The following reply to my posting was sent directly to me. Out of respect
for the sender's either personal touch or desire for privacy, I have
stripped the identifications. It is on my responsibility that I am
retransmitting his compliment, and my reply. My obvious insecurities are my
own responsability.

>>[Greg's lucid linkage of TM universe and Norse mythology]
>>        I hope this explanation is not too excessive, I got carried away.
>>
>Not at all! I would have never made the links myself. Thanks for an 
>interesting explanation as to what may be going on. It'll give me 
>something to think about...
  
        Thanks for the vote of confidence. Sometimes my thinking seems a
little outside for most people, I'm not at all sure how the general ML has
taken my little exposition, but I am very certain of the framework. That
should not be taken to mean that I think I have decoded our story. I find at
least four levels of story to my understanding, Japanese social satire,
psychodrama, science-fiction, and mythic.
        The question of mythic or religious content gets very murkey since
we non-japanese have little idea what such terms-concepts as Kami mean to a
person who has grown up inside Japanese culture. If you go to an american
bookstore you find the "religion" section contains only christianity.
Western theologians and anthropologists(who should know better) regard
Shinto as somehow primative or illegitimate. The university I graduated from
has all of 2 english language books in their million volume stack devoted to
Shinto. Those who think studying Shinto was deligitimized by the fascists
need to remember that the abuse of the peoples' spiritual sensibilities is a
time honored tradition extending from the dawn of civilization in
Mesopotamia, all the way to the fact that those of you living in British
Commonwealth states are technically subject to the Queen on matters of
Christian faith.
        I am fairly sure that there is a lot of variation in the
understanding of Kami among Japanese, and I don't expect it is possible to
consistantly decode our story in strict religious or mythic terms, but then
I tell you all how I feel about matters of consistancy from my signature.
None the less, to the myth affectionado, the editors have been steadily
amping up the volume on telling us about the three sisters, and I just
couldn't keep on sitting on my hat. Gomen.
        The king doesn't seem to get it. Tenchi is so favored that the sky
will literally fall on his opposition. I guess the habits of supreme power
die hard. I guess if a guy is going to have that much favor, it is good that
he is a blockhead and arrow-straight.

BTW, my degree is in History. I thank the powers that be, that I was
permitted to take courses in non-western history, even though American
History was the only specialty offered.

                                Greg

*A foolish consistancy is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little
statesmen and philosophers and divines. -Emerson*