"...passed on no other information than that all were to hold themselves prepared for emergencies cosmic or warlike. A species whose ancestors had lived like eagles could take this more easily than men. Even so, tension had mounted till [Coya] could smell it."
-Poul Anderson, "Lodestar" IN Anderson, David Falkayn: Star Trader (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 631-680 AT pp. 641-642.
Readers might not notice this striking phrase especially since it comes just after they have turned a page and they want to read on to find out where the spaceship is going: "...lived like eagles..." This is indeed a physiological, and therefore also a psychological, difference between Ythrians and human beings.
By flapping their wings, Ythrians pump oxygen directly into their veins, thus generating enough energy for flight in bodies heavy enough for intelligence. Used to living with such a rush of energy, the Ythrians must be able to maintain combat-readiness without intolerable tension for longer than human beings - but nevertheless we need Poul Anderson to point this out to us.
Ythrian consciousness differs from human consciousness in many ways that are traced out in the several installments of the Technic History that feature this species:
Ythrians cannot be confined in spacesuits;
for a long journey through space, they need a ship with a chamber large enough for them to fly around in;
they hunt live meat;
their language is not only vocal but also expressed through rippling body feathers;
they can survive hostile elements unclothed;
their New Faith conceptualizes God as the Hunter Who stoops on all;
they are not just winged human beings.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Altho NOT to the point, the metaphor of Ythrians living like eagles reminded me of Matthew 24.28: "Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together." That is, the eagles gathered together to feast on the carrion. I quoted this mostly because I was reminded of how Matthew's gospel mentions eagles.
Sean
Sean,
I think "eagles" here is a mis-translation for "vulture" or some kind of carrion bird?
Also, the symbols for the Evangelists are:
Matthew, winged man;
Mark, winged lion;
Luke, winged ox;
John, eagle.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Well, I was quoting the 1941 Confraternity translation of the NT, which I like for its dignified style and language. I'll have to check how later translations rendered that text from Matthew (and perhaps consult a commentary).
Yes, I was aware of how Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all have their traditional symbols.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I checked two later translations to see how the NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE and the NEW AMERICAN BIBLE rendered Matthew 24.28. And this is how the latter version translated it: "Where ever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."
While in many case older translations of the Bible "read" better than more recent versions, I do admit the latter can be more ACCURATE in specific passages. Like the one we are discussing.
Sean
Post a Comment