We know a little about what they did, but this is speculation on how their jobs were part of keeping the white on top in All World.
We know a little about what they did, but this is speculation on how their jobs were part of keeping the white on top in All World.
Last edited by Darkthoughts; 12-28-2008 at 08:55 AM.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
I've wondered how to reply to this thread/speculation since the day I joined this site. Honestly, I still don't know how to start. The thread raised some questions:
-Hadn't the world already moved on by the time Gunslingers were "born"? At least according to Issue #3 of the comic. Arthur Eld established the newly christened knights/gunslingers after their battle with the snake and Mid-World had already been long-suffering and moved on.
I guess I think their entire purpose, along with protecting the Tower, was to do whatever necessary to try to keep the White ruling. Serving as world ambassadors, PIs, bounty hunters and "the law" all worked towards this goal.
Any more thoughts? Clarifications? Ideas?
Cam-a-cam-mal.
Hmmm, any other ideas? Tell me friends, I beg.
I recall their duties as being similar to that of knights, even to the point that they were given lands and titles (albeit meaningless titles by the time of Steven Deschain). It seems they were to protect not just the Tower and the White, but also civilization and light (I beleive that is almost a direct quote, but I read a lot and sometimes mix things up so if I am wrong please correct).
XIX
"See the TURTLE of enormous girth,
On his shell he holds the earth.
If you want to run and play,
Come along the BEAM today."
NFA JJG 42-95
I imagine that they always existed (or for a damn long time before the world had moved on, too long long time before that) and there were times when they weren't called "gunslingers" but they did the same work.
Roland would have understood.
I believe it was the way their society was set up. But I must admit, I started this thread before I realized we would have so much back story in the comics
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
see I thought in all of Rolands stories and such, Arthur Eld came after whatever disaster caused the worlds to start to move on. I thought I read an explanation that there were NO guns, because everyone thought it would be the start of what the Old Ones did. However, to the question...
I think it's how Roland explained it. Gunslingers were the authoritay figures. Peace keepers, Diplomats, judge jury executioners, etc....
However, how many where there? Seems all of Rolands plans deal with being out numbered. Also, there was a Gilead "army", I believe, and it's members weren't gunslingers. If I got that right.
The Tardis (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) duh!
I never got the idea that Arthur Eld came AFTER the world started to move on - had always assumed Gunslingers were there already.
?
Gunslingers were the 'nobility' of their time and place. Yes, there was indeed an 'Army' (we see good reference to this in the Jerico Hill battle). This Army was led by the Gunslingers. How many Gunslingers were there. We are never told, but my thoughts were always in the hundreds only ( 2-300 min , 5-600 max) - purely personal guesstimate (but I like to have a field of reference when I'm reading)
I have always felt the same. Like they were a guild of some sort kind of like the templars. <---probably spelled wrong.
Mostly they rode into battle and people ran
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
the story I get is the one that was written towards the end of the comic issue #1 or #2 (or 3). Tells how Arthur Eld and his knights only had swords (and probably bow and ba) and any weapons that were found that were left by the Old Ones had high levels of radiation so it was a given that guns are a bad omen. Then Arthur Eld has guns and the story (or whispers on the grape vine) is that Arthur Eld discovered the secrets of the Old Ones. And many did not like this because of what the disaster that the Old Ones brought down. And yada yada....excalibur gets melted down and Arthur gives his knights guns made from the steal of excalibur, and so the gunslingers are born. Plus Roland mentions several times about the cattle and other life are producing less and less mutants. And that no one knows what the old ones did to create such a disaster. But I could be wrong, but I don't see King allowing such liberties with a story that took so much to finish.
The Tardis (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) duh!
Gunslinger - a well-known word.
But what do YOU my pals mean by this beautiful and deep word?
Roland would have understood.
Well for me there is the gunslingers in the Dark Tower series and then there are folk who sling guns. I've shot plenty of guns in my life so by that definition I would be a gunslinger. Now the gunslingers in the Dark Tower series are what Matt posted about Knights of the White and Guardians of the Dark Tower etc.
"It's his eyes, Roland thought. They were wide and terrible, the eyes of a dragon in human form" - Roland seeing the Crimson King for the first time.
"When the King comes and the Tower falls, sai, all such pretty things as yours will be broken. Then there will be darkness and nothing but the howl of Discordia and the cries of the can toi" - From Song of Susannah
And can someone without a gun be a gunslinger by your definition?
Roland would have understood.
In the Dark Tower series I suppose its possible. I mean if one of the gunslingers didn't happen to have a gun on them they're still gunslingers. Now someone in real life? No. Unless you're speaking metaphorically, which it sounds like you might be.
"It's his eyes, Roland thought. They were wide and terrible, the eyes of a dragon in human form" - Roland seeing the Crimson King for the first time.
"When the King comes and the Tower falls, sai, all such pretty things as yours will be broken. Then there will be darkness and nothing but the howl of Discordia and the cries of the can toi" - From Song of Susannah
May I pop the question again?
What's a good gunslinger like for YOU, Matthew?
Roland would have understood.
A dead one, Letti.
"It's his eyes, Roland thought. They were wide and terrible, the eyes of a dragon in human form" - Roland seeing the Crimson King for the first time.
"When the King comes and the Tower falls, sai, all such pretty things as yours will be broken. Then there will be darkness and nothing but the howl of Discordia and the cries of the can toi" - From Song of Susannah
Yep, me too.
"People, especially children, aren't measured by their IQ. What's important about them is whether they're good or bad, and these children are bad." ~ Alan Bernard
"You needn't die happy when your day comes, but you must die satisfied, for you have lived your life from beginning to end and ka is always served." ~ Roland Deschain
Roland would have understood.
(this is an abridged version of my earlier speculations; my apologies to those who've read them before)
Gunslingers were an elite caste, which:
1. Didn’t have any laws above it but those it created itself
Most recently we’ve seen it in both the Communist and the Fascist rule; in both regimes, the party at power lived by its own laws, created ad hoc. (The fact that in Roland’s world there seem to be hardly any written laws at all only aggravates the situation.)
2. Didn’t face any real force to counterbalance it
It was somehow alleviated, in both Communist and Fascist case, by the existence of public opinion outside those countries and some rudiments of opposition (church, to name just one) inside them. But all ideology and moral in gunslinger’s world are created and kept by gunslingers themselves.
3. Was considered definitely superior to all other people
being a member of the Communist Party or NSDAP respectively immediately made a person superior to other citizens; I beg to notice that in neither case the caste in question went as far as to provide its members with special training from the cradle, thus making them really (as opposed to officially) superior. This, however, was the case in Roland’s world.
Nowhere in history can I find examples of an elite keeping to any noble principles for any historically long time. In the long run, the elite starts pursuing their own interests, which deviate from those of society further and further. Whenever there’s enough political force and will to check this process, the elite is destroyed (janissaries in the Ottoman Empire, samourai in Japan, military elite in 18th century Russia).
When there isn’t… I’m beginning to wonder if the rebellion led by Farson and used by evil forces didn’t have deep social roots.
Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)
bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is the title of this thread all right, what do you think?
Jean you can change it if you wish when I opened it and I couldn't find a better one or any other ones in my mind.
Roland would have understood.