Post by zingbat on Sept 11, 2009 3:46:10 GMT
The mystery for me is why Eglamore is represented by Lead...
I wondered if maybe Eglamore's association with lead has to do with his role as protector of the court and lead's modern use as a radiation shield. Eglamore (and previously Thorn) serves as a sort of "shield" for the court & its inhabitants against harmful forces, sort of like the lead vest protects the x-ray operator from the x-rays. The prominence of the symbol on the dragonslayer armor is probably what made me start thinking this.
Or maybe Eggers is just really dense.
Also, a thought about the "seed bismuth"--a seed can also be the starting point for crystallization. Wikipedia explains it better than I can:
"A seed crystal is a small piece of single crystal / polycrystal material from which a large crystal of the same material typically is to be grown. The large crystal can be grown by dipping the seed into a supersaturated solution, into molten material that is then cooled, or by growth on the seed face by passing vapor of the material to be grown over it."
I don't know if the different definition makes any difference for the metaphorical interpretation of the seed bismuth, but it does seem appropriate given the nature of bismuth (I think someone earlier linked to a picture of really neat bismuth crystals).