"Teut" <teut@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:1eMGf.287260$D47.200504@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I'm still not convinced that the character comparisons are all that
> accurate, anyway. Polgara and Sephrenia are two that are probably quite
> close, and there are others, but because people see those few similar
> characters and, perhaps, similar dialogue they can look *too* deep to
see
> other "identical" characters.
> As an example, the Kurik/Durnik comparison I mentioned last week. These,
> to my mind, are totally seperate characters. Kurik would say and do
things
> that Durnik would not even consider, and vice-versa. Do you really think
> Durnik would have had the affair that Kurik did? Yes, they are both very
> practical characters and, yes, they both die - although Kurik isn't
> re-incarnated, DE just brought in another practical character who was
> different again to Kurik and Durnik.
You're missing the point here. No one is saying that they are carbon
copies. They're obviously not going to do the exact same things, or the
story _WOULD_ be a copy and no one would read it. But there are enough
similiarites to realize that this is the same character, he's just going
through some semi-different experiences. If you stop and think about it,
if
you hadn't read that part of it, would you have believed Kurik would even
have an affair? It totally doesn't fit his personality at all. And in
fact, Durnik didn't have any kids at all during his "quests". Unless you
want to count Garion or Errand. However, they're cut from the same mold.
They're both practical. They're both super depended upon. They're both
there to lend a solution when the "nobles" can't come up with one,
stunning
everyone with their practical solutions. Durnik is a blacksmith, but he's
schooled in almost every common trade. Kurik is a squire, dealing with
armor mostly, but he also is schooled in every trade. Witness when they
went to the one counts house and they had to wall up that banshee/succubus
lady. Sparhawk wants to wall her in and Kurik just up and says, "I can
do
masonry". Then they have to build a cabinet and Kurik says, "Ok we're
gonna
become carpenters." Then there's the fact that Durnik and Kurik both
insist
on doing something a certain way because it's the right way to do it,
whether or not someone else knows they did it another way.
> Kring and Hettar are another pair often cited as being similar. I don't
> see it, myself, the only similarity is that they belong to a horse
tribe.
> They have very different value systems, and dialogue and actions written
> for one simply doesn't work for the other.
This isn't really a reliable comparison either. Obviously there are
differenes. Kring values Talen's uses as a thief, and wants to marry a
slave girl. But they both are horselords, Kring is the leader, and Hettar
is the practical leader since he is sortof the General to Cho-Hag the
king.
Both have topknots, both have sabres. Both use the sla****ng style of
fighting, and are used to attack the flanks. Hettar has an obcessive
almost
irrational approach to battle when he sees a Murgo. Kring has that same
approach, but against anyone he considers an enemy. For all practical
reasons, they are the same character.
I could go on and on if I had a chance to read the series over and pull
some
hard facts for you. Errand=Aphrael in some ways. The Orb of
Aldur=Bhelliom. Sephrena has a bit of Polgara in her. Sparhawk to me,
sortof is a collaboration of Belgarath and Garion, but I'm not set on that
one. Ulath=Barak, Bevier is Arendish. Stragen and Talen both represent
Silk at times.
Mathius
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