Tabitha Falkayn uses the phrase, "'...we Ythrians...'" and explains:
"'What else? Avalon belongs to the Domain.'" (p. 106)
See also: Some Details On Avalon.
Words are not necessarily used consistently. I differentiate between human and Ythrian Avalonians whereas all Avalonians are "Ythrians" in the way that Tabitha uses that word. But language does not change the fact that Tabitha and her enemy, Rochefort, are of the same species whereas her partner, Draun, is of a different species.
Decades ago, a Conservative Member of Parliament said that there could not be "black Englishmen" - whereas there could be white South Africans. Some of this is just a matter of how we are used to using words. There is certainly a black Irishman. A black pop singer performed in Ireland and left a young woman pregnant. Their black son grew up in Ireland, speaking English with an Irish accent. These examples have taken us away from different intelligent species - but we lack experience of any such as yet. On a galactic scale, maybe, we are Solarians.
It is the hundredth anniversary of the British General Strike so I have bought a new political analysis of that event. I am also reading Colin Dexter's third Inspector Morse novel and rereading Poul Anderson's Technic History which still manages to match reality to a remarkable extent.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
By contrast I was reminded of how Hloch called human beings Terrans.
Still reading Dorothy L. Sayers' WHOSE BODY? also set in the 1920's. I was interested to notice how far police investigation of crime had advanced since the Sherlock Holmes stories in the 1880s. Detectives were making use of fingerprints and photography, and Inspector Parker understood the value of patient questioning of possible witnesses.
The mutually respectful relationship of Lord Peter Wimsey with his invaluable valet Mr. Bunter reminded me of the very similar relationship of Sir Dominic Flandry with Chives, also a being of many abilities.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
The master-servant relationship is an elaborate social ritual. Ideally, both men are highly competent in different ways. And there are times when the relationship has to be set aside. Jeeves looks ill and retreats into the kitchen to sit down. Wooster, sensing something wrong, follows him in, sits down opposite and says, "I say, Jeeves are you all right?" There is nothing very wrong on this occasion but, if Jeeves had been really ill, then Wooster would have had to do something about that.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly. Lord Peter and Mr. Bunter, Sir Dominic and Chives, were all beings of multifaceted talents who supplemented/complemented each other.
I've only read a few of the Wooster/Jeeves stories, but I recall how the latter was far more intelligent than Wooster (who made up for that by being kindly and decent. I have no doubt Bertie Wooster would do his best to take care of Jeeves if the latter had been seriously ill.
Anderson's TALES OF THE FLYING MOUNTAINS includes a story, "Ramble With a Gamblin' Man," whose protagonist was a wealthy entrepreneur in the asteroid belt. I don't think he strictly needed to, but he made a point of employing servants. The view among the asterites was that one-way successful men could help the less fortunate was by employing some as domestic staff.
Ad astra! Sean
Humans are tribal, and tribal 'markers' are to a certain degree arbitrary.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Human beings are like that, creators of social "markers," symbols, rituals, etc. All of which has to be at least somewhat arbitrary.
Ad astra! Sean
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