Glossary Entry
This is a DargonZine glossary entry. Below is information on the item including its description, stories in which it appears, and curator information. To see more glossary items, visit our Online Glossary page.
Wheel of Life
Type: CULTURECurator: Public
Description
Horoscope/divination device used by Corambis.
Consider a large circle, divided into eight equal parts. Each symbol
of the Dargon zodiac occupies its own division. Starting from the
top and going clockwise, we have:
SYMBOL REPRESENTS
------ -----------
Knight Man; strength, courage
Harp Tranquility, peace
Ship Water (minor power); travel, movement
Oak Earth (minor power), long life, durability
Maiden Woman; caring, nurturing
Fox Cunning, deceit, trickery
Torch Fire (minor power)
Falcon Air (minor power)
Mistweaver Destiny [center of the Wheel]
Eight more symbols are inscribed on the outer rim of the Wheel,
each at a division line between the inner symbols. Starting at the
division line between the Knight and the Oak and going clockwise
are:
SYMBOL REPRESENTS
------ ----------
Air Major power
Scepter Far future
Fire Major power
Sword Present
Earth Major power
Shield Near future
Water Major power
Crown Past
Ten wooden discs are used for the reading, one red and the rest
blue. The red disc represents the subject of the horoscope, and the
blue discs each have a symbol upon them. In no particular order,
these symbols are:
1) Heart
2) Spirit
3) Body
4) Future Ally
5) Future Adversary
6) Present Ally
7) Present Adversary
8) Course of Action
9) General Conclusion
A wheel reader may utter an incantation before casting the discs.
One example: 'May Araminia's grace/Fall upon this Wheel/Like the
first kiss of spring/On a graveyard.'
{Note: The concept of the Wheel is based on the Weirdin, a Celtic
divination method described in Charles de Lint's novel _Moonheart_.
Though I used some of the Weirdin terms for the meanings of the rim
symbols and the discs, I tried to make the Wheel of Life as distinct
as possible.}
--------
Figure 1
A
_____________
H / | B
/ 1 | 2 /
/ | /
| 8 | / 3 |
G |---------- 9 ----------| C
| 7 / | 4 |
/ | /
/ 6 | 5 /
F \______|______/ D
E
INNER SYMBOLS
-------------
1. Knight
2. Oak
3. Harp
4. Ship
5. Maiden
6. Torch
7. Fox
8. Falcon
9. Mistweaver
OUTER SYMBOLS
-------------
A. Air
B. Scepter
C. Fire
D. Sword
E. Earth
F. Shield
G. Water
H. Crown
Appearances
- Cydric and the Sage 3 in FSFnet
9-1 Used by Corambis. - Worthy of the Title 2 in FSFnet
10-4 Passing reference - Fortunes 1 in DargonZine
2-3 Used to predict Dargon's near future. Predicts conflict. - Materia Medica 2 in DargonZine
3-4 Passing reference - Pact 1 in DargonZine
4-3 Corambis complains to Ilona that the new table his daughter got him is biased. - Fortunes 2 in DargonZine
4-3 Used to cast for the future. - Endgame in DargonZine
7-6 Used to tell Teyvas his future. - Shadowstone 2 in DargonZine
9-3 Passing reference - Friendships of Stone 5 in DargonZine
13-1 Corambis uses this as a divination device and it helps him find Matthew, Ben, and Sharin