Art (Myst)
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Note: Fictional details from the Myst franchise follow, and may sometimes be referred to as facts. It may need to be edited to conform to the guidelines for writing about fiction.
The Art (D'ni: Rehgehstoy) properly referred to the D'ni ability, study and mastery of writing special Books that describe and link to Ages: different worlds. The origins of "the Art", as it is often called, are lost in the times of Garternay, and it was believed by the D'ni to have been delivered to the Ronay (the ancestors of the D'ni) by Yahvo the Creator.
The description for an Age is put into a unique Descriptive Book, written in a special form of the D'ni language and using special Books and Ink. Only one Descriptive Book can Link to an Age, but there can be multiple Linking Books pointing to the same Age. These Books need not all necessarily point to the same location in the Age. For example, the Linking Book found by the Stranger at the beginning of Myst points to the island's pier, whereas those found in the various related Ages, such as Channelwood, point to Myst Island's library.
Linking Books have a viewing panel called a Linking panel that shows a picture of the target location. The panel is interactive: by merely touching it, the person Links to the Age.
Only members of the Guild of Writers were taught and allowed to write descriptive books, and one of the Guild of Maintainers's jobs was to ensure the Ages' stability. While some D'ni including Gehn believed that the Writers created the Age, and therefore Writers held God-like powers over the Ages they linked to, most of the D'ni, including Gehn's son Atrus, did not believe so, and realized that by Writing a Link they only Linked to a pre-existing Age.
Supporting this view is the fact that destroying a Descriptive Book does not destroy the Age: it merely severs the Link. However, small changes to an Age can be written into the Descriptive Book. See also Definition of an Age.
It is unclear whether an age represents another planet, or another "dimension" or universe. If the latter is true (as is widely thought), then the Art brings up philosophical issues regarding Possible Worlds theory, a theory that for everything in the universe that could have been different, there is another, corresponding universe in which it is; thus, there would be an infinite number of universes, all with different properties. (This theory is used in metaphysics and metaphysical philosophy to discuss what is impossible in this universe, versus what it necessarily impossible; that is, what is impossible in any world.) This theory, if true, would imply that the art represents linking to a pre-existing age, and not creating one. There are indications, however, that this is not the case. In The Book of Atrus, Gehn makes changes to an age to alter an imperfection; meanwhile, Atrus, inside the age, observes the changes taking place. If ages were explained by Possible World theory, then this would not be possible. It may be said that Gehn merely caused the linking book to link to another, similar age, with another, similar Atrus, but the fact that Atrus observed the change taking place implies a continuity implying that it is the same Atrus. In addition, the fact that writing in Descriptive Books can make any changes to an entire universe at all seems to contradict the PW theory of Ages. Explanations of these points have been attempted by reference to quantum mechanics, to attempt to rejustify the Possible Worlds school on ages. More than anything, it would be more settling if ages were explained by PW theory, as the opposing view has implications which have historically (with respect to the MYST timeline) justified tyranny, master-race paradigms, and delusions of godhood, and therefore the age-creation theory is heavily stigmatized by the peaceful.
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• Myst (Ages, Soundtrack) • Riven (Ages, Soundtrack) • Myst III (Ages, Soundtrack) • Myst IV (Ages, Soundtrack) • Uru (Ages, Soundtrack) • Myst V (Ages, Soundtrack) |
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• Aitrus • Ti'ana • Veovis • Gehn • Atrus • Catherine • Achenar • Sirrus • Yeesha • Saavedro • Esher • The Stranger |
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• Book of Atrus • Book of Ti'ana • Book of D'ni • Book of Marrim • Passages • The Book of Black Ships |
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• D'ni Ages • The Art • Items • Kings • Language • Numerals • DRC • Timeline • Wildlife |
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• Cyan • Brøderbund • Red Orb • Presto • Ubisoft • Turner • GameTap |
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