Peace Talks snippet on Entertainment Weekly

[Mira]

    I got the impression that the island also gets better in comunicating with Harry over time.

I'm fairly certain you're impression is correct.

But that doesn't make it all knowing, especially in things beyond the island.  On the other hand Merlin did create the prison, if he spoke with Alfred at the time, Alfred would understand his language.. If Bonny has the knowledge of her mother, Lash, she should be able to translate for Harry instantly, but I believe there have been hints that Bonny is no Bob and she and Harry are going to have some problems.  Here is a thought, as Winter Lady, Molly's new found powers may enable her to do it for Harry. 

[Bad Alias]

But that doesn't make it all knowing, especially in things beyond the island.

I certainly wasn't implying that it did.

On the other hand Merlin did create the prison, if he spoke with Alfred at the time, Alfred would understand his language.

I doubt he taught Alfred to read in any case.

As Morris points out, the text is barely legible at best anyway. I'm pretty sure Harry would have to have help reading them. I'm also pretty sure Bob/Bonea/other supernatural beings wouldn't have a problem clearly seeing the text. Scientists currently use all sorts of high tech methods to see what the naked eye can't. Bob has seen all sorts of physical stuff doctors with the best technology can't see, like nerve and brain damage.

As an aside, either the Merlin's journals aren't the originals or they are the two oldest leather bound books in the world by about 300 years and may be the first ever leather bound books by about 100 years (based on guesses of when Merlin exited the stage).

[Mira]

As an aside, either the Merlin's journals aren't the originals or they are the two oldest leather bound books in the world by about 300 years and may be the first ever leather bound books by about 100 years (based on guesses of when Merlin exited the stage).

  Do not discount that they have been kept and preserved by wizards all this time.. Do not discount that they were written by the most powerful wizard ever.  Both things would be a huge factor in their preservation no matter how old.   Consider they found in King Tut's tomb a bouquet or wreath of leaves, dry perhaps but in tact after a couple of thousand years.  Some of the garments that were worn by the "Ice Man" who was found in the Alps after five thousand years were still in tact.   So written by a wizard and kept safe by generations of wizards, yes, very possible they are the original.

[Maz]

Pretty sure we can throw most of the rules out the door when it comes to Merlin anyway as he is definitively a time traveller as demonstrated by his construction of the Demonreach prison.

[Mira]

Pretty sure we can throw most of the rules out the door when it comes to Merlin anyway as he is definitively a time traveller as demonstrated by his construction of the Demonreach prison.

Exactly, and if Merlin wanted them preserved for all time, they would be preserved.

[noblehunter]

Though it'd be amusing if they were illegible because of the ink Merlin used degraded over time. Preserving documents isn't always as simple as keeping them in a cool dark place. Or he spilled a drink on them once.

[Mira]

Though it'd be amusing if they were illegible because of the ink Merlin used degraded over time. Preserving documents isn't always as simple as keeping them in a cool dark place. Or he spilled a drink on them once.

  True, but we are talking wizards here, so say the secret word and read a thousand pages...

[morriswalters]

I've decided that Merlin"s journals are last two case files written by Harry.

[g33k]

I've decided that Merlin"s journals are last two case files written by Harry.

Love this!



Hey @Priscellie -- tell Jim he needs to revamp his plans for the BAT accordingly!

[Arjan]

Clay tablets. Still the best method for preserving large teksts for millenia.

[Bad Alias]

I'd figure metal or stone tablets would be better than clay tablets, but I don't know a whole lot about where and tear on materials over centuries. Also, disseminating the information widely is probably better than putting it on a single tablet.

It's probably more likely that the books are leather bound because of time travel shenanigans or because Merlin exited the stage later than we guessed instead of them being the oldest leather bound books and being the first leather bound books.

[Arjan]

I'd figure metal or stone tablets would be better than clay tablets, but I don't know a whole lot about where and tear on materials over centuries. Also, disseminating the information widely is probably better than putting it on a single tablet.

It's probably more likely that the books are leather bound because of time travel shenanigans or because Merlin exited the stage later than we guessed instead of them being the oldest leather bound books and being the first leather bound books.

You can rebind a book if the old binding breaks down or is not to your taste anymore. It does not have to be the original book either. Someone might have made a copy to preserve the text. But copies create errors too.

[morriswalters]

I'd figure metal or stone tablets would be better than clay tablets, but I don't know a whole lot about where and tear on materials over centuries. Also, disseminating the information widely is probably better than putting it on a single tablet.

This is actually studied with respect to storage of nuclear material over the long spans required for some material to decay.  In any case clay is easy to produce and easy to write on and easy to cure.  It's also fairly durable, even more so if fired.  Mainly it's expensive, which is why so much has been lost over time.  No will to preserve.  It's also why the Church was important.

If anyone is interested here is a link to a list of the worlds oldest books  Including some made out of 24 caret gold. Including, wait for it, the Etruscan Gold Book at 2673 years old.  Do you think Papa Raith read it?

[g33k]

... Also, disseminating the information widely is probably better than putting it on a single tablet...

Merlin's secrets are probably too "sensitive" for broad dissemination.  Like if DIY $50 WMD's were widely known.

Also, across 1500ish years, wide dissemination will lead to fragmentation and drift  (unless some sort of magitech is used to guarantee perfect fidelity of copies... which, let's be frank, was totally possible for MerlinJim if it was an issue for him)
 

[Bad Alias]

You can rebind a book if the old binding breaks down or is not to your taste anymore. It does not have to be the original book either. Someone might have made a copy to preserve the text. But copies create errors too.

Hadn't even considered rebinding. I'd have to know more about the history of binding to know if a pre-leather binding bound book could be rebound with leather.

If anyone is interested here is a link to a list of the worlds oldest books

Yes, please. Check out the Celtic Psalter, which is in Latin using, roughly speaking, our alphabet as an example of how incomprehensible the text likely is even if written in a language Harry is familiar with. I could catch a few words. The Nag Hammadi Library shows that my first source had leather bound books about 100 years younger than they are. It also shows what a surviving leather bound book from Merlin's day would look like without some miraculous preservation.

Merlin's secrets are probably too "sensitive" for broad dissemination.  Like if DIY $50 WMD's were widely known.

Yes, but if the information is worth writing down and preserving, one has to balance risks of dissemination with risks of the info being lost.

A lot of the problems with errors caused by copying and dissemination could be solved if the copying was done through magical means.