Apr-08-2011, 11:19 AM (UTC)
(May-13-2010, 12:11 PM (UTC))Farseer Wrote: Hmm, would it be a stretch then to assume that there is a possibility that Eda/El/Sa does exist but as a dragon-like divine being, and not the usual human-like god we may be expecting (hence the addition of "in a tangle")?
Ah, I have just had a quick re-read of this post and feel a little silly at present! While we don't know if El/Eda/Sa is actualy a "dragon-like being", we DO know that there is a connection with Sa and a dragon-like being, as we learnt from Wintrow's visit to Cress in LST. Odava, the serpent god (which could be considered dragon-like as dragon begin as serpents?) is said to be one of the facets of Sa, along with the male and female aspects (giving Sa at least three aspects that we know of).
While followers of Sa accept this 'serpent' aspect of Sa, those who exclusively follow Odava do not believe that the Odava-deity is a facet of Sa but is a singular being in his/her/its own right. In a way, it could be said that they give Odava sole ascendancy over the other aspects, rather than accepting it as being a part of a whole (in much the same way that Paragon once held ascendancy until he moved to a place of union with his Greater and Lesser dragons or how Vivacia and then Bolt held ascendancy until they merged). I have spoken a lot more re ascendancy in the RotE vs Gernia thread...
Back to Odava...! Odava was a manifestation of Sa so it would stand to reason then that Sa has serpent or dragon-like traits, as well as others?
(May-13-2010, 12:11 PM (UTC))Farseer Wrote: Could it also be (whatever form Eda/El/Sa takes) that Fitz and Dutiful actually have "touched" Eda/El/Sa during their experience on Others Island? Dutiful's experience of that great presence was that of a fatherly being whereas Fitz experienced a more feminine manifestation. Later, Fitz was of the opinion that this was because they were each drawn to that gender which had been mostly lacking in their lives (Fitz mourned the loss of his mother whilst Dutiful longed for his father). Is it possible that this is a correct assumption on Fitz's part BUT, to take it further, what they actually experienced was the two facets of Sa within the Skill River? That the Skill River is of Sa (especially given the previous discussions we've had concerning the connection between the Skill, priests, Elderlings, artworks etc?).
Wintrow also tells us that Sa is said to be 'mother to all' and 'father to all'.
More to add on Sa but it doesn't belong here...!
"I am the Catalyst, and I came to change all things. Prophets become warriors, dragons hunt as wolves."