Character Discussion: Dios

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RathDarkblade

Moderator
City Watch
Mar 24, 2015
15,992
3,400
47
Melbourne, Victoria
#1
So I noticed we haven't had one of these in a while. :) What do you think of Dios, the High Priest in Pyramids?

For those who haven't read Pyramids yet, either through negligence or (more likely) through not having access to the book, let's please use spoilers while discussing this.

Enjoy! :)
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
30,841
3,650
Cardiff, Wales
#2
I actually think his tale is somewhat tragic. He apparently stumbled into the valley at the time of the civilisation forming. He had the pyramids built - especially one for himself and was able to recharge his life that way - basically never getting older. I don't think he was necessarily evil, like Vorbis in Small Gods. He was just incredibly focused on keeping the civilisation going. The people weren't important to him so much, except as a means to build bigger and better pyramids. He was basically the ruler, even if he probably wouldn't have acknowledged the fact.

The true tragedy is that he gets blasted back in time with only a limited memory, to the point in time when had first arrived at the valley. He wanted to achieve a form of immortality, but what he got was an infinity of living his life over and over.

The name Dios suggests the Spanish word for "god" and I'm certain that was not a coincidence when Terry was writing the book.
 

=Tamar

Lieutenant
May 20, 2012
11,961
2,900
#3
What would have been a better end? Dios lived only to serve. I can't see him retiring to Dunmanifestin. He wasn't likely to become a Small God either, not being a creator of gods as he was. In that he's rather like a Titan. He already had a form of immortality. Short of killing him outright or destroying his pyramid so he would die of old age, he would continue. The sad part is that he wants to rest. If only he had been blasted back to a time a bit longer before the arrival of the first lost camel-driver...
 

Tonyblack

Super Moderator
City Watch
Jul 25, 2008
30,841
3,650
Cardiff, Wales
#4
Terry liked to point out the problems of immortality. In Eric his wish was granted and he turned up at the very beginning of the creation of the Discworld. The thought of having to wait maybe millions of years to find a species they could interact with shows one of the major problems with immortality. Dios ended up with something similar. He would go on living the same life over and over forever. There wouldn't even be an end of time for him, as he was living the same timeline.
 

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