Curse

arcanemacabre · Sep 28, 2006, 08:32 AM // 08:32

So yeah, what exactly is Ebon? I know in-game it refers to Earth Damage, basically. But the word? Where did it come from and why did they choose it?

Well, I looked it up in Wikipedia, expecting to get a nice description of what it is, etc. Instead, I get this: Ebon - which apparently is some kind of Rave/Electro-Rock band. There's also this: Ebon (Character) - a villian from the animated series "Static Shock". Thing is, he's apparently called Ebon because he can 'meld with shadows' or some junk, which apparently is in reference to the dictionary meaning of Ebon, black.

This brings me to Dictionary.com. According to the definitions of Ebon, it's either some kind of tree, referring to Ebony, or simply a lustrious black. Something's wrong here, I think. I'm not seeing any connection what-so-ever to Ebon relating to Earth, other than maybe some odd undertone with Earth being represented by the colour black, or dealing with that tree (relating to nature, nature relating to Gaia, Gaia being the 'soul' of Earth).

Anyone got any ideas about this? Something I'm missing?

(I realize this is unimportant, so please, don't bother posting that or anything like that since I'm already aware. Thanks. Just figured it would make a great discussion topic.)

Gonzo · Sep 28, 2006, 08:37 AM // 08:37

Ebon -> Tree -> Trees are parth of nature -> earth is generally seen as the elemant of nature.

arcanemacabre · Sep 28, 2006, 08:40 AM // 08:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gonzo

Ebon -> Tree -> Trees are parth of nature -> earth is generally seen as the elemant of nature.

Well, I thought that, too. Except that it's a specific kind of tree, not just generic 'tree'. Might as well call Earth Damage 'Maple' or 'Oak' for that matter.

vinegrower · Sep 28, 2006, 09:09 AM // 09:09

Doing a google search lead me to several instances of the word "ebon" in scifi and fantacy literature. Such as Ebon Drakes in WoW, EQ, and MtG, but these used Ebon to describe the color. The only thing I could find relating ebon and earth was a few sol scifi shows where Earth was at war with a planed named "Ebon". That is also a pretty big stretch though.

Excelent question though, lets see what everyone else thinks.

arcanemacabre · Sep 28, 2006, 09:38 AM // 09:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinegrower

a few sol scifi shows where Earth was at war with a planed named "Ebon". That is also a pretty big stretch though.

Interesting... That actually never crossed my mind! Maybe everyone refers to the planet their on as Ebon? Since the planet name "Earth", as a word, can be interchangeable with what we name the ground, earth, it's possible the name of their planet is Ebon, and they refer to the ground as ebon?

Hmm... the plot thickens...

Kitharin · Sep 28, 2006, 12:19 PM // 12:19

Ebony Hartwood is famed for its black colouring. Maybe Ebon is a referal to the dark colouring or just a general "darkness"?

lg5000 · Sep 28, 2006, 12:38 PM // 12:38

I associated Ebon with Ebony as in the song Ebony and Ivory. And yes, the association of Ebony (dark wood) and earth came natural.

Now if I could only stop associating earth damage with the ranger green....

Jeremy Untouchable · Sep 28, 2006, 05:00 PM // 17:00

i want to know why we cant have conjure earth spells for earth magic eles, or you could use armor of earth and conjure earth

arcanemacabre · Sep 28, 2006, 06:21 PM // 18:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by lg5000

I associated Ebon with Ebony as in the song Ebony and Ivory. And yes, the association of Ebony (dark wood) and earth came natural.

Now if I could only stop associating earth damage with the ranger green....

But why would a certain 'dark wood' made from a certain genus of a tropical tree convert directly to earth? As I said, this would be like calling earth damage "Oak" or "Maple", and that certainly makes no sense to me. Heck, even saying "Wood" doesn't convert to earth in my head.

When I think earth (and obviously as it relates to the elemental attribute line), I think of stone, dirt, sand, and lava, not plants and trees. Although there is a relation between Melandru and earth magic, as there would be since if there was no earth, there would be no plantlife.

I realize this is all kinda 'duh' stuff, but the point remains, ebon is earth, not plants or trees. There may have been an original intention to have earth magic actually grow vines and man-eating plants ala Poison Ivy, but now it's purely elemental. Maybe ebon was simply lost to the initial concept, who knows?

I think the sweetest idea is that the planet the current GW continents are on is called "Ebon". Not too trivial, but it is cool, I think. I guess time will tell, or maybe Gaile or Alex can get in here and let us know?