- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: Corltan
Don't see the same character theory being backed by a preponderance of evidence either. Not sure where the Cortana letters are really relevant or the Marathon Infinity ending. Haven't read the Halo books either.
I'm glad you said something. =) It problably won't change your mind,
but a few things about the Cortana Letters and the Halo books in
conjunction with Marathon are intriguing.
This is extremely abbreviated, so I hope it makes a litte sense.
What's the deal with Cortana anyway?
First of all, Cortana makes several allusions to William Blake's
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The reference to Hell
has to do with the afterlife, (duh) and a specific line says this:
[I was there with the Angel at the tomb]
In the Marriage of Heaven and Hell, the Angel at the tomb is
a philosopher by the name of Swedenborg. He had many
philosophies, but the most pertinent one is his philosophy
on Infinity. I wish I knew more about it, but the fact that he
thought so much on the subject is interesting, especially
since Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Durandal,
is making references to Infinity. (something our A.I. friend
was quite fond of)
You probably noticed that Cortana quoted Durandal almost
word for word at one point:
. . .whose primary form of worship apparently takes place
at the altar of orbital bombardment.</P>
So if the story lines are connected, how would Cortana take
on some of Durandal's traits to the point of almost quoting
him? The final screen of Infinity as well as a hanging brain
may have the answer.
To me, Infinity ended with the SO
becoming almost god-like, but it's clear that he worked as
a cyborg some of the time, as he was "dead a thousand
times."
Would it be safe to say that Spartan 117 (the M.C.) is
one of those incarnations? (117 * 7 = 819, and 819 is
a reference to the players height in Marathon if I remember
right) There is evidence in the book that 117 has had a
brush with the afterlife before.(although it's purely symbolic)
The books reveal that the M.C.
was born in the Eridanus System, in the City of Elysium.
Elysium was a place where noble souls went to rest, and
was part of the underworld in Greek Myth. Lethe, which
is referenced in Marathon in the Kill Your Television
unformatted Terminal, was a river in the underworld where
souls that were to be reincarnated drank from to forget
their past lives.
Now, back to Cortana. Remember the uplink chip on
Hang Brain? That chip contained Durandal's primal pattern,
and was put directly into the SO's brain. If 117 is an incarnation
of the SO from Marathon, then you have to wonder if Durandal's
primal pattern was carried with him, and if Cortana recieved
any "complications" from running into Durandal's primal
pattern that is locked away in 117's brain.
The fifth Cortana Letter is one line, but can mean many things:
"... In my palace deep, Lyca lies asleep ..."
Another Blake reference, but this time it's from the Songs of
Innocence. You can read the poem if you want, but I'm going
to jump right in to what it could mean to Halo/Marathon links.
If Durandal was hiding away in 117's brain, could it be
Durandal's palace that Lyca (Cortana) is asleep in?
[Edited on 10/24/2004 5:02:06 PM]