THE THENTIS MOUNTAINS

By Hersius and Hersius’ goldie~

INTRODUCTION

The initial two articles in this Geography Department discussed the Gorean landscape in terms of latitudes and longitudes as a way of coming to terms with the immensity of the virtual landmass. Those articles provide a basis for locating the various cultural geographic areas that serve as background for the sagas that span the series.

Norman defines areas in terms of their landforms, climate, and underlying geologic structures, and he shows the effects of human habitation on these areas. This and subsequent articles will identify an area and then showcase it by describing what it looks like and giving background information. A call for contributors for future collaboration on other areas will conclude each article. The purpose of the articles is simply to show where the various places are on Gor and to show why each place is a special place to be.

THE THENTIS MOUNTAINS

The Thentis Mountains are located more or less along the prime meridian just north of the Voltai range and just south the Northern Forests. Book 7, p.129, Book 10, p.7. This would place the range in the 55 degrees to 60 degrees north latitude vicinity. To the east lie the Barrens. The Voltai and Thentis ranges form the western boundary of the Barrens. Book 13, p.16. To the west and southwest, the entire expanse of the northern plains and valleys opens up. The World of Gor reference center confirms that the Thentis range lies in the northeastern corner of civilized Gor north of the Voltai and with the Barrens at its back. The mountains are fairly compact compared to the Voltai and are very tall.

The Thentis Mountain range encompasses broad valleys, fertile slopes, and sharp steep peaks. One of the most notable distinctives of the Thentis range is the impact of human occupation on its flora and fauna, at least on the western side. Human habitation has transformed the range from isolated wilderness into a massive diversified commercial enterprise that reaches into every part of civilized Gor. Each elevation level is home to an industry contributing to the economic basis of life at the cylinder city of Thentis, which is located within a mountain valley. Book 1, p.67.

If you fly by tarn eastward over the plains and hills along the southern edge of the Northern Forests, you will come to the Thentis Mountains. As you fly with the almost eternal expanse of the Northern Forests to your left, you will eventually see a bluish smudge before you. It starts at the edge of the Northern Forests and runs southward. As you draw closer, the smudge becomes a blue shimmering wave as you begin to make out the peaks of the Thentis Mountain range. Book 1, p.69.

As you approach the networks of valleys and foothills that extend gently upward into the range, you first see yellow fields. Some online interpretations believe that places in the Thentis Mountains must import their Sa-Tarna needs. It is equally believable that the valleys are protected climate areas and that some valley floors are covered by Sa-Tarna fields. Field after field of the grain would then give some of the valleys a yellow color when viewed from above in the appropriate season. If the tall mountains had a gender, they would be male, towering over the plains. The yellow fields would be female, lying down, spreading out, receiving water from the mountains, and giving birth to wondrous life.

The Sa-Tarna fields in the region at or near the Thentis Mountains feed tens of thousands of people daily. The yellow expanse, whether within the mountains or at their western base, is the sustainer of human life and reminds us that all Gorean civilization rests upon the Peasant Caste and the grain it cares for. Book 1, p.43. The Sa-Tarna fields are the foundation for everything that civilized Gor builds, defends, and loves. For all the bravado of the Warriors and all the learning of the Scribes and the science of the Physicians and Builders, it is those patches of yellow that matter most.

As you fly above the lower elevation slopes of the range, the color changes from yellow to blue. Pasangs upon pasangs of Veminium flowers cover the lower slopes and contribute to the perfume industry. A purple variety of Veminium is found in the Tahari, but the exquisite blue variety is found only here. Book 5, p.163, Book 10, p.50, Book 15, p.91. The blue fields ring the valleys, and the Peasants who work the fields of flowers smell of the unique scent. The wind blowing over the expanse of blue fields is an absolutely breathtaking site that delights the eyes and the nose.

As you fly deeper and higher into the range, the next level of elevation changes color due to the blackwine trees. Book 12, p.21. For most of the year, the slopes are covered with the medium green that signals the blackwine plantations, yet two or three times a year those slopes are punctuated by dots of white as the trees blossom.

Just above the blackwine tree belt is the darker green of the mountain forests belt. At this elevation the soil is not as rich and the temperature begins to significantly and increasingly drop. The forests contain many varieties of trees. The lower elevations of this band are covered by deciduous trees, while above them the evergreens dominate. Among the evergreens are trees with needles, and among these is a variety known simply as the Thentis Needle Tree. The oil of the Thentis Needle Tree is harvested in mass quantities for use as a base oil in the perfume industry. Perfumeries throughout civilized Gor buy the Thentis Needle Tree oil. It is highly prized by the perfume industry of mighty Ar itself. Book 9, p.114. A needle tree lumber industry also exists in this elevation range. Book 6, p.141. Look for evidence of logging.

If you look closely during your flight, you might see evidence of the silver mines that contribute so much to the Thentis economy.

Above timberline the mountains become sharply pointed, unbelievably rugged, and stark. They also become dangerous, for this is where the famed wild tarn rookeries are to be found. Book 1, p.67, Book 13, p.10. Tarns are raised in rookeries in the city of Thentis and sold throughout civilized Gor. Tarns represent the very soul of the Cylinder Cities, and here one finds wild tarns living free. Tarns exist in the wilds of the Voltai Mountains as well, but from Thentis perspectives the tarn is first and foremost a creature of the Thentis Mountain peaks. When Norman speaks of the Thentis Mountains, he speaks of the flora and of the tarn flocks, giving one pause to wonder whether the relative absence of other animals may be partly due to the awe-inspiring numbers of wild tarns that range freely. Perhaps humans and tarns have made an unconscious partnership in taming the Thentis range.

The Sardar Mountains have snowcaps. Book 2, p.180. The Thentis Mountains must also have snowcaps at their highest elevations. From the tallest peaks of the Thentis Mountains, you can literally stand at the top of the world. The thin air at snow level is extremely cold and whips around you, walking is painstaking, and yet you can look down at clouds and survey the immensity of the Northern Forests to the north or the Barrens to the east or the northern plains to the west and southwest or even look southward upon the reddish Voltai, depending of course on exactly which peak you stand upon.

From the eastern side of the Thentis Mountains, you can look across the flat vastness of the Barrens all the way to the eastern horizon. A number of small towns, farms, and ranches dot the countryside near the base of the mountains. Book 17, pp.76, 77, 93, 94.

Although the Thentis Mountains are compact when compared to the Voltai range, they are high enough and extensive enough to influence the climate of the Barrens. Northern hemisphere winds generally blow from the north and west southward and eastward. Moist air from the west rises over the peaks of the Thentis Mountains, where it is cooled sufficiently to restrict most of the precipitation to the eastern side of the mountains and the closest fringes of the Barrens. The precipitation does not reach the Barrens proper to any real extent. It does, however, make the eastern slopes of the mountains wetter than the western slopes. As a result, even as you watch the cold rain pour down upon the mountains, the Barrens near the mountains remain relatively dry, as evidenced by the shortness of the Barrens grasses, which grow taller as one proceeds eastward away from the mountains. Book 17, p.65.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

People from the Thentis Mountains control Boswell Pass, which connects the Barrens with civilized Gor. Book 17, pp.76, 77. Some online interpretations consider Boswell Pass to be the divider between the Thentis and Voltai ranges. The World of Gor reference center considers them to lie within the Thentis range itself, which then leaves open the question of what divides the Thentis and Voltai ranges.

The Thentis Mountains appear to be a likely source of the Olni River, that major conduit to the Vosk River. The area encompassing the Olni is described at Book 14, pp.171, 172. The World of Gor reference center confirms that the Olni is located at the northeastern part of the Vosk and flows in a southwestern direction into the Vosk. This would indicate an origin either in the Thentis Mountains or in the northern part of the Voltai. Port Olni once attacked Fort Haskins at the eastern end of Boswell Pass, so proximity of the Olni River to the Thentis Mountains is presumed. Book 17, pp.76, 77. Having the Olni nearby for commerce would make transportation of exports that much easier. The tarn cavalries and aerial caravans would transport some items, while proximity to the Olni would enable bulkier products such as lumber to be shipped in huge quantities.

Some online interpretations give the Thentis region a wooly hurt industry, since hurt ranches are found in connection with Ar and some northern cities whose names are not specified. The hurt is a wool-bearing Gorean counterpart to the kangaroo. Book 5, p.39. Our view is that the wild tarn population would make short work of any concentrated hurt populations.

Blackwine is a bitter variety of coffee, but which variety is not made clear. Book 5, p.106, Book 16, p.247. The Gorean variety was either selected or selected and then modified to flourish in the Thentis Mountains. Blackwine is a prominent drink in the Books, yet a description of a blackwine tree is not detailed. The Books do not indicate how long blackwine has been on Gor, but it is certain that it came from Earth on a Voyage of Acquisition. Book 5, p.107. In the Books, blackwine remains for the most part an elite drink, reflecting Earth trends of over 200 years ago. Online Gor seems to mirror modern trends of nearly everyone drinking coffee. The Books do not say whether blackwine is brewed from raw green or yellow beans or from brown or black roasted beans. The color of blackwine when it is served is specifically black. Book 16, p.244. The Books say only that most of the blackwine is grown on the slopes of the Thentis Mountains, which leaves open the intriguing possibility that blackwine is grown elsewhere as well. Book 16, p.245.

Several methods of extracting the essential oils from flowers have been used throughout Earth history. Some, especially expressing and boiling, are sufficiently low-tech to be believable for Gorean perfume production. Several tons of flowers are needed per kilo of essential perfume oil. Perfumes require a base oil, such as the Thentis needle tree oil, and a top oil, such as Veminium oil, and then a middle oil to bind the two.

CALL FOR WRITERS AND RESEARCHERS

Future articles will highlight other areas. People who wish to work with me to provide Book research, heartfelt descriptions, and important background information relating to the area are encouraged to contact me at hersiusofthentis@yahoo.com.

For more discussion on BlackWine Trees, click here