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The Gods of Pegāna · Chapter

The Sayings of Imbaun explained

Imbaun, the Prophet of the gods, contrasts his own painful wisdom with the comforting lies of a false prophet, who tells people what they wish to hear.

What happens

Imbaun, the Prophet of the gods, contrasts his own painful wisdom with the comforting lies of a false prophet, who tells people what they wish to hear. Imbaun reflects on the limits of human knowledge, the inevitability of fate under Dorozhand, and the quiet beauty of life and death, questioning whether life arises again after death.

Themes in this chapter

  • The Limits of Human Knowledge

    Imbaun admits that he and all men know nothing concerning the gods or men, highlighting the theme of epistemic limitation.

  • Fate vs Free Will

    Imbaun teaches that all that is was to be, and that men are driven by Dorozhand, emphasizing the dominance of fate.

Characters to notice

  • Imbaun

    The Prophet of the gods who speaks of the false prophet, the nature of hope and wisdom, and the calm of the stars and hills.

  • Dorozhand

    The force that drives both men and bullocks, against whom anger is futile.

Key passages

  • “What knoweth the Prophet of the gods? I know only that I and men know naught concerning the gods or aught concerning men.”

    Imbaun confesses that he knows nothing about the gods or humanity.

    This underscores the theme of the limits of human knowledge.

  • “All that is is so because it was to be. Rail not, therefore, against what is, for it was all to be.”

    Everything that happens is destined, so do not complain about reality.

    This reinforces the theme of fate vs free will.

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