cotbs

[Ron Jennings]

Ron:

>what you forget, is that jerry c. IS elric, and that the needlegun IS
>stormbringer.

Hup... what? why? how? Please explain.
I've got one JC book but I haven't read it yet.
        mvh -Daniel

well have you read the elric books?
there is at least one passage in JC where the same words are used and only
names and places are changed. ('such confidence, gentlemen, is warming to
the heart.')
as you may or may not know, most of moorcocks books are about the eternal
champion.
the characters sometimes are aware of that, most times not. they are one
spirit in many bodies, spaces, and times. there  are three entities who are
almost always present.
-the champion: elric, corum, hawkmoon, erekose, etc...
-the companion: moonglum, jhary-a-conel,wheldrake(?)...
-the black sword: stormbringer, needlegun, the jewel in the skull(?? or was
it the runestaff?)

the weapon is sometimes sentient, sometimes not. the needle gun is not
sentient, but as always is symbolic of (something)...opinions differ on
what that something is.
regardless of what anyone says, i think it was deliberately left open to
interpretation.
i can see valid arguments in most of the opinions i have heard about it.

hope that helps...
rj