String Theory and other "Magical Stuff"

It might be possible that you would be interested in learning more about the magic voicepower, called Shaing-dra, which is used in the world of Eraleia. And it might even be possible that you would be willing to invest a few minutes to do so. In the off chance that my prediction is correct, then please read on, and I will make an attempt to explain.

I am, by nature, a creature of logic. Even when I am fantasizing about magical abilities, I tend to look for ways to ground the idea, in some fashion, to reality. I sometimes read books on advanced science, quantum physics, string theory, black holes, negative matter, etc. I find them fascinating, even though the majority of the ideas presented are not provable with the level of science that we currently have at our employ. Still....

Recently I was reading a book on string theory. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, I can make an attempt to summarize it here. Much effort has been spent by scientists to identify what the building blocks of an atom are. It makes sense that if you are going to better understand the world around us, you should know what it is made of at the smallest level. For a long time it was held that the smallest bit of matter was the atom. In the middle of the last century, it was figured out that atoms consisted of protons, neutrons, and electrons (among other things). But over time, as the measuring devices became more sophisticated, other building blocks came into the picture as a means of explaining observable phenomenon during various experimentation... usually that of smashing atoms in a partical accelerator. It was decided that protons, electrons, and their kin were created of something called Quarks. Thus a whole new breed of science was born called Quantum Physics. I will admit that some of what I read or see concerning Quantum Physics, I would clasify as New Age poo poo. But some of it is very interesting. For instance, string theory.

At some point in the 1980's or so, an idea was put forth that perhaps the smallest building block is a one dimensional thread that vibrates called a "string." These strings have a length, but no width or height. Many strings combine together to create a two dimensional membrane. Essentially it is like a cloth without height. Then the membranes stack on top of each other to form the three dimensional larger elements... quarks, for example. The quarks form protons, neutrons, etc., and those combine to make up the atom.

The major idea which I became fascinated with in regards to string theory (or M-Theory as it is called when it involves the "membrane" element), is that the strings vibrate at a set frequency and that frequency determines what the ultimate makeup of the particle is. Scientists smashed atoms in an accelerator, and after observing that some electrons changed to neutrons or protons, theorized that it was because the impact changed the string vibration. This made me think about the possibility of sound waves changing the frequency of the subatomic strings of a material, and thus having some form of control and manipulation over the substance. Much like plucking the strings on a harp to create different chord arrangements in music, I thought, "what if there were certain words or sounds that when pronounced in the exact right way, they gave one the power to manipulate things?" It would be like magic. It also ties together with the idea that there is a God who used this "Word" to create the universe and everything else He see's fit to do.

In the fantasy world, there are many novels that go down the road that there is a language for magic. To the best of my knowledge, none of them have ever tied it to something like this before though. So in that regard, I believe this is a unique perspective. Does that make it "science fantasy" instead of just a straight fantasy? Probably. But in the end, Shaing-dra is just another tool that I use to tell the real story... and that is of a boy who is growing into a man, and faces all sorts of challenges just like the rest of us do in real life.

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to throw them out there for discussion.
- R Scott


ps.. In a future blog post, I will discuss the 11 dimensions that go along with M-Theory, and how that relates to Eraleia.