RE: why is everyone so down on Arkat?

From: Grawe, Philipp <pgrawe_at_...>
Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 13:00:07 +1000


> From: Matthew & Tracey Cole [mailto:matthew_at_...]
> I have been fascinated with everything Greg ever wrote about
> Arkat and have even run/played several characters who followed him.
>
> I think that Harry's thoughts here are pretty much on the
> money. Except for the illumination thing - Arkat was illumined from the
> beginning of the story proper and that the quest was to destroy the deceiver and
> free the oppressed minds (although this last phrase is arguably propaganda).

Really? I don't remember where I got that from, but it's one of the earliest things I knew about Arkat (CoT?), the tradegy of fighting against the riddlers and illumination, only to find yourself illuminated at the end of it.

How did he get illuminated, in that case? He started as a Brithini, and illumination never struck me as their thing.

One of the things I love, which appears again and again in Glorathan is that the story you get depends on who you talk to. Arkat is liked and hated by so many people that after nearly a thousand years it's almost impossible to get the story straight.

> In my view, the only ones (exceptions will no doubt spring up like
> Pythonesque conformists) connected with him who don't feel betrayed by Arkat
> are the ones who followed him devoutly through all the stages
> transformation. It is doubtful that the core group thought of themselves as
> traitors. Instead, a 'higher' calling was felt by all, inspired by their
> charismatic leader-by-example.

Definately. That's why there are so many Arkat spin-off cults who claim to have the "One True Way of Arkat". They came in half way through the whole thing, saw Arkat as a Brithini/Humakti/Troll and figured that was the way things should be and couldn't understand when he moved on to his next stage.

Is there actually an Arkat cult has more than a partial handle on what the guy is all about, or did that all die out in the Arkat aftermath?  

> Harry, I love the quote from Nietzsche - wasn't that used in
> the X-Files?

Not sure, I found it by sheer co-incidence a while ago. It was one of those, browse a web page within an hour of reading a note about Arkat, situations. Something went ping because it was so appropriate. I actually had to do a web search to find it again.

> "He who fights with monsters might take care
> lest he thereby become a monster.
> And if you gaze for long into an abyss,
> the abyss gazes also into you." -Nietsche

Harry.

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