[High King of Chaos]

At the end of DHG when shaik reborn travels to arens gate Heboric when looking at Duikers corpse nailed to the tree says "Who is this ? i can see nothing - sence nothing. Who is this man ?" Mallick Rel replies "An old man, Unhanded One. A soldier among many.One among ten thousand" to which Heboric replies "Do - do you...Do you hear a gods laughter?" - Does any one know who the laughing god is, i just cant piece this one together, unless its Hoods laughter, im currently at the point in MOI (secound time of reading the series-thus far) where

Spoiler

Quick Ben realises its Hood backing Talamandas's power so he may of struck a deal with Hood as i recall the gift was delivered by the Trygalle Trade Guild on beghalf of Quick Ben

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Thanks.

[D'rek]

It doesn't really matter. For all we know, Heboric could even be imagining the whole thing. But generally most assume it to be Hood, based on Hood's little trick on Heboric in the prologue, now laughing at Heboric being unable to recognize Duiker's death.

[Abyss]

I always found this a bit confusing because as far as we can tell, no god plays a particularly large part in the events that lead to that scene. But the irony of Duiker setting out to rescue Heboric at the beginning of the book and Heboric 'finding' Duiker like this at the end is so heavy that any god watching would have to be affected. We don't know a whole lot about Hood at this point in the series but it's certainly possible it's him. That said i always took Heboric's comment to be a bit of drama because for the most part the events were driven by humans.


- Abyss, ...just knows someone is going to post a completely unrelated spoiler for later in the series any second now...

[Beezulbubba]

Hood is a good choice. 10,000 marines crucified, and since the events of DG occurred around the same time as MoI, one could say Hood's cup runneth over.

[Nemorensis]

Maybe I am giving Hood too much credit, but him laughing at that does not seem to be in character.

[Beezulbubba]

You're probably right, but Hood's gate during DG and MoI was a veritable turnstile at a one time only reunited Pink Floyd performing all of The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, so he would have reason to chuckle.

It could also have been the Jaghut ghost Duiker saw just before dying (the passage occurs at the end of a chapter just before). However Heboric describes it as a god laughing (paraphrasing, so don't push up your nerd glasses and go on some diatribe about how I am clueless).

Or it could have been specific to Heboric (and the ghost hands / Fener / shuffling of power saga that was developing legs). There could very well be a passage in MoI that is connected to the god laughing, but I don't recall that.

[foolio]

this was always something that puzzled me.

[worry]

I would imagine it's a Malazanian play on the phrase "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Heboric is likely referencing Hood, though that doesn't necessarily mean he can actually hear Hood laughing. It's just a very, very bleak bit of gallows humor, a bitter one-man inside joke given Heboric's experience with Hood.

[Beezulbubba]

worrywort, on 02 September 2010 - 08:09 PM, said:

I would imagine it's a Malazanian play on the phrase "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Heboric is likely referencing Hood, though that doesn't necessarily mean he can actually hear Hood laughing. It's just a very, very bleak bit of gallows humor, a bitter one-man inside joke given Heboric's experience with Hood.

That makes the most sense..... trying to always interpret things literally is often the path to frustration.... ummm, grasshopper? young padawan?

[Nemorensis]

Beezulbubba, on 02 September 2010 - 08:15 PM, said:

worrywort, on 02 September 2010 - 08:09 PM, said:

I would imagine it's a Malazanian play on the phrase "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Heboric is likely referencing Hood, though that doesn't necessarily mean he can actually hear Hood laughing. It's just a very, very bleak bit of gallows humor, a bitter one-man inside joke given Heboric's experience with Hood.

That makes the most sense..... trying to always interpret things literally is often the path to frustration.... ummm, grasshopper? young padawan?

The problem is that in MBofF some things have to be taken in a literal way. Like the sound of a spinning coin...

[Harvester]

... and Hood's balls.

I am with worrywort on this one.

[Tattersail_]

this is the first time i have thought about it, but from an earlier post someone mentioned quick ben and the gift, was it quick ben who sent it? i like worrywort's take on things here, although as heboric has so many God's associated with him it could be one of many too, but I think worrywort has a good take on it

[High King of Chaos]

D, on 02 September 2010 - 02:50 PM, said:

It doesn't really matter. For all we know, Heboric could even be imagining the whole thing. But generally most assume it to be Hood, based on Hood's little trick on Heboric in the prologue, now laughing at Heboric being unable to recognize Duiker's death.

lol a god taking notice to a perticular event usually ends up being quite seriouse so it could turn out that it really does matter theres no way to tell with these things

[High King of Chaos]

worrywort, on 02 September 2010 - 08:09 PM, said:

I would imagine it's a Malazanian play on the phrase "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Heboric is likely referencing Hood, though that doesn't necessarily mean he can actually hear Hood laughing. It's just a very, very bleak bit of gallows humor, a bitter one-man inside joke given Heboric's experience with Hood.

sorry really dont agree with this one when you read that part of the book you really do get a distinct impression that he really can hear a gods laughter, might be important that hes the only one that can hear it hood would of been drunk on power with the aren guards crucified so close that wouldnt surprise me if such an act of ten thousand soldiers being crucified would draw hood personal attention. I can see how the irony of Duiker setting out to rescue Heboric and then Hboric not being able to see Duiker due to blindness would amuse Hood.

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[Phatty]

Heboric could well have imagined the whole thing, if not for the end of the second-to-last portion of chapter 22 (page 887 of the Bantam paperback). The last sentence states "It may have been his imagination, but Duiker thought he could hear the harsh laughter of a god". Seems an unlikely coincidence that two characters, especially these two, would hear or imagine the same laughter of a god upon being "reunited".

[Illuyankas]

Could always be the Whirlwind Goddess, you know. Also DG spoilers in the subtitle? Really?

[Knowing]

Personally I think it is Hood, however, perhaps he is not laughing at the situation or the inadequacy of Heboric's recognition, but rather at how Mallick Rel simply shrugs off such a great man as just another casualty. Also, I take it that Heboric can't sense Duiker because his soul has been stolen away until his body has been collected. So in effect, his body has become a void to which Heboric can neither sense or see.

I've also got to agree with Illuyankas, those are some pretty big spoilers in the subtitle.

[Use Of Weapons]

Not spoilers, as this is the DG forum. It's assumed that you've read DG before reading topics in this forum (AIUI, IANAM)

[POOPOO MCBUMFACE]

Just re-reading DG just now, and I'm wondering if this might shed light on the mystery; when the Wickan warlocks raise the corpses to fight for them in the first major battle of the Chain of Dogs, Duiker or Lull say something along the lines of how much this would piss Hood off, and that "we will all pay dearly for this. All of us". I'm wondering if it really was Hood come to mock those who tampered with his laws, but I don't think it really fits with the personality of him we're given across the series (no spoilers).

[Salt-Man Z]

General Pattonhammer, on 02 September 2010 - 06:49 PM, said:

It could also have been the Jaghut ghost Duiker saw just before dying (the passage occurs at the end of a chapter just before).

This makes me laugh, but I can't tell you why until you've read Toll the Hounds.