SM Stirling, The Sword Of The Lady (New York, 2009).
After a battle, Rudi Mackenzie invokes:
the Lady of the Ravens;
the Lord of Death;
the Guardians of the Western Gate;
the Mother-of-all -
- on behalf of the slain foemen. Jake sunna Jake is highly impressed:
"'Hey, that's a good saying word t' keep spooks down...'" (Chapter One, p. 21)
He can tell that Rudi and Edain are not like Iowans who "'...pray to the Jesus-man.'" (ibid.)
Later, when Jake offers the Chieftainship to Rudi, he enumerates how much Rudi can teach his people, including:
"'...how to get right with the spooks...'" (Chapter Four, p. 109)
Jake probably imagines real vengeful ghosts. An instructor in Zen meditation might tell him that:
each of us has "spooks" or "demons";
they are inner consequences of past actions;
they must be faced, not suppressed;
in this way, it is possible to get right with them.
Kaor, Paul!
ReplyDeleteA Christian, of course, disbelieves in both the pagan "gods" and any idea of the spirits of the slain harming the living. Such a Christian would simply pray for the souls of the fallen of both sides, beseeching mercy for their spirits.
Sean
Sean,
DeleteA Christian also confesses his sins which I think are the "spooks" or "demons" that matter.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
DeleteI agree! Albeit, I believe demons, fallen angels, are also real.
Sean