Can Christianity influence Merseians? There are no signs of any direct influence. Kossara fails to convert her ychan servant. When Ydwyr goes, as he thinks, to examine Dominic Flandry's corpse, Djana asks to accompany him so that she can give Dominic a Christian burial. Ydwyr thinks that he would be wrong to forbid her to give her dead their due. To this minimal extent, he respects Christianity. This and other religions would have been tolerated under Merseian rule provided that they did not preach resistance. All religions can be adapted to a subservient role if indeed they do not play such a role already. Even SM Stirling's Draka allow their serfs to practice a ritual call "confusion" (or something like that). It is stated in
1984 that the proles would even have been allowed religion if they had wanted it. Djana imagines Flandry and herself marching behind a militant Merseian Christ. Christianity can be militant as well as meek and Mersians would welcome militant Christians helping them to subdue other races.
Ywdyr has discovered and enhanced Djana's power of mental coercion and she uses it on him when she asks to accompany him. This backfires on Ydwyr because Flandry is alive and wins Djana back from her new Merseian allegiance.
Ywdwr had reminded Djana that the spectacular escapades of fiction are merely fiction. We gather that Merseians share our experience of reading such fiction. However, Flandry escapes from Merseia with Hauksberg at gunpoint, escapes from Talwin with Ydwyr at gunpoint and escapes from Dido by hijacking a rebel spaceship so that Ywdyr's dismissal of spectacular fiction is highly ironic.
Computer slowness and other factors decree that this might be the only post for today.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I do have a few comments to make! While it is true we don't see any Merseians who converted to Christianity, that does not mean none ever would or could.
Yes, many who hate Christianity have sneered at it as a religion fit only for slaves and women. Only to eventually be vexed at how resistant it has been to tyrannical demands. That is esp. true of Catholic Christianity, with its long history of conflicts with many kinds of oppressive states. Even Stirling's Draka hated and feared Catholic Christianity.
It was Djana, not Kossara, who thought of herself as marching with Flandry behind a Merseian "Christ." The very idea of FLANDRY serving Merseia in any way has always jarred on me!
Yes. Ydwyr was too dismissive of the spectacular escapades seen in some forms of fiction. The life and adventures of Flandry shows there will be some exceptions to any general rule!
Ad astra! Sean
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