gloranthans living Now and Then, is that the
didn't rise if he didn't want to; he needed to be active. Now, Yelm rises
if he doesn't want otherwise; he needs to take action to stop a sunrise.
But there had to be at least one sunrise during the God Time for Arachne
Solara to pattern the sunrise within Time on.
natural phenomena are more regular and predictable in the present world and
freak anomalies are less likely to occur than they were Then. I realize of
course that there were no "natural phenomena" in the God Time, since such
happenings were all Acts of Gods back then, but i hope you know what i mean
anyway.
I also said:
>>In the God Time Yelm rose because he willed it and made it happen. If he
>>didn't will it there wouldn't be a sunrise. If he he felt like it he could
>>suddenly travel to the north to punish the upstart Valind, go back to the
>>east to fetch his lunchbox which he forgot there, call it a day and then go
>>to sleep. It happened because Yelm did it.
and Peter commented:
>But these things occur now. Yelm stops in the Sky. Tanian creates
>the sea of flame. A rogue planet interposes itself between the Red
>Moon and the Battle of Dwernapple. Zistor invades Esrolia. Waha
>sacks Robcradle. Orlanth defeats Kargzant. Wachaza sends Magasta
>to the Underworld. Orlanth and Arangorf dance the Perfect Dance.
So? Where have i said that they don't?
If you would have continued to read the next paragraph as well, where it
says that "[i]n Time Yelm rises every morning [...] unless an agent wills
otherwise and quests to change or free the sun's path temporarily or even
permanently", you would have realized that your comment in no way counters
my argument.
The Web of Patterns doesn't forbid anomalies; it is merely a passive
background process. If nothing else takes precedence, then the patterns
will impose themselves continuously.
Peter further commented that:
>The observant will point out that these require worshippers invoking
>the aid of their gods, but we can easily postulate that the Godtime
>myths are of gods acting on the wishes of their worshippers. Some
>of these acts are explicitly acknowleged as such (like Orlanth's
>reason for going after the Blue Dragon is because of a famine).
I hope you don't mean to say that gods act *only* on their worshippers
wishes, because that would lead to pretty boring divinities, acting like
the obedient slaves to mortals. But if the gods are free to choose what
wishes they want to fulfill, if any, then i agree with you.
- -----------------
Michael Raaterova
<.sig omitted on legal advice>
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