From: Adam Stephanides <adamsteph@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Inhumi Secret
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 23:11:31 

Jim Jordan wrote:
> 
>         I submit for your consideration that the secret is that men must die for
> the inhumi. They must learn to die for each other, but in this narrative,
> also to die for the inhumi. It's not just the golden rule, but being
> willing to lay down your life for your enemies, as Jesus did.
>[snip]
>         That's why the secret is so hard. Humans will find this the hardest thing
> of all to do. It's harder than loving each other, because it's easy to love
> the lovable. Or, it's the toughest kind of love.
>         When humans become willing to die for their enemies, and inhumi acquire
> this characteristic from them, the inhumi will be willing to die rather
> than destroy humans. This will "destroy" the inhumi, though I suspect it
> will not annihilate them but transform them somehow.

I don't think that this is the secret, for a couple of reasons.  Fr one
thing, it doesn't fit several of the things we know about the secret: it
doesn't explain why the inhumi drink human blood, it doesn't have
anything to do with Krait's mother drinking from Sinew, and it doesn't
explain the Neighbor's remark on p. 21.

For another thing, iirc (I don't have the book with me) in OBW Horn says
explicitly that if humans could use the secret it would turn the inhumi
back into the unintelligent predators they originally were.  So if
humans did come to "love the inhumi," they would presumably refuse to
apply the secret (since the inhumi have no wish to lose their
intelligence). 

--Adam

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