Garuda And Going Bird is about Christopher Holm who has "gone bird," i.e., joined an Ythrian choth, and flies with a gravbelt;
Flying Men shows similarities between Olaf Stapledon's Seventh Men and Poul Anderson's Ythrians.
Thus:
Stapledon has flying Venerians worshiping a god-bird;
Anderson has Ythrians worshiping God the Hunter, also human choth members and, elsewhere, Diomedeans;
Stirling has an airship named after a Hindu god-bird in his Angrezi Raj and hang-gliders in his High Kingdom of Montival.
As the Ythrians sing and as Stirling's Father Ignatius also says:
"High is heaven, and holy..." (see here)
9 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I've already mentioned in that earlier combox comment that I think Stirling was alluding to Anderson's work when he had Fr. Ignatius thinking "High is heaven, and holy..."
I know you find Anderson's Ythrians fascinating, and I certainly agree with that. But compared to the Ythrians you mention that earlier flying race, the Diomedeans, relatively seldom. Why so, if I may ask?
One thing I noticed between Diomedeans and Ythrians is that the former, while true fliers, can get about easily on land because they have LEGS, while Ythrians don't have really satisfactory legs and feet. They are much more awkward on land compared to Diomedeans.
Sean
Sean,
There are some posts that go into a lot of detail about Diomedean evolution, geography etc. However, it is the human-Ythrian synthesis on Avalon that I find fascinating.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Esp. because Avalon was DELIBERATELY planned to be a double colony settled by both Ythrians and humans? I can see how the consequences might be fascinating.
We do see other planets in the Technic series inhabited by members of more than one species. Such as Dennitza and Imhotep. And we see mention of how non humans also worked at Admiralty Center in THE REBEL WORLDS.
sEAN
Sean,
Human beings joining choths; Daniel Holm invoking "deathpride." To what extent can human beings be incorporated into an alien culture?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Well, Daniel Holm DID have some qualms about humans joining Ythrian choths. He did wonder if the cross cultural influence was going too far in the Ythrian direction. And how far were humans "incorporated" into Merseian culture, for that matter?
Sean
Sean,
That is what is interesting. Daniel disagreed with his son joining a choth but he invoked "deathpride" when speaking to a Terran. And Tabitha/Hrill called herself an Ythrian - just as nonhumans could have Terran citizenship.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
One thing that has puzzled me is exactly how "deathpride" differed from plain old PRIDE. And I always have in the back of my mind the warning from Proverbs about pride going before a FALL. So, I'm somewhat dubious about Ythrian "deathpride."
Sean
Sean,
Territorial, hunting carnivores. Different morality, reflected in different ideas about deity.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
But humans too can be hunters and be notoriously VERY territorial! And I knew of the Ythrian conception of God as the Hunter. Which I disagree with.
Sean
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