urth-urth.net Digest, Vol 6, Issue 13

Andy Robertson · 08 Feb 2005, 13:32 · from 2005-February.txt.gz

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From: andywrobertson at clara.co.uk (Andy Robertson)
Date: Tue Feb  8 13:32:37 2005
Subject: (urth) RE: urth-urth.net Digest, Vol 6, Issue 13
In-Reply-To: <0E50DE328EBD6F4FA7F07A31A12AE34F239C66 at MCLNEXVS02.resource.ds.bah.com>
References: <0E50DE328EBD6F4FA7F07A31A12AE34F239C66 at MCLNEXVS02.resource.ds.bah.com>
Message-ID: <E1Cycxp-000Htr-PO at oceanus.uk.clara.net>

Taylor Peter writes: 

> Hi - I'm new to the list; I found your allusion to "Wolfe's theory
> regarding the pagan gods" very interesting. I believe Wolfe explores
> this quite a bit in the Urth/Long/Short Sun series as well - would
> anyone care to elaborate on it? 
 

It's the pattern of the universe as diagrammed in the WIZARD KNIGHT. 

Wolfe imagines the "pagan gods" as being of a lower order of being than the 
One god, but still divine. 

Yet he imagines also there is one perfect god over all. 

I don't know if he literally believes this (I doubt so) or if it's a 
writer's construct. 

 

The idea has many literary and historical sources, but the most important 
recent one is probably Tolkien and his EA / Valar / Maiar who act in ways 
very like the One God / Kleos / Overcyns 


In a literary sense it's a nod to the origins of European Catholicism (and 
hence our whole Western culture) as syncretised Christianised paganism

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