"Death came whirling down"

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MrGrax

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« on: April 17, 2014, 05:09:45 pm »
In my reading of Old English poetry and sagas I remember at one point hearing that phrase "death came whirling down" repeated in a similar manner to when R. Scott Bakker used it in his combat passages.

It may have been the Battle of Malden that I remember reading it.  Does anyone know if Bakker drew influence from that old style of storytelling?

Madness

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« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2014, 05:12:24 pm »
Welcome to the Second Apocalypse v3, MrGrax.

I believe all such whirling or swirling references should be attributed to Homer (the man or the oral collective):

"and the dark came swirling down"
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MrGrax

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« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2014, 08:51:59 pm »
Well that would be in keeping with the general aura of ancient cultures which he works to cultivate!  Thanks very much.  I am just a huge nerd for intertextual connections.

Cüréthañ

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« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2014, 10:19:27 pm »
Truth shines, death swirls.
Retracing his bloody footprints, the Wizard limped on.

mrganondorf

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« Reply #4 on: April 20, 2014, 03:41:43 am »
Hey MrGrax!  "Death cam swirling down" -- another No-God reference?!?!

Growing up in Arkansas and Texas, this was simply Tornadoes. 

Madness

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« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2014, 02:08:49 pm »
Hey MrGrax!  "Death cam swirling down" -- another No-God reference?!?!

Growing up in Arkansas and Texas, this was simply Tornadoes. 

It's funny but I find few natural phenomenons more terrifying than high speed winds... fitting that the No-God mirrors this (for whatever reason? why does the No-God cause a vortex of wind anyways?).

Maybe it's because nothing says you're made of a bag of meat and bone until you get tossed a couple hundred meters like a ragdoll.
The Existential Scream
Weaponizing the Warrior Pose - Declare War Inwardly
carnificibus: multus sanguis fluit
Die Better
The Theory-Killer

Wilshire

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« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2014, 07:43:06 pm »
Maybe it's because nothing says you're made of a bag of meat and bone until you get tossed a couple hundred meters like a ragdoll.

One of my favorite short stories. Thanks for the reminder :D :
http://www.terrybisson.com/page6/page6.html
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mrganondorf

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« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2014, 10:21:32 pm »
Hey MrGrax!  "Death cam swirling down" -- another No-God reference?!?!

Growing up in Arkansas and Texas, this was simply Tornadoes. 

It's funny but I find few natural phenomenons more terrifying than high speed winds... fitting that the No-God mirrors this (for whatever reason? why does the No-God cause a vortex of wind anyways?).

Maybe it's because nothing says you're made of a bag of meat and bone until you get tossed a couple hundred meters like a ragdoll.

I have no idea why the No-God occupies a whirlwind, but it is cool that the NG is in the peaceful eye of the storm while the rest of the world goes to shit.  Maybe in TUC we'll get a scene where Kellhus penetrates the swirling wind and floats in stillness and quiet before the carapace.  COMMENCE THE ULTIMATE BAKKER CONVERSATION

mrganondorf

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« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2014, 02:50:28 pm »
I love that story!  Do you know any other good Bisson?  I don't know anything about his stuff besides Meat.  There's a pretty good video of the story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFZTAOb7IE