Enchantment or advancement.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

I personally have never had a problem with science being somehow ugly or disheartening, or making my awe dimish. I think Douglas Adams said it best when he said (on his reveiw of Richard Dawkins The Blind Watchmaker "I'll take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day."

I think both kinds of awe are nice. They each serve a different purpose, in my opinion. But we are talking in terms of literature. Well I am anyway. In tales (especially fantasy) the awe of the unknown seems to fit better and add to the draw of the story. In real life, the pursuit of understanding should be encouraged. But, enough of my brain patterns...

Originally Posted by Alfirin

(The closest term I can think of from my fantasy memories would be something like the polynesian "mana" though I suscept the real definition of "mana" has nothing to do with what I'm talking about

Perhaps not. In a few semetic languages 'mana' means 'who is it?' (not 'what is it', a common mistranslation). I don't know if it's the same origin, but we don't want to get into a linguistics debate now do we?

Originally Posted by Alfirin

As an item gets older there also seems to be an inherent concvept of all those peices of usness become a for lack of a better word "soul" for the item, independent of the soul of any of the users. This is in Tolkien someone has alsready mention gurthang apperent abilty to talk.

Yes. Moreover, I'm pretty sure Melian says to Beleg, of the sword, that it has something of its maker within it. Was it the malice? I can't seem find the passage right now.

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Originally Posted by OFS
For one thing, they are now old, and antiguity has an appeal in itself--distance and a great abyss of time. . . . They open a door on Another Time, and if we pass through, though only for a moment, we stand outside our own time, outside of Time itself, maybe.

So, perhaps it isn't magic per se, or even unreachable technology, but simply the distancing effect?

Great quote, Bêthberry. For my own part, and I think the sentiment of Tolkien's statement kind of agrees, it is the fact that it is distant, but also that we are being connected to it. Enchantment is the bridge by which the past is brought into the present. Perhaps, technology is the bridge by which the present is brought into the future? Now where's that Police Box?