Friends,
I have here an interesting little hypothesis that you will either scoff at or be driven mad by its paradoxial temporal mechanics. We have to, however, set aside the notion that someone planted the b.h. in the Old Sun to destroy the Monarchy:
There has been discussion of late on how the b.h. came to be in the Old Sun. Many favour the idea that the Conciliator did it. Others insist that it was done by the Hierodules to end the rule of Typhon. I have another idea. What if the b.h. was created to insure the Law of Conservation of Mass? Perhaps ::insert deity name here:: through nature's laws insured that if anything came into this universe from a lower universe (White Fountain), an equal amount would leave it to a higher universe (black hole). Here one is presented by a conundrum that eventually becomes much like the "chicken or the egg first?" question. Did the White Fountain come first and the b.h. created to balance it, or vice versa?
One request: if you're going to blow my idea apart (and I'm sure many will), please do citation if it the evidence is in TUotNS. It's been a while since I've opened that book up and marveled at its metaphysics.
Christopher R. Culver <crculver at aol.com> or <new_sun at hotmail.com>