Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!Gds@MIT-XX From: Gds%MIT-XX@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: SF-LOVERS Digest V8 #17 Message-ID: <3448@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Mon, 25-Jul-83 22:49:00 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3448 Posted: Mon Jul 25 22:49:00 1983 Date-Received: Tue, 26-Jul-83 23:47:50 EDT Lines: 30 From: Greg SkinnerSubject: Thomas Covenant I hate to disillusion people, but Stephen Donaldson took A LOT from Tolkien. There is the people from whom Gandalf takes a prize horse (I can't remember their name); Covenant takes one of the Ranyhyn from the Ramen. Ravers are like mobile Balrogs. Sauron has the Palantir, and can keep track of the Ring like Foul kept track of Covenant through his boots. And at least one word (that I could find) is taken directly from Quenya, the language of the High Elves: "orc" is Quenya for "heart"; "orcrest" is the word for Earthstone. I had read the First Thomas Covenant trilogy before I read LotR, and liked it a lot. Then I read the Ring trilogy and realized how much was snarfed. I don't know enough Quenya to do a serious study of the elements of the language that Donaldson took, but I think that was the most unfair thing he did. I agree totally. The Ranyhyn reminded me of the Mearas (Horses of Rohan) too. The griffin seems to be what the Nazgul rode (winged beasts). One correction. Sauron couldn't actually locate Frodo with the palantir. (Or he didn't try.) Instead, he used the palantir to deceive Denethor, to communicate with Saruman in Orthanc and to survey his armies. I don't believe he could actually locate the Ring, or he would have seen it in Cirith Ungol or somewhere between there and Mount Doom. -------