Targovi carries a charm and thanks the gods but also refers to Javak the Fireplayer.
The broadcast informing everyone in the Patrician System that Admiral Sir Olaf Magnusson will take leadership of the Terran Empire and meanwhile has imposed martial law within the system ends:
"'Stand by. The Divine, in whatever form It manifests Itself to you, the Divine is with us.'" (p. 261)
That is a clever attempt to unite as many intelligent beings as possible. "...the Divine..." refers not only to God but also to gods. If "God" is invoked without being named, this can unite Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and theistic Hindus. Many others might also listen contemplatively or at least respectfully. Thus, again, such an invocation potentially has a unifying effect but "...the Divine...," even vaguer, casts the net even wider.
However, there are limits. Not all beings will want the Ythrian God the Hunter to be with them. We later learn that Magnusson is loyal to the Merseian Roidhunate which refers not to "God" but to "the God," an important difference, apparently denying a personal relationship. In fact, "the God" favours not every intelligent being but specifically the Merseians:
"''By adversity, the God tempers the steel of the Race. Let us get on with our quest.'" (CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO, p. 447)
We need to know which God we are getting.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And in A CIRCUS OF HELLS we see Flandry listening with surprise as Djana prays the Ave Maria. The very PERSONAL God Christians believe in was very different from the remote or fierce views of God held Merseians and Ythrians.
Ad astra! Sean
For Ythrians, the alternative was evidently a very, very bloody paganism, the Old Faith.
Or, of course, secularization or conversion to Christianity etc, through human influence.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!
Mr. Stirling: I forgot about the bloody paganism of the Ythrian Old Faith.
Paul: We don't see mention of any Ythrians becoming Christians, but that is possible. Secularization? Bleah!!!!!
Ad astra! Sean
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