Small, random questions about RotE that still bother you (spoilers all RotE books)

['thul]

These beings would pronounce is something like this:
J'Hampe

an alternative pronunciation that might be correct-er is:
Jaampe

Considering that the books are not written phonetically, it is impossible to say how the names are pronounced "correctly"...

[joost]

Jh as zh
aa as it would be in Dutch, I don't know of an English equivalent. Aardvark comes closest, I guess.
e as in key or pee

['thul]

that is essentially how these beings thought to pronounce it...

djaampee

These beings should really get around to learning how to write phonetic language... so much easier to write pronunciation that way...

[Omie]

I'm stuck again on 'Burrich'. When I first read the books it popped into my head as sounding like 'Burrick'. Then I changed it in my mind to something more like 'Burritch'. But the fact that Molly took on the name 'Burrichswyf' makes me want to go back to 'Burrick', because that makes her name roll of the tongue much more comfortably.

In fact if his name was said like 'Burritch' I would think that Robin Hobb would have been tempted to live the 's' out and make it 'Burrichwyf' instead, as pluralising it turns it into the rather ungainly 'Burritcheswyf'.

That's assuming I'm pronouncing the plural correctly. Would 'Rich's' be pronounced like 'riches'?

['thul]

these beings believe it would be more like "rikh" than "rich". so something like "burrykh"
a very short "k" sound ending in a subtle "h". the "i" or "y" is also quite short, and is pronounced something in between those two letters.

[Farseer]

Could therefore El and Eda have been dragons?

I brought up a discussion regarding this...sorry but just have to sift through and find it!

'thul, I've finally come back to this and found the previous discussion in the Mythical Creatures/Folk thread. I only had time to scan it briefly but it appears that I brought it up in post #4.

It would be great to hear your thoughts!

['thul]

Well, these beings have no response to it immediately, but it is most likely to have some grain of truth.

To primitive humans dragons would be quite majestic, if not god-like from a distance. Up close they would easily be glamored, and thus even more infatuated, so it is not unlikely that El and Eda could have been dragons.

[Omie]

I am not so sure about the assertions made by the beings known as 'thul, although since there's only one Omie I know I'm already outnumbered.

My main reason for doubting the theory is because of one tiny little sticking point - the dragons haven't corrected or scoffed at the humans for believing in gods. I would have expected the dragons to detest humanity worshipping anything but dragon, and if the gods themselves were dragons they would have immediately shot down any idea that they weren't. Vivacia-as-Bolt surely would have brought it up, if only to piss off Wintrow.

And that makes me think that maybe the gods of the Elderling world were/are actually distinct beings as well, and possibly even dragons knew of them and conceded them respect if not worship. I wondered if the woman of the skill stream was a god. Not only because of how 'she' referred to humans but because Fitz saw it as a woman and Dutiful saw it as a man, and so far the two relgions of the Elderling world that we know much about feature some gender duality issue. It's more obvious with two-sided Sa than Eda and El, but even as separate beings with separate genders they are treated like two halves of one circle by characters in the books.

And if the gods are real beings in the RotE, then I wonder if the White Prophets have some connection. 'Prophet' has a religious connotation, as well as meaning somebody who prophesises stuff. It would be a neat connection if the Fool's gender bending and generalised ambiguity was a species trait going back to the people shaped by beings known as gods. Maybe the Prophets were to gods what Elderlings are to dragons, tools and artful reflections.

Also, if the skill-stream Mother-dad was a god then it would mean that Fitz and Dutiful were saved by a quite literal deus ex machina, instead of just a plot device. Somehow the thought that it was literal makes it almost ironic.

[Farseer]

I am not so sure about the assertions made by the beings known as 'thul, although since there's only one Omie I know I'm already outnumbered.

It's more obvious with two-sided Sa than Eda and El,

I'm being thoroughly lazy (actually, I'm in school, and so no time! ) but I would also direct you to the Mythical Creatures/Folk thread, Omie, if you haven't been there yet. As well as elsewhere in the forum, it has some discussion on some of the points you've raised (eg post #55 - Sa actually is more than two-sided, having at least three sides that we known of).

And if the gods are real beings in the RotE, then I wonder if the White Prophets have some connection.

For me, the gods are as real as Fitz or Nighteyes or Tintaglia, or any other character in the books.

I also believe that all are connected to the gods, the White Prophets particularly. I've expanded on this elsewhere but there's so much more to discuss! I know I am repeating myself from an old post but Fool, Amber, Lord Golden and Beloved all tended to address/thank 'all gods' or 'the gods' not just El, Eda or Sa or the gods of the regions they were living in (Bingtown, SD or MK etc). Hmm...which reminds me of a post I made regarding a MK deity that Rurisk mentions only fleetingly. Here's a quote from the Gernia vs RotE thread(WARNING: Major spoilers for ALL books, including The Soldier Son trilogy, are in this thread link!):

Had to try and attempt at least this...when Rurisk went into Fitz's room after Kettricken had tried to poison him (the first time !), he said to Fitz, "It is fully a miracle of Chranzuli that you still live." I assumed from this that Chranzuli is a MK deity of some kind? Possibly even the MK equivalent of Sa and Eda/El or yet another facet of/name for the same being, along with Odava? If so many characters can have numerous and different names/facets of themselves eg Fool and Fitz, why couldn't their god (sorry, think I've mentioned that before somewhere!)? I have noticed that Fool often praises or thanks 'the gods' so possibly they are all different or he is simply referring to the different facets.

I also thought it interesting that Kettricken mentioned that she would demand Fitz's life as justice for taking Rurisk's (if he went ahead and killed him) and it was only that she invoked her kin-right to forgive kin injury for kin that she didn't seek his death to balance Rurisk's (not to mention he wasn't guilty of the crime!). It is as though this balance is a MK way of life, as it also is for all living in the RotE, and even us. You know, an eye for an eye, and all that. It is this concept of balance that made me believe that the gods (Sa etc) became displeased with Kennit after what he did to Althea, and what he planned to do with his own son, that they possibly took his life as payment (as just one other rather vague example that is no doubt a bit of a stretch!).

I'll have to see what else I can dig up from old posts. Good stuff!

Oh! I do have something to add re respect/worship between dragons and humans but I need to add more to the Homecoming thread first re the female judge (who we have mentioned in a spattering of threads as well! ).

[Nuytsia]

- Who or what is the 'Oracle of the Outislanders' mentioned briefly in an italic chapter-header in The Golden Fool? The book's all the long way upstairs and I can't be arsed getting it, but it's mentioned in what seems to be a historical scroll naming interesting tourist destinations of the Out Islands. It describes a cave housing a person who is said to be both beautiful naked woman and old crone, who the Outislanders dote gifts upon. I'm very tempted to think that it is The Black Man in an earlier setting, mainly because I like to think that the Fool is not the only Prophet who displays a lenitude towards gender and identity.

I thought it must have been the Pale Woman?
Not sure about her appearing as an old crone though?