Pulau Blakang Mati
Somewhere on the ridge between Churchward's Mu and Sclater's Lemuria, there is an island. That island is called, by its longest-term inhabitants, the 'Island of Death-From-Behind'. Some wags have therefore concluded that the ancient indigenes knew what a civil service was.
But emerging from the Atlantean towers to the north comes a book, presently being proofed and completed. It is the tale of the Gnome, referred to several times in this blog, and the modern Imhotep of this present Atlantis.
The question that was being debated by some in recent times was: "In what way was the Gnome a hero?" It is an interesting question, and one well worth considering.
The Gnome was not a barbarian or slave gladiator who with might of arm drove the enemy away in flight. He was not a wizard-king single-handedly holding back the fall of night, the incursions of chaos, the end of time, or the ruthlessness of the Lords of Order. He was High Priest of his own order, but not the bearer of the temporal majesty — that was the Thunderer's role.
Yet, as the book will show, the Gnome was a hero because he was a hero with a thousand faces. Whether it had to do with the instilling of lessons, the defence of the realm, the collection of rare birds, the injection of culture, or the hard golden coin of the marketplace, the Gnome had everything to do with it, while the Thunderer's bolts struck downward to the left and right, removing opposition. Like Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the Gnome was the true tragic hero, while the Thunderer was his foil.
A hard truth, perhaps, this story of Atlantis.
But emerging from the Atlantean towers to the north comes a book, presently being proofed and completed. It is the tale of the Gnome, referred to several times in this blog, and the modern Imhotep of this present Atlantis.
The question that was being debated by some in recent times was: "In what way was the Gnome a hero?" It is an interesting question, and one well worth considering.
The Gnome was not a barbarian or slave gladiator who with might of arm drove the enemy away in flight. He was not a wizard-king single-handedly holding back the fall of night, the incursions of chaos, the end of time, or the ruthlessness of the Lords of Order. He was High Priest of his own order, but not the bearer of the temporal majesty — that was the Thunderer's role.
Yet, as the book will show, the Gnome was a hero because he was a hero with a thousand faces. Whether it had to do with the instilling of lessons, the defence of the realm, the collection of rare birds, the injection of culture, or the hard golden coin of the marketplace, the Gnome had everything to do with it, while the Thunderer's bolts struck downward to the left and right, removing opposition. Like Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the Gnome was the true tragic hero, while the Thunderer was his foil.
A hard truth, perhaps, this story of Atlantis.
etched with acid at 11:03:00 pm
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