Themes
The novel mocks the "Pyramid power" myth by making it be real on the Discworld. In a similar way to the "procrastinator" cylinders of the History Monks, pyramids on the Discworld can redirect the flow of time like a dam in a river. If built properly they can create a region of null time in the burial chamber, preserving the body of the Pharaoh forever. In Teppic's time this has been forgotten and the body is mummified in the Egyptian manner. The High Priest Dios uses a small pyramid to rejuvenate himself from time to time. This has allowed him to live since the founding of the country, although he does not remember how he came to be in charge.
When a pyramid is complete it must "flare off" the Time in its reservoir. This is visible as light emitted from the peak at night. During the day the pyramid's black marble cladding is ice-cold from the effects of time diversion. The pyramid built for Teppic's late father is so big that, before it can be capped to flare off all the Time in the stonework, it warps space and causes the country of Djelibeybi to disappear from the Discworld.
Although the newest pyramid is huge, black and flares at the top, that image is not related to the Luxor Las Vegas hotel, which was built in 1992, several years after the novel's publication.
The novel also uses Pratchett's theme of the power of belief on the Discworld. As told in Small Gods, the gods of the Discworld gain their power from the belief of their followers. In Djelibeybi the people believe that the Pharaoh is a god, so Teppic finds himself with godlike powers which he eventually uses. These are mostly powers of fertility, causing corn to sprout wherever he walks, but he also uses the power to part the waters of the river Djel.
This novel is the first to feature a detailed description of the school of the Assassins Guild, and the nature of the Assassins' art and weaponry.
Read more about this topic: Pyramids (novel)
Famous quotes containing the word themes:
“In economics, we borrowed from the Bourbons; in foreign policy, we drew on themes fashioned by the nomad warriors of the Eurasian steppes. In spiritual matters, we emulated the braying intolerance of our archenemies, the Shi’ite fundamentalists.”
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“I suppose you think that persons who are as old as your father and myself are always thinking about very grave things, but I know that we are meditating the same old themes that we did when we were ten years old, only we go more gravely about it.”
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