Prince of Nothing
Encyclopedia
The Prince of Nothing is a series of three fantasy
novels by the Canadian
author R. Scott Bakker
, first published in 2004, part of a wider series known as "The Second Apocalypse". This trilogy details the emergence of Anasûrimbor Kellhus, a brilliant monastic warrior, as he takes control of a holy war and the hearts and minds of its leaders. Kellhus exhibits incredible powers of prediction and persuasion, which are derived from deep knowledge of rationality
, cognitive biases, and causality
, as discovered by the Dûnyain, a secret monastic sect. As Kellhus goes from military leader to divine prophet, Drusas Achamian, the sorcerer who mentored Kellhus, comes to realize that his student may well be the harbinger of the Second Apocalypse.
The key feature distinguishing the Prince of Nothing series from its contemporaries is the importance of philosophy
to the work. The plot, characters, setting, and metaphysics
of the Prince of Nothing are intertwined with philosophical positions unique to the series.
Bakker has mentioned that this series was primarily influenced by the works of Tolkien and Frank Herbert
.
, which is separated from another continent to the east (mentioned but unseen), called Eänna. The main inhabitants of Eärwa are human, but were preceded by the Nonmen (or Cûnuroi), immortal beings who went mad with the accumulation of centuries of memory, and the Inchoroi, alien beings who crash-landed in northern Eärwa. These creatures' machinations led both to the downfall of the Nonmen and, with the aid of a group of human sorcerers known as the Consult, the summoning of Mog-Pharau, the No-God. This event, known as the First Apocalypse, caused the collapse of most of human civilization, but was stopped by the efforts of the sorcerer Seswatha and Anasûrimbor Celmomas, the last of a line of royalty. Society was eventually rebuilt after this event, which became more legend than history. Nonetheless, the Consult still endeavored to bring back the No-God and finish the plan they had begun thousands of years before.
The action of the series is confined to the Three Seas area, home of multiple human nations, ethnicities, and religions. The first novel opens with the start of a Holy War, pitting the Inrithi kingdoms and the Thousand Temples against the "heathen" Fanim, followers of a prophet who broke from Inrithism hundreds of years previously. The goal of the war is to retake Shimeh, a city venerated by both faiths, although as the war progresses its goal is subtly warped from the inside by the machinations of Anasûrimbor Kellhus.
s precede their given name
s, like the order commonly used in Hungary
, China
, and Japan
.
The human population of Eärwa is not all able to use magic. Rather, that ability is confined to the Few, a small subset of people. Additionally, the various Schools of magic only allow male practitioners, further dwindling the number of possible sorcerers. Even so, those who choose to study magic are granted large amounts of power, balanced by a lack of religious acceptance and a vulnerability to chorae, small spherical antimagic talismans.
There are two main types of magic used in the northern Three Seas: Gnostic and Anagogic. While Gnostic magic is largely forgotten (being the dominant art of the Ancient North, destroyed during the First Apocalypse), Anagogic magic is more widely studied among multiple schools.
(INRI is an acronym found on many crucifix
es, while "Sejenus" is an acronym of n e Jesus, phonetically Any Jesus), this religion is a mixture of polytheistic
and monotheistic
elements. The polytheistic portion is derived from the ancient Cults, which are devoted each to a different god. The central text of Inrithism is the Tusk, an enormous carved tusk
covered in Sejenus' writings, which provides the fusion of the individual gods of the Cults into Aspects of one God.
The Thousand Temples are the ecclesiastical body that represents Inrithism, which is headed by the Shriah, a figure like the Catholic Church
's Pope
. The Shriah also is in charge of the Shrial Knights, a monastic military order which are like a religious Praetorian Guard
. The Thousand Temples are based in Summa, where the Holy War (and first book of the series) begins.
At the time of the series, Maithanet is the Shriah, and Incheiri Gotian is the Grandmaster of the Shrial Knights.
). The name comes from the fact that adherents are part of Kellhus' "tribe of truth", and followers of the Dûnyain teachings.
The Fanim appear analogously to Muslims, as they are desert-dwelling monotheists in conflict with an older related faith. Bakker also uses Islam
ic terms when describing the Fanim, such as their "White Jihad
", a war against the Nansur Empire to the north of Kian. Also, Fanimry has a prohibition against representations of the God, akin to hadith
prohibitions against depictions of Muhammad
and other rules against idolatry.
, Scythia
, the Byzantine Empire
, and other European and Middle Eastern cultures—for the Three Seas region of Eärwa.
The setting is large and sweeping, with obvious parallels to the time period of the First Crusade
. Some clear references to actual historical events include the Vulgar Holy War (a parallel of the People's Crusade
) and the Emperor's Indenture (a parallel of the oaths of homage extracted from the crusaders by Byzantine Emperor Alexius I
)
.
trilogy, which describes events taking place 20 years after the conclusion of Prince of Nothing. The first book of the series is The Judging Eye
, and was first published in 2009. The second is The White Luck Warrior and was published in 2011.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novels by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
author R. Scott Bakker
R. Scott Bakker
Richard Scott Bakker is a Canadian fantasy author. He grew up on a tobacco farm in the Simcoe area. In 1986 he attended the University of Western Ontario to pursue a degree in Literature and later an MA in Theory and Criticism...
, first published in 2004, part of a wider series known as "The Second Apocalypse". This trilogy details the emergence of Anasûrimbor Kellhus, a brilliant monastic warrior, as he takes control of a holy war and the hearts and minds of its leaders. Kellhus exhibits incredible powers of prediction and persuasion, which are derived from deep knowledge of rationality
Rationality
In philosophy, rationality is the exercise of reason. It is the manner in which people derive conclusions when considering things deliberately. It also refers to the conformity of one's beliefs with one's reasons for belief, or with one's actions with one's reasons for action...
, cognitive biases, and causality
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
, as discovered by the Dûnyain, a secret monastic sect. As Kellhus goes from military leader to divine prophet, Drusas Achamian, the sorcerer who mentored Kellhus, comes to realize that his student may well be the harbinger of the Second Apocalypse.
The key feature distinguishing the Prince of Nothing series from its contemporaries is the importance of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
to the work. The plot, characters, setting, and metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
of the Prince of Nothing are intertwined with philosophical positions unique to the series.
Bakker has mentioned that this series was primarily influenced by the works of Tolkien and Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
.
Novels
- The Darkness That Comes BeforeThe Darkness That Comes BeforeThe Darkness That Comes Before is the first book in the Prince of Nothing series by Scott Bakker. It was published in 2004.-Characters:...
(2004) - The Warrior ProphetThe Warrior ProphetThe Warrior Prophet is the second book in the Prince of Nothing series by Scott Bakker. It was published in 2005.- External links :* at...
(2005) - The Thousandfold ThoughtThe Thousandfold ThoughtThe Thousandfold Thought is the third book in the Prince of Nothing series by Scott Bakker. It was published in January 2006. More specifically the Thousandfold Thought, as envisioned and set into play by Anasûrimbor Moënghus, is the union of the warring faiths of Inrithism and Fanimry under the...
(2006)
Background
The Prince of Nothing series takes place in the fictional continent of EärwaEärwa
Eärwa is the fictional world on which the stories in the Canadian author R. Scott Bakker's The Second Apocalypse series of fantasy novels, consisting so far of the sub-series Prince of Nothing and Aspect-Emperor, are set....
, which is separated from another continent to the east (mentioned but unseen), called Eänna. The main inhabitants of Eärwa are human, but were preceded by the Nonmen (or Cûnuroi), immortal beings who went mad with the accumulation of centuries of memory, and the Inchoroi, alien beings who crash-landed in northern Eärwa. These creatures' machinations led both to the downfall of the Nonmen and, with the aid of a group of human sorcerers known as the Consult, the summoning of Mog-Pharau, the No-God. This event, known as the First Apocalypse, caused the collapse of most of human civilization, but was stopped by the efforts of the sorcerer Seswatha and Anasûrimbor Celmomas, the last of a line of royalty. Society was eventually rebuilt after this event, which became more legend than history. Nonetheless, the Consult still endeavored to bring back the No-God and finish the plan they had begun thousands of years before.
The action of the series is confined to the Three Seas area, home of multiple human nations, ethnicities, and religions. The first novel opens with the start of a Holy War, pitting the Inrithi kingdoms and the Thousand Temples against the "heathen" Fanim, followers of a prophet who broke from Inrithism hundreds of years previously. The goal of the war is to retake Shimeh, a city venerated by both faiths, although as the war progresses its goal is subtly warped from the inside by the machinations of Anasûrimbor Kellhus.
Characters
The novels follow the point of view of several characters on the Inrithi side of the Holy War. Most of the characters are of the Ketyai ethnicity, common to the western and eastern Three Seas. Characters' surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s precede their given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s, like the order commonly used in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
- Drusas Achamian is a member of the Mandate School, who joins the Holy War by order of his superiors. There, he meets and teaches Anasûrimbor Kellhus in secret, while slowly discovering his place in the coming Second Apocalypse. Achamian also meets his old students Nersei Proyas, Prince of Conriya, and Krijates Xinemus, the Marshal of Attrempus.
- Esmenet is a whore in the city of Sumna, and is Achamian's lover. She follows him into the Holy War and falls under the influence of Kellhus along with Achamian.
- Anasûrimbor Kellhus is the mysterious Dûnyain warrior whose power over those around him brings him control of the Holy War and its people. He was sent by his sect to find his father, Anasûrimbor Moënghus, who lives in the city of Shimeh, the Holy War's destination.
- Cnaiür urs Skiötha is a Scylvendi barbarian chieftain of the Utemot tribe, whose relationship with Moënghus 30 years previously makes him the only character with knowledge of the Dûnyain. He is also the first to meet Kellhus, and accompanies him to Momemn to join the Holy War.
- Sërwe is a slave claimed by Cnaiür as a prize, and who is used by Kellhus to control Cnaiür.
- Ikurei Conphas is a prideful Nansur general and nephew to that nation's Emperor. His victories over the Scylvendi make him the foremost choice for leader of the Holy War, before Cnaiür takes that position from him.
- Anasûrimbor Moënghus is Kellhus' father, and left the Dûnyain 30 years before the series begins. He joined the Cishaurim under the name of Mallahet, and learned the Psûkhe under their tutelage.
Magic and the Schools
Magic in the Prince of Nothing is the use of the castor's will to influence the world, often contrary to the plans of the gods. Thus, magic is viewed as sacrilegious by the Thousand Temples, and is condemned in the Inrithi nations. Sorcerous Schools arose in response to this pressure, creating powerful political and military forces apart from the religious order.The human population of Eärwa is not all able to use magic. Rather, that ability is confined to the Few, a small subset of people. Additionally, the various Schools of magic only allow male practitioners, further dwindling the number of possible sorcerers. Even so, those who choose to study magic are granted large amounts of power, balanced by a lack of religious acceptance and a vulnerability to chorae, small spherical antimagic talismans.
There are two main types of magic used in the northern Three Seas: Gnostic and Anagogic. While Gnostic magic is largely forgotten (being the dominant art of the Ancient North, destroyed during the First Apocalypse), Anagogic magic is more widely studied among multiple schools.
Gnostic Schools
- The Mandate is a School founded by Seswatha after the First Apocalypse to fight against the return of Mog-Pharau. Members of the Mandate undergo a ritual that allows them to relive Seswatha's experiences each night as they dream, so that they never forget the horrors of the Apocalypse. The Quorum is the ruling body of the Mandate School, which is headed by Nautzera.
- The Mangaecca, or the Consult (as it was later known), is the School that first came in contact with the Inchoroi, leading them to adopt those beings' immoral ways, along with the powerful art of Tekne (essentially genetic engineeringGenetic engineeringGenetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
).
Anagogic Schools
- The Scarlet Spires is the most powerful School in the Three Seas. It controls much of the politics of High Ainon, an eastern Ketyai nation. It also has attempted to steal the secrets of Gnostic magic from the Mandate, using kidnapping and torture. Eleäzaras is the Grandmaster of the Scarlet Spires during the series.
- The Imperial Saik is a School indentured to the Emperor of Nansur, and serves the interests of the Nansur Empire, which has been most directly in conflict with the Kianene Fanim. Cememketri is the Grandmaster of this school.
- The Mysunsai is the self-proclaimed "Mercenary School". Instead of serving some political power, it sells its services to any who will purchase its service.
Other types
- The Psûkhe is the magic of the Cishaurim, the blind sorcerer-priests of the Fanim. Their magic is seemingly separate from the Gnostic and Anagogic types, as it cannot be perceived by the Few. This seemingly indicates that the magic is in accord with the gods' (or in the case of the Fanim, God's) wishes, as sorcery is usually identified by the harmful mark it makes upon Creation.
- The Daimos is magic used to summon creatures from the Outside, such as the demonic Ciphrang, by binding those beings to the caster's soul. Iyokus, Master of Spies of the Scarlet Spires, is the only Daimotic caster introduced in the series.
Religion
Religion plays an important part in the politics and daily life of residents of the Three Seas. The Holy War, the driving force behind the plot of the Prince of Nothing series, is an explicitly religious conflict between the Inrithi and the Fanim, the two main religious orders of the region.Inrithism
The Inrithi religion was founded on the revelation of the Latter Prophet, Inri Sejenus. Analogous to ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(INRI is an acronym found on many crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
es, while "Sejenus" is an acronym of n e Jesus, phonetically Any Jesus), this religion is a mixture of polytheistic
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
and monotheistic
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
elements. The polytheistic portion is derived from the ancient Cults, which are devoted each to a different god. The central text of Inrithism is the Tusk, an enormous carved tusk
Tusk
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...
covered in Sejenus' writings, which provides the fusion of the individual gods of the Cults into Aspects of one God.
The Thousand Temples are the ecclesiastical body that represents Inrithism, which is headed by the Shriah, a figure like the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
's Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. The Shriah also is in charge of the Shrial Knights, a monastic military order which are like a religious Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
. The Thousand Temples are based in Summa, where the Holy War (and first book of the series) begins.
At the time of the series, Maithanet is the Shriah, and Incheiri Gotian is the Grandmaster of the Shrial Knights.
The Zaudunyani
During The Warrior Prophet and The Thousandfold Thought, Kellhus creates a branch of Inrithism based around his own actions and prophecy. Its symbol is the Circumfix, the apparatus used to torture Kellhus (an obvious parallel to the crucifixCrucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
). The name comes from the fact that adherents are part of Kellhus' "tribe of truth", and followers of the Dûnyain teachings.
Fanimry
Based on the teachings of the Prophet Fane, Fanimry is solely monotheistic and rejects the polytheistic elements of Inrithism, as well as the holiness of the Tusk. This puts it in direct conflict with the Thousand Temples. The only nation of the Three Seas that accepts Fanimry is Kian, in the southwest of the region. Additionally, Fanimry disagrees on the acceptance of magic and sorcerers—in this case the Psûkhe, the magic cast by the Cishaurim.The Fanim appear analogously to Muslims, as they are desert-dwelling monotheists in conflict with an older related faith. Bakker also uses Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic terms when describing the Fanim, such as their "White Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
", a war against the Nansur Empire to the north of Kian. Also, Fanimry has a prohibition against representations of the God, akin to hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
prohibitions against depictions of Muhammad
Depictions of Muhammad
The permissibility of depictions of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, has long been a concern in the history of Islam. Oral and written descriptions are readily accepted by all traditions of Islam, but there is disagreement about visual depictions....
and other rules against idolatry.
Historical influences
R. Scott Bakker drew upon many cultures as inspiration—notably Hellenistic GreeceHellenistic Greece
In the context of Ancient Greek art, architecture, and culture, Hellenistic Greece corresponds to the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the annexation of the classical Greek heartlands by Rome in 146 BC...
, Scythia
Scythia
In antiquity, Scythian or Scyths were terms used by the Greeks to refer to certain Iranian groups of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who dwelt on the Pontic-Caspian steppe...
, the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, and other European and Middle Eastern cultures—for the Three Seas region of Eärwa.
The setting is large and sweeping, with obvious parallels to the time period of the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
. Some clear references to actual historical events include the Vulgar Holy War (a parallel of the People's Crusade
People's Crusade
The People's Crusade is part of the First Crusade and lasted roughly six months from April 1096 to October. It is also known as the Peasants' Crusade or the Paupers' Crusade...
) and the Emperor's Indenture (a parallel of the oaths of homage extracted from the crusaders by Byzantine Emperor Alexius I
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
)
.
The Aspect-Emperor
The Second Apocalypse series is continued in the Aspect-EmperorThe Aspect-Emperor
The Aspect-Emperor is a planned trilogy by R. Scott Bakker that takes place twenty years after his acclaimed series The Prince of Nothing.-Novels:# The Judging Eye, 2009, ISBN 9780143051602# The White-Luck Warrior, 2011, ISBN 9780143051626...
trilogy, which describes events taking place 20 years after the conclusion of Prince of Nothing. The first book of the series is The Judging Eye
The Judging Eye
The Judging Eye is the first book in the Aspect-Emperor series by R. Scott Bakker. It was published on January 15, 2009 in the UK and on February 19, 2009 in the USA.Events take place 20 years after the conclusion of the Prince of Nothing trilogy...
, and was first published in 2009. The second is The White Luck Warrior and was published in 2011.
External links
- The Three Seas Forum - a forum used to discuss the series
- The Prince of Nothing Wiki with an extensive Timeline