Chalion Metaphysics
Feb. 20th, 2006 12:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackI was reading Curse of Chalion again. I don't like Lupe as much as I liked Miles[1] -- though I do a lot -- but I did enjoy it a lot.
[1] Which am I more like? I don't know. Lupe is a nice example of a successful person fighting (externally caused) low self esteem. Miles has his depressions, even suicidal thoughts, but never assumes he's not worthy of something.
But the theology is one of the best. There are five gods, who are all mostly good if occasionally harsh or unsavoury. They can perform powerful supernatural acts, but only through a human who truly opens to them.
The quintarian nature takes something from polytheistic religions, but it feels quite like christianity to me in the way it's used.
Thus, we can have our miracles, either doing something or providing judgements, but not at any time. So we can justify both (a) people putting their faith in gods and (b) not asking why couldn't the god just fix it?
I think all the fantasy religions I can recall have such contradictions, or take different approaches:
(a) are sufficiently unknown you can excuse not knowing
(b) have fairly unpowerful gods, or one non-interfering god, or no gods, and concrentrate on souls and things
(c) have some or all gods bad or whimsical
Which are as interesting, but less illuminating to the real life religions I know best.
[1] Which am I more like? I don't know. Lupe is a nice example of a successful person fighting (externally caused) low self esteem. Miles has his depressions, even suicidal thoughts, but never assumes he's not worthy of something.
But the theology is one of the best. There are five gods, who are all mostly good if occasionally harsh or unsavoury. They can perform powerful supernatural acts, but only through a human who truly opens to them.
The quintarian nature takes something from polytheistic religions, but it feels quite like christianity to me in the way it's used.
Thus, we can have our miracles, either doing something or providing judgements, but not at any time. So we can justify both (a) people putting their faith in gods and (b) not asking why couldn't the god just fix it?
I think all the fantasy religions I can recall have such contradictions, or take different approaches:
(a) are sufficiently unknown you can excuse not knowing
(b) have fairly unpowerful gods, or one non-interfering god, or no gods, and concrentrate on souls and things
(c) have some or all gods bad or whimsical
Which are as interesting, but less illuminating to the real life religions I know best.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-21 08:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 05:59 pm (UTC)I'll email about who I am :)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-22 06:00 pm (UTC)