(urth) Short Story 82: The God and His Man

[Mo Holkar]

At 01:03 07/08/2014, Gwern wrote:
>On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 2:26 PM, Marc Aramini <marcaramini at gmail.com> wrote:
> > It is likely Tarnung was capable of affecting light waves. It is German for
> > camouflage or disguise.
>
>Tarnung is likely a Ring reference to the Tarnhelm, which grants
>invisibility. Given that the other magic item is a maser which creates
>waves of coherent straight radiation, the Tarnung probably bends light
>to achieve invisibility.
>
>The Ring cycle would be an interesting theme to bring in, as it too
>involves the fall of gods.


A thought that's just occurred -- is it possible that the name 
"Tarnung" indicates a response of sorts to the Glimmung (which means 
roughly "brightness") in Philip K. Dick's novel Galactic Pot-Healer? 
This is also about a human man sent on a mission to an alien planet 
by a godlike being, and its themes (conformity vs creativity, the 
need to obey gods or not) are such as might have resonated with Wolfe.

best,

Mo