--- Matthew Klahn <mklahn at mac.com> wrote: > On Mar 16, 2004, at 19:31 , Mark A Mandel wrote: > > While the poem does say basically this, I always > envisioned the cycle > as more: > > Phoenix (ascends, then descends) -- END OF CYCLE W, > BEGINNING OF CYCLE X > Dragon > ... etc ... > Athyra > Phoenix (ascends, then descends) -- END OF CYCLE X, > BEGINNING OF CYCLE Y > Dragon > ... etc ... I agree. This is probably a clearer way of putting it than anything I wrote. > And, not to start a whole different argument, but > since Kieron was a > Dragon, wouldn't the cycle have started with Dragon > at the top? Or was > he not the first emperor? Is this mentioned > anywhere? Yes, Zerika I was the first Empress. Kieron never became Emperor, though I remember some part of a book, recently?, when the Gods say he almost broke the Cycle by trying to become Emperor. Since Dragon follows Phoenix, I suppose this is more evidence that there is a minimum time per reign. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com