Posted by Grallon on March 30, 2000 at 06:55:50:
In Reply to: Oh My God....NO NO NO posted by Umguy on March 30, 2000 at 06:21:13:
> > REMIND ME AGAIN, HOW THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED ONES MOVE
> >
> > Have any of you seen Bill and Ted's bogus journey?
>
> Yes.
>
>
> > How they play death for the chance to live?
>
> Yes.
>
>
> > That is actually a historical belief...to some extent.
>
> Sure.
>
>
> > In a number of cultures, around the world, life was seen as some sort of game against the power of death.
>
> Ok.
>
>
> > In the middle ages, it was often thought that your life was basically a huge chess game with a real being called "death". Your life came to an end when death check-mated you.
>
> neat.
>
>
> > The humor in this statement is that death, right before defeating you, is playing dumb, asking you to remind him how a chess piece moves...he is pretending to not know how to play just before he whomps your ass....hence the humor.
>
>
> No, no, NO NO NO!
>
> The humor in this statement:
>
> Death tells you 'REMIND ME AGAIN, HOW THE LITTLE HORSE-SHAPED ONES MOVE'
>
> stems from it's use in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Specifically, the book Small Gods . I'll admit, this is the only book I've read in the series (so far) but in the entire series, Death is mentioned as a physical being, that greets people after they die. He always speaks in upper case. The aforementioned statement is a direct quote from Small Gods (and a hilarious one, I really suggest reading the book.)