"Katherine Kurtz - The Deryni Archives" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kurtz Katherine)

APPENDIX III: A PARTIAL CHRONOLOGY FOR THE ELEVEN KINGDOMS 244
APPENDIX IV: LITERARY ORIGINS OF THE DERYNI
254

KINGDOM OF GWYNEDD (MAP)

Introduction
Welcome to Gwynedd and the universe of the Deryni. Whether or not you've been
here before, you'll likely find it at least somewhat familiar, for Gwynedd and
its neighboring kingdoms are roughly parallel to our own tenth, eleventh, and
twelfth century England, Wales, and Scotland in terms of culture, level of
technology, similarity of social structure, and influence of a powerful
medieval Church that extends its machinations into the lives of nearly
everyone, highborn or low. The major difference, aside from historical
personalities and places, is that magic works; for the Deryni are a race of
sorcerers.
In a sense, the term "magic" is almost a misnomer to describe Deryni
capabilities, because much of what the Deryni can do falls under the general
category of what we would call extrasensory perception or ESP. Telepathy,
telekinesis, teleportation, and other "paranormal" phenomena are functions we
are now beginning to suspect may be far more normal than we had dreamed, as we
approach the threshold of the twenty-first century and science continues to
expand our understanding of human potential. In fact, much of what we consider
science today would have been magic to the feudal, superstitious, non-
technological folk of the Middle Ages. (They would have scoffed at the notion
that invisible animalcules called "germs" could cause disease, for everyone
knew that evil humors made people sick-or, sometimes, the wrath of God.)
Of course, not all "magical" phenomena can be explained, even by modern
science. Complicating matters in Gwynedd is the fact that the Deryni
themselves cannot always distinguish between the various forms of these
phenomena. First there are the natural Deryni abilities, ESP-type functions.
Then there is the grey area of ritual procedures which, when performed with
suitable mental focus, concentrate the operator's own power to produce certain
predictable results. And finally, there are supernatural connections that even
the Deryni would regard as magical, which tap into unknown power sources in
unknown ways, at unknown cost to the well-being of one's immortal soul-the
certain existence of which is also unknown. The latter is a realm that has
always been of profound interest to those engaged in philosophical pursuits,
whether those of science, organized religion, or more esoteric disciplines.
(And if we define magic as the art of causing change in conformity with will,
then perhaps all Deryni powers are magical. Denis Arilan will have some
thoughts on supernatural agents in the story bearing his name.)
The Deryni, then, have abilities and power connections that are not accessible
to most people-though Deryni are not omnipotent. At their best, the Deryni
might represent the ideal of perfected humankind- what all of us might be, if
we could learn to rise above our earthbound limitations and fulfill our
highest destinies. One would like to think that there is at least a little
Deryni in all of us.
With few exceptions, the use of one's Deryni abilities must be learned, like
any other skill; and some Deryni are more skilled and stronger than others.