New Worlds: Poison

[swan_tower]

As the New Worlds Patreon comes to the end of another month, we turn our attention to poison! Both the cause and the cure of suffering, depending on how it’s applied — as Paracelsus very wisely pointed out. Comment over there!

Comments

[pameladean]

In a pre-caffeine daze, I misread your phrase as "we turn our attention to pigeons!" I was quite excited. Carrier pigeons? Urban wildlife in general? Something I don't even know about? It's a bit limited for a New Worlds topic, really, but I thought you might be amused. P.

[mindstalk]

After reading _The Crusades Through Arab Eyes_, and its talk of the superiority of Arab pigeon systems to 'Franks' lack thereof, I now read pre-modern plots with "could pigeons change this?" Pigeons between Edoras and Minas Tirith, pigeons from Pelargir telling Denethor that allies had taken the Black Ships...

[pameladean]

Those are excellent places for pigeons in plots!

Romeo and Juliet, also alterable by pigeons.

P.

[swan_tower]

Interestingly, apparently the signal beacons between Edoras and Minas Tirith have very good historical precedent in a Byzantine system that was very effective.

[mindstalk]

Indeed!

Tolkien used (intelligent!) birds in the Hobbit, but only the bad guys had them in LotR, except for some eagle work. Of course talking ravens or intelligent thrushes are even better than pigeons: can go back and forth between field forces, can give you aerial surveillance...

[swan_tower]

Sadly, I went looking, and it turns out that the idea of (non-talking) ravens as messengers is a complete non-starter. The list of birds that are able to serve as couriers consists of the homing pigeon and . . . very little else, as near as I can tell.

[mindstalk]

Yeah, Game of Thrones should be all about the pigeons, not ravens. Well, fantasy other world, could be fantasy 'ravens'.

Be interesting to imagine an alternate LotR were the talking ravens of the Hobbit had spread and were symbiotic with most settled populations.

[swan_tower]

Pigeons specifically might be too limited, but communications systems are not! And they're on the (endless) list of things to discuss someday. :-)