Dear Frank,
PLease don't misunderstand. I liked the story, but the sections where the protagonist jokes with the shop owner, while very possibly accurate, for me detracted from the story.
I was very good friends with Anne McCaffrey, the well known Science Fiction author, who lived in Ireland. In 1993, I escorted her to a Sci-Fi Writers' Convention in Pine Mountain, GA, as her 'security'. In reality, I was just part of the entourage, though I did stop one crazy woman who had a large cloth-shears and who was sort of threatening [you had to be there]. But the State Police did come and take her away; and Anne (and others) thanked me profusely.
At one seminar, Anne recommended to an aspiring author, "Edit, Dear! And then have someone whose opinion you respect, edit it for you, removing, at least temporarily, parts they deem don't ring true".
But most of the story did ring true, and I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.
Re.Mana; I understood from Maoris, Hawaiians and Samoans of my acquaintance, that 'Mana' was a Polynesian concept, meaning 'life energy'; and that Mana is transferred from a human being to anything that they make or use or repair; not just to fetishes. I have a Maori fish-hook, made by the uncle of a friend, and given to me by the friend with his and his uncle's Mana. It is meant to protect me from sharks while swimming in the ocean, since the uncle is from the shark 'clan' or 'totem'. And in effect it is a fetish.
I trust in The G-D of Israel to Protect me; moreover, i know that sharks are inherently cannibalistic, so if his Mana is related to that of the shark, it should not have much power to dissuade an attack, unless he was a bigger shark than the one or ones with the sharp teeth, swimming towards me!
But I have over 130 modern turned Hawaiian hardwood Umeke, and they are simply beautiful vessels. But believed to hold the Mana of the maker, and mine as well, from my ownership and use of them. But that is the Polynesian understanding. I've no knowledge of any other Culture's belief in it. I think I understand that the Chinese concept of Qi, is to be understood in the same way, but may be mistaken.
Best,
Joey
Dear Rube,
thanks for that, I'm glad you liked it!
Cheers
Frank
Dear Joey,
I'm sorry you didn't like it more, but like you say, to each his own.
Thanks for reading it!
Actually, for the sake of precision, "mana" has a very specific meaning in the world of tribal art (too long and too specific to enter that conversation here on this forum) which obviously changes angle from the different areas of the world (Africa has one, which is different from Oceanic, PNG, Australia etcetera) not to mention the "meaning" it could take outside of "tribal context". Objects with mana are not limited to those with an infused energy by the carver (like African fetish figures) but are especially those that "receive" that power through the many years of handling and tribal life usage. It's complicated... and that's another story!
Cheers and thanks
Frank
