From: jljones@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Jeffrey Jones)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.eddings
Subject: Orb, who can touch it??
Date: 20 Nov 92 10:40:58 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego


     Since there is so much interest in who can and who can not touch the
Orb of Aldur I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth.  Here it goes...
The way I understand it is that anyone can touch the Orb, but for most
people this would mean instant death (or perhaps not so instant as the
Orb appears to have an affinity for burning things) since the Orb itself
is particular about who it wants touching it.
     To figure out who can touch the Orb (and survive the experience) a 
bit of history is in order.  When Aldur found the Orb it allowed anyone 
to touch/use it (as pointed out by someone in an earlier message).  Then 
Torak stole the Orb, and in an effort to keep the Alorns from taking it 
back used the Orb to crack the world.  It was at this point that the Orb 
became selective about who could touch it with impunity, apparently it 
didn't like the destruction which Torak forced it to cause, and took 
revenge by burning Torak's left(??) side.
     To find out who the Orb would still allow to touched it go back to 
the Book of Alorn (the prologue to the Pawn of Prophecy).  When 
Belgarath, Cherek, Riva, Dras, and Algar went to Cthol Mishrak to steal 
back the Orb, Belgarath refused to touch it because the Orb would only 
allow people without ill intent in their hearts to survive such a touch,  

     "Once it welcomed the touch of man or God, but its will hardened 
     when Torak raised it against its mother.  It will not be so used 
     again.  It reads our souls.  Only one without ill intent, who is 
     pure enough to take it and convey it in peril of his life, with 
     no thought of power or possession, may touch it now," 

(Prologue - Pawn of Prophecy).  The only people without such intentions 
appear to be the Rivan kings and Eriond (actually Eriond was a total 
innocent and thus by definition had no evil/ill intentions, he didn't 
know what evil was).  As a short aside, the birthmark which indicates 
the Rivan King also indicates an absence of ill intentions (surely 
arranged by the prophecy) rather than any sorcerous ability, Garion 
was the only Rivan King who was also a sorcerer, otherwise there 
would have been tens or hundreds of Rivan Kings still running around 
(after all sorcerers live until they no longer wish to).  
     At the end the, after the Sardion and Zandramas were sent to patch the
universe, the Orb probably switched back to its old way (as shown when
Eriond touch Belgarath and Poledra with the Orb, which someone else 
mentioned earlier), or it may have switched back even earlier when it 
relented and restored Torak from the damage it had inflicted on him.
     Anyway, that's the way I see it.  Sorry for the length, but I do 
try be thorough (or maybe I just like to ramble).  Did I leave anything
out?

Jeff.


"All here are now judged, and all are found wanting...  You who would take
 pleasure from the death and dishonor other, see then how well you face
 destruction!... Tremble and despair, for I AM POWER." 
                                                Feist - 'Magician: Master'
 internet: jljones%sdcc13@ucsd.edu
Newsgroups: alt.fan.eddings