SPOILERS Pyramids Discussion *Spoilers*
- Thread starter Tonyblack
- Start date
Tonyblack said:
Hi NekoNinja! Welcome to the site. 
My reading was that they split. Teppic went off and did his own thing and left Ptraci (his sister) to rule the kingdom.
My reading was that they split. Teppic went off and did his own thing and left Ptraci (his sister) to rule the kingdom.
Unless I've missed something, it seems to me that he went back to the kingdom (she called for him back.)
It ends here and doesn't say if he leaves again. After that it just talks about Dios.
No, I think it's fairly clear that he intends to go. We don't know what he's going to do - neither does he, but it seems that now he has a sister, he'll be back to visit her.
He's basically breaking the cycle of what has gone before. Putting someone in charge who isn't a living god, letting her be advised by people who will let her do things her way. He's handed the responsibility to someone else.
He's basically breaking the cycle of what has gone before. Putting someone in charge who isn't a living god, letting her be advised by people who will let her do things her way. He's handed the responsibility to someone else.
I loved the opening scene in "Pyramids" so much that I used it for inspiration in writing some music. I tried to include some wall climbing, running along rooftops, and missing the plank that someone removed.
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/5ad5d4fbfdaca21d1e9e1b4a5e4701e0e583b86a
Here is a Soundcloud link for just the audio. http://soundcloud.com/engineeringsimon/assassins-test-nf
(NB: This is a repost into a more appropriate section than the Broken Drum)
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/5ad5d4fbfdaca21d1e9e1b4a5e4701e0e583b86a
Here is a Soundcloud link for just the audio. http://soundcloud.com/engineeringsimon/assassins-test-nf
(NB: This is a repost into a more appropriate section than the Broken Drum)
Hello, new here.
I got a question: The gods of Djelibeybi became real due to Dios's manipulation of time breaking reality itself, in a similar way to how Bilious and the Verruca Gnome became real in Hogfather due to Teatime's actions.
However, in Last Hero we learn that Bast and Sessifet are up there in Dunmanifestin with the main gods of Discworld.
Do we know how did that work? Did Bast and Sessifet survive after Peppic saved the day and went to claim a place at Dunmanifestin? Or were the Bast and the Sessifet that manifested in Pyromids different entities than the "proper" gods? Or were the "proper" Bast and Sessifet taken from Dunmanifestin and forced to manifest at Djelibeybi?
Also, iSessifet is described as a "naked blue goddess" in several wikis, but in the books the only naked blue goddess is Nept...is that an errata that has been copypasted again and again, or am I missing some reference? Is she described as a "naked blue goddess" in the Discworld Noir Video Game?
Thank you in advance.
I got a question: The gods of Djelibeybi became real due to Dios's manipulation of time breaking reality itself, in a similar way to how Bilious and the Verruca Gnome became real in Hogfather due to Teatime's actions.
However, in Last Hero we learn that Bast and Sessifet are up there in Dunmanifestin with the main gods of Discworld.
Do we know how did that work? Did Bast and Sessifet survive after Peppic saved the day and went to claim a place at Dunmanifestin? Or were the Bast and the Sessifet that manifested in Pyromids different entities than the "proper" gods? Or were the "proper" Bast and Sessifet taken from Dunmanifestin and forced to manifest at Djelibeybi?
Also, iSessifet is described as a "naked blue goddess" in several wikis, but in the books the only naked blue goddess is Nept...is that an errata that has been copypasted again and again, or am I missing some reference? Is she described as a "naked blue goddess" in the Discworld Noir Video Game?
Thank you in advance.
Hi.
I think your first guess seems more likely: that Bast and Sessifet survived and went to claim their place. Djelibeybi had been in a sort of time-loop (time peninsula?) so their gods hadn't made it into the more usual Disc reality; possibly they were on the edges of the kingdom the same way the Sphinx was. Once the time-loop was broken loose, the living part of Dejlibeybi was in the normal Disc timeline. I think that enough of the people still believed in some of the gods to let them stay on, and they found their way to Dunmanifestin after that. Some may have melded - I think it's possible that the crocodile headed god of the Djel might have melded with Offler.
I don't do the games so I don't know about Sessifet. However, it seems reasonable for a goddess of the afternoon in Djelibeybi to be blue.
=Tamar
I think your first guess seems more likely: that Bast and Sessifet survived and went to claim their place. Djelibeybi had been in a sort of time-loop (time peninsula?) so their gods hadn't made it into the more usual Disc reality; possibly they were on the edges of the kingdom the same way the Sphinx was. Once the time-loop was broken loose, the living part of Dejlibeybi was in the normal Disc timeline. I think that enough of the people still believed in some of the gods to let them stay on, and they found their way to Dunmanifestin after that. Some may have melded - I think it's possible that the crocodile headed god of the Djel might have melded with Offler.
I don't do the games so I don't know about Sessifet. However, it seems reasonable for a goddess of the afternoon in Djelibeybi to be blue.
=Tamar
There's a couple of blue goddessses in TLH depicted either side of the double spread. That might be them! I'll check.
Yes, Sessifet's on the far left, and Patina on the far right is also blue. Bast is a biped tabby cat.
In the art, Sessifet is indeed all naked, with bare breasts and hips under the table, no hair than other on her head. She wears a golden tiara and necklace, and that's about it.
Yes, Sessifet's on the far left, and Patina on the far right is also blue. Bast is a biped tabby cat.
In the art, Sessifet is indeed all naked, with bare breasts and hips under the table, no hair than other on her head. She wears a golden tiara and necklace, and that's about it.
Hi Guys,
I am looking for a little advice and guidance. I am new to Terry Pratchett and have recently read his 'Pyramids' novel. I now need to write a 2000 word essay highlighting what myths are presented, alluded to or appear within the novel. I can clearly see the theme of religion and stagnation of Ancient Egypt, but was wandering if any of you guys could elaborate the idea behind the novel? Your help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I am looking for a little advice and guidance. I am new to Terry Pratchett and have recently read his 'Pyramids' novel. I now need to write a 2000 word essay highlighting what myths are presented, alluded to or appear within the novel. I can clearly see the theme of religion and stagnation of Ancient Egypt, but was wandering if any of you guys could elaborate the idea behind the novel? Your help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
One springs to mind long time since I've read it, but in history what normally happened to the third or later sons of Kings and nobility they were murdered, left stranded or left to make there own way in the world,that was why he was sent to the assassin's guild.
Oh! and welcome to the forum. pop over to the Broken Drum and introduce yourself and I'm sure you will get a lot more information.
Oh! and welcome to the forum.
pop over to the Broken Drum and introduce yourself and I'm sure you will get a lot more information.
Welcome to the site! Reading through this thread may help to give you some ideas, if you haven't done so already. In the Discworld the idea is that gods do not create people - people create gods through the power of belief. Some of the ideas put forward in religions would, if they actually physically happened, be nonsense. For example, the idea of a huge dung beetle pushing the sun across the sky. There are actually a lot of ideas in there. One of the most powerful (to me) being the idea of living infinitely and doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Hm, the Annotated Pratchett File on L-Space may help in some respects:
http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/pyramids.html
It is not only about symbols in this book and some still may be missed (and furthermore it has been composed by fans so there may be no warrant that everything there also was intended). But I think you can pick up the one or another reference concerning your question(s).
And of course, as Tony mentioned, reading this thread also will show you a lot.
Ah, yep, and welcome to the forum, nfelton!
http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/pyramids.html
It is not only about symbols in this book and some still may be missed (and furthermore it has been composed by fans so there may be no warrant that everything there also was intended). But I think you can pick up the one or another reference concerning your question(s).
And of course, as Tony mentioned, reading this thread also will show you a lot.
Ah, yep, and welcome to the forum, nfelton!
Re:
I've just caught up on this - you can't beat a sneaky hour spent reading some fascinating debates about this book!
FWIW, I think Pyramidsis anti-fundamentalism, rather than anti-religion - the same way Small Gods is.
I also think Dios is more sympathetic than others have said here. What he does is what he believes is in the best interests of the realm. It's wrong, sure, but it makes him a much more interesting villain. What also fascinates me it is clearly the villain of the piece who founded Djel.
If it was a simple anti-religion diatribe, you wouldn't see things like gods actually existing or Teppic being as godly as he is. Like so many of Pratchett's books, it's about responsibility. It's what you do with your belief that is important.
I love this book so much, it's the first five star Discworld novel for me.
Tonyblack said:
I'd pretty much agree with your assessment of myth/religion, Jan.
In the case of Dios - he's so firmly in a groove as far as routine is concerned that he takes the whole kingdom along with him. Just about all the gods he creates are gods for times of the day. He has created prayers and rituals for each hour because his life has become one unwavering routine and he'll do anything to keep that routine going. Someone mentioned (possibly in another thread) the post office cat in Going Postal and Making Money. That's Dios!
The gods are his way of forcing ritual onto people. People who don't follow the rituals have a pretty short life expectancy.
The Catholic religion has been criticised in history for its strict routine - prayers for certain times of the day and precise actions to be carried out by the congregation during services. Although I don't think there's any crocodiles involved.
In the case of Dios - he's so firmly in a groove as far as routine is concerned that he takes the whole kingdom along with him. Just about all the gods he creates are gods for times of the day. He has created prayers and rituals for each hour because his life has become one unwavering routine and he'll do anything to keep that routine going. Someone mentioned (possibly in another thread) the post office cat in Going Postal and Making Money. That's Dios!
The gods are his way of forcing ritual onto people. People who don't follow the rituals have a pretty short life expectancy.
The Catholic religion has been criticised in history for its strict routine - prayers for certain times of the day and precise actions to be carried out by the congregation during services. Although I don't think there's any crocodiles involved.
FWIW, I think Pyramidsis anti-fundamentalism, rather than anti-religion - the same way Small Gods is.
I also think Dios is more sympathetic than others have said here. What he does is what he believes is in the best interests of the realm. It's wrong, sure, but it makes him a much more interesting villain. What also fascinates me it is clearly the villain of the piece who founded Djel.
If it was a simple anti-religion diatribe, you wouldn't see things like gods actually existing or Teppic being as godly as he is. Like so many of Pratchett's books, it's about responsibility. It's what you do with your belief that is important.
I love this book so much, it's the first five star Discworld novel for me.
Re: Re: Pyramids + villains
It isn't the only one to have those strict routines. From what I've read, some types of Buddhism have nearly identical forms.
That depends on who or what you consider him to be. Just who did found Djelibeybi? Megaspoilers so maybe I should rot13 this?
V guvax Qvbf vf gur vzznarag fcvevg bs gur inyyrl bs gur Qwry, juvpu hfrq gb rkvfg va n qvssrerag fho-havirefr, zhpu yvxr gur bar va juvpu gur Fcuvak rkvfgf, naq znlor vg jnf bevtvanyyl sebz gung bar. Ohg gur pnzry zngurzngvpvnaf jrer nyy irel guvefgl, fb gurl jbexrq gbtrgure naq pnyyrq gur Qwry vagb gur Qvfpjbeyq havirefr, ba gur Qvfp. Gur abvfr njnxrarq Qvbf (zhpu nf, va napvrag Fhzrevna zlgu, gur abvfr bs gur bssfcevat njnxrarq gur fcvevg bs gur nolff, jub jnf gbb ynml gb obgure gb xvyy gurz gb xrrc gurz dhvrg) naq vafgrnq bs vtabevat be qrfgeblvat gurz nyy, Qvbf jrag gb nqivfr gur zna naq uvf snzvyl jub jrer pyrneyl va arrq bs uryc. Fb Qvbf jnf tvira sbez ol gur bar jub arrqrq uvf uryc. Ur whfg qvqa'g xabj ubj gb yrg tb. Vg jnf uvf evire inyyrl, nsgre nyy.
Gur ivyynva urer vfa'g n crefba, vg'f gur unovg cnggrea gung Qvbf unf yrg uvzfrys fyvqr vagb, rzcbjrerq ol zvyyraavn bs oryvrs.
Guvf vf ohvyg ba yngre sbe Fznyy Tbqf, ohg vg nccrnef urer sbe jung vf ernyyl n znwbe cngreanyvfgvp tbq-sbez.
Agree 100%.
Tonyblack said:
The Catholic religion has been criticised in history for its strict routine - prayers for certain times of the day and precise actions to be carried out by the congregation during services. Although I don't think there's any crocodiles involved.
That depends on who or what you consider him to be. Just who did found Djelibeybi? Megaspoilers so maybe I should rot13 this?
V guvax Qvbf vf gur vzznarag fcvevg bs gur inyyrl bs gur Qwry, juvpu hfrq gb rkvfg va n qvssrerag fho-havirefr, zhpu yvxr gur bar va juvpu gur Fcuvak rkvfgf, naq znlor vg jnf bevtvanyyl sebz gung bar. Ohg gur pnzry zngurzngvpvnaf jrer nyy irel guvefgl, fb gurl jbexrq gbtrgure naq pnyyrq gur Qwry vagb gur Qvfpjbeyq havirefr, ba gur Qvfp. Gur abvfr njnxrarq Qvbf (zhpu nf, va napvrag Fhzrevna zlgu, gur abvfr bs gur bssfcevat njnxrarq gur fcvevg bs gur nolff, jub jnf gbb ynml gb obgure gb xvyy gurz gb xrrc gurz dhvrg) naq vafgrnq bs vtabevat be qrfgeblvat gurz nyy, Qvbf jrag gb nqivfr gur zna naq uvf snzvyl jub jrer pyrneyl va arrq bs uryc. Fb Qvbf jnf tvira sbez ol gur bar jub arrqrq uvf uryc. Ur whfg qvqa'g xabj ubj gb yrg tb. Vg jnf uvf evire inyyrl, nsgre nyy.
Gur ivyynva urer vfa'g n crefba, vg'f gur unovg cnggrea gung Qvbf unf yrg uvzfrys fyvqr vagb, rzcbjrerq ol zvyyraavn bs oryvrs.
Guvf vf ohvyg ba yngre sbe Fznyy Tbqf, ohg vg nccrnef urer sbe jung vf ernyyl n znwbe cngreanyvfgvp tbq-sbez.
Agree 100%.
