the character of Veleda;
the colorful setting of contemporary Amsterdam;
the imaginative reconstruction of myths developing from inchoate paganism towards modern Catholicism;
information about the Northern Revolt, a real historical event;
seasonal changes and life in the wilderness;
the story's pivotal position in the Time Patrol series;
its innovative addition to temporal paradox;
evocative passages about the time-stream combined with concrete historical processes.
Addendum: I have said this better before. See here.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteWhere I hesitate is when you said "the imaginative reconstruction of developing from inchoate paganism towards modern Catholicism." I argue that what actually happened was Catholic Christianity supplanting and replacing paganism. Not that Christianity "developed from" paganism.
Sean
Sean,
DeleteInteresting points. I was only thinking of the star and sea symbols becoming associated with the Virgin Mary. However, lets look at the total picture -
paganism: blood sacrifices to many gods;
Mosaic Judaism: blood sacrifices to one god;
prophetic Judaism: that one god is the only god;
Christianity: one blood sacrifice to the only god.
There is some continuity there.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
DeleteI do see your point. I agree pre-Yahwistic paganism involved sacrifices of both animals and humans to many gods. And I would argue that with Judaism God began revealing Himself more and more openly to mankind--culminating with the once and for ever sufficient sacrifice of Christ.
Sean