Arkat as uzuz, trollish ramblings

From: James Frusetta <gerakkag_at_wam.umd.edu>
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997 12:37:16 -0500 (EST)


Peter Metcalfe writes that he believes Arkat wasn't an uzuz:

But _Trollpak_ states explicitly that he was. "Arkat was born of her ... a Mistress Race troll." That _could_ just imply that mom was an uzuz (whicuh she was), but later Arkat also fathers uzuz by a troll wife. So either he's an uzuz, there was magic ritual invovlved at the birth, or that's one hell of a recessive gene. <g> Yah, Trollpak is written from a trollish point of view, so maybe there's bias, but...

>Being adopted would have left him with human features, so it's difficult
>to see how the trolls determined that he was Uzuz on this basis.

It might just be symbolism, I suppose. But I'd figured that since he was such a powerful figure, he was "blessed" with the shape of a troll (not just the troll bits the ritual normally grants. Since I suspect that the adoptee is heroquesting inside the silk cocoon, Arkat may simply have succeeded in ways that others did not.

IMO, the description of adoption in the book describes adoption by Dark Trolls, not Mistress Race Trolls. Since being adopted by uzuz means that mom is probably already a heroquester, perhaps the ritual is simply different/more powerful.

Stephen Martin suggests Arkat was the first Uz adoption: I'm going by the bit that Kang had him reformed, blah blah blah, "as had been done before." <shrug> I don't mean to reopen the thread on it, though! I'm mostly interested on whether or not others havZe been adopted in as uzuz...

Trollkin as de- and re-skinned uz:
Okay, I see. But I dunno -- I prefer that all the blame and shame be heaped on Gbaji <ptui!> rather than ascribe it to just another random trickster act. I suspect the trolls agree. There may be segments of uz society who disagree, though, and there could be competeing myths (though I'd think the Black Eater would be more popular than trickster -- unless he is part of trickster...?)

>>Korasting was in Yelm Hell > No, she was back in the troll's Wonderhome
- -- Yah, agreed. But after Yelm shows up, I say _that's_ when it becomes Hell, and stops being wonderhome, unless a troll has SPF 4000. I wonder if Cloud Call works in Hell... picture, troll heroquester: "Ah, this for your Sunspear, Yelmy!"

>Gbaji put on a troll mask, and went along with them. Then, he stood and
>revealed himself as Death, INSIDE the troll mega-body.
Hmmm. I like that. Was it trickster who gave him the troll mask? Or provided one of those stashed troll skins? <g>

>Raven as a hunting spirit.

Maybe differen cults call on him for different things? He might fit with Argan Argar (surface darkness), Zong (hunting) and Kyger Litor (friend to trolls). Different aspects of the bird, I suppose.

Crows and rooks can be dealt with by lumping them in with Ravens (I doubt trolls care) but blackbirds are a puzzle... Incidentially, one of the early forms of hawking was to go out with your hawk and kill rooks -- maybe the Yelmists continue this tradition, by going out and having their vrok hawks down anything with black feathers...

Various authors on UR:
I suppose you can add:
URanea, GURakik, SubUR and ... Zong? Er. ;) Just like the trolls to go from HuntUR to Zong...

James Frusetta


Powered by hypermail