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[TUC Spoilers} Apocalypse, Armageddon, Eucalyptus, and Word Choice

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The P:
In a general sense, when we read the word "apocalypse" we think of cataclysmic, end-times destruction and ruin, synonymous with "armageddon."  But Bakker knows words and etymologies.  "Apocalypse" really means "uncover" or "reveal."  Our association of the word with destruction comes from the Revelation (Apocalypse) of John being largely about the destruction of the current world.

Bakker could have called the series the Second Armageddon if he wanted.  "Armageddon" gets across the same idea, and actually comes from the name of a Biblical battle plain where there was/will be lots of death.  In fact, Bakker maybe even primed himself to be able to use the word by including a very similarly named and functional "Mengedda" in Earwa.
So back to "Apocalypse," the first one.  Unveiling of the No-God?  Then of course it happens again the second time around.

BUT (and now I dive deeply into an obscure word choice that Bakker almost certainly meant nothing by)

Why is Umiaki (the tree of the Circumfix) a eucalyptus?  The Three Seas are pretty clearly analogous to the Mediterranean and the Middle-East.  There are plenty of trees he could have used that are associated with the area (cedar, sycomore, acacia), but eucalyptus, I'm pretty sure, is only native to Australia (maybe also New Zealand and some islands around).  So why eucalyptus, it seems jarring and out of place.  That's right, it shares a root with "apocalypse."  Almost the opposite really, "eu" meaning "true" or "actual."  So Umiaki is the actual covering, the actual hiding.  Hiding what?  Not the No-God, he sleeps.  The hiding of Ajokli in Kellhus of course.

If there is any merit to my leaps, then the importance of the Second Apocalypse is maybe not the uncovering of the No-God (not that it isn't a huge deal), but rather un-hiding of Ajokli from Kellhus and his freedom from the Outside (since the No-God has locked him out so to speak).

Thoughts?

mostly.harmless:
I.. really like this.
I don't know if we get here because there's so (too?) much uncertainty about many things and RSB doesn't throw us enough bones, that we dig deeper than we should.

But OTOH it fits, semantically. Another layer to the world he's presented.

Maybe with enough mystery, that has no clear answer, everything takes (can) take on meaning.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk

SmilerLoki:
It's important to note that "The Second Apocalypse" isn't the official name of the series, it's a fan name. It just caught on so well that everyone is using it.

As for the eucalyptus theory, it certainly is an interesting etymological observation.


--- Quote from: The P on February 08, 2020, 10:40:52 pm ---but eucalyptus, I'm pretty sure, is only native to Australia (maybe also New Zealand and some islands around)

--- End quote ---
Most of the species, yes, but not all of them:

--- Quote ---There are more than 700 species of eucalyptus and most are native to Australia; a very small number are found in adjacent areas of New Guinea and Indonesia. One species, Eucalyptus deglupta, ranges as far north as the Philippines. Of the 15 species found outside Australia, just nine are exclusively non-Australian.
--- End quote ---
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus#Distribution

Wilshire:
Well, I'm at least game for the first bit regarding apocalypse. I think that's something that has come up before, though I usually forget about it. It does seem pretty likely this choice was on purpose, given Bakker's background and interests.

Eucalyptus seems like it could be a stretch.

From wikipedia, regarding Eucalyptus (my bold):

--- Quote ---Of the 15 species found outside Australia, just nine are exclusively non-Australian. Species of eucalyptus are cultivated widely in the tropical and temperate world, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China, and the Indian subcontinent. However, the range over which many eucalypts can be planted in the temperate zone is constrained by their limited cold tolerance
--- End quote ---

You are correct that they are primarily found in Australia, however there are 9 species of the tree found entirely outside of that. Botany, I think, is not likely one of Bakker's interests, which means this information could be taken either way. To mean that he had no idea which trees go where and there's a nice big eucalyptus from somewhere in his life that he's always thought "if I was ever going to be killed/hung/crucified on a tree, I'd like it to be that one". Or to mean that the plant was entirely arbitrary with the Name itself being important, and a passing google search pinging Mediterranean was enough to satisfy that such a tree might exist there (its not like he picked a Douglas fir or something).

Kellhus did have that dream when he was up on the tree, and heard voices, which seems unlikely to be The No-God and more probably Ajokli. Seems the greek roots of the word shake out to be something like "well covered" or "I cover well"...

Lets try to think of other things it might mean along those lines. We might take that to be that the scene itself was masking something more directly. Serwa was supposed to be important there but she always plays second fiddle. Also remember that Moenghus' Thousandfold Thought could not see beyond the Circumfixtion - Eucalyptus could be a nod to that crossroads.

Hmm, I'm not overly impressed with any of those tbh. Eucalyptus mean 'to cover'/hide and meant to be a nod to Ajokli seems pretty reasonable among those options.



--- Quote from: SmilerLoki on February 09, 2020, 10:46:47 pm ---It's important to note that "The Second Apocalypse" isn't the official name of the series, it's a fan name. It just caught on so well that everyone is using it.

--- End quote ---
No. Its the name of the series as a whole, not a fan name. The series names are the original names of the books, which each became multiple. The Second Apocalypse was always the name.
Edit: For clarity, a 2004 interview with Bakker on wotmania details the above.

SmilerLoki:

--- Quote from: Wilshire on February 10, 2020, 01:35:10 pm ---No. Its the name of the series as a whole, not a fan name. The series names are the original names of the books, which each became multiple. The Second Apocalypse was always the name.

--- End quote ---
I've literally never seen it referenced anywhere in the books (like, the covers or summaries, or any sort of technical info) or by Bakker himself.

To be fair, I always found that strange, since "The Second Apocalypse" is just such a fitting name. At the same time, I would venture that it's even more of a spoiler than "The No-God", and Bakker refused to reveal the latter for years.

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