Tintin Forums

balthazar (& al.)

Sorry for creating so much dispute about other animals that are either hieroglyphs, or quite partly outlined, or in '3D', thus not just outlined.
By the way, I never heard of The Red Crab, would you be so kind to give a reference?

I must admit the cover colours were certainly not the best appropriate to introduce the main question, which is:

What type of similar objects do feature on four different covers?


jock123
Should we instead go for pantone 174?
Update: The perils of posting when tired! I meant to type "...pantone 714?"

Well done, this response is already partially correct!

If this is a response meant consciously, could you please explain it, for everybody to get the point?

If not, could anyone explain?
Thanks in advance.

yamilah
Sorry for creating so much dispute about other animals that are either hieroglyphs, or quite partly outlined...
Mind, those two bison on the teepee that you were counting are also quite partly outlined. But apology accepted!

I must admit the cover colours were certainly not the best appropriate to introduce the main question...
Don't worry. It's good of you to admit it. We all make errors when posting and there's no shame in it. If you promise not to spin my answer into your theory about four being particularly and cryptically significant in the books' covers, I'm prepared to make an attempt at answering your main question.

Building on what you said about jock's quip about pantone 714, are you simply meaning that there are four numerals in the books' titles? Ie: the 7 in The Seven Crystal Balls and the 7, 1, and 4 in Flight 714?

I notice the numbers can be arranged into a sum: 7+7=14
But I can't seee how that signifies much.

If you could prove that the 7th of July 1814 (7/7/14) was the birth date of Hergé's suspected aristocratic or even royal paternal grandfather, or that the 7th of July 1914 was the date of some particularly traumatic childhood event for Hergé, I might start coming round to your way of thinking about a hidden rebus in the Tintin books!

Balthazar
are you simply meaning that there are four numerals in the books' titles? Ie: the 7 in The Seven Crystal Balls and the 7, 1, and 4 in Flight 714.

I'm afraid you quoted two books only!
Please start again with the four similar objects named in four different titles...

If you could prove that the 7th of July 1814 (7/7/14) was the birth date of Hergé's suspected aristocratic or even royal paternal grandfather (...), I might start coming round to your way of thinking about a hidden rebus in the Tintin books!

It seems some are contaminated by some far-fetched studies read about Tintin...

About the bison: 2 x 1/2 = 1 bison
Sorry for those who don't cope with algebra!

Fair enough. You did say the objects were in four titles in your original post. I should have gone back and read it.

Regarding my reference to Hergé's aristocratic or royal paternal grandfather, my tongue was slightly in my cheek. I'm glad you find some unprovable theories too unlikely even for your taste!

yamilah
jock123Should we instead go for pantone 174?
Update: The perils of posting when tired! I meant to type "...pantone 714?"
Well done, this response is already partially correct!
Now this is what Balthazar worries about - getting an answer taken as backing up one of yamilah's theories...
I don't know whether making a joke when half asleep counts as concious or not, but obviously I pulled the idea that the 714 in the book title was a pantone reference right out of the air.
However it does go to show that a random answer is as likely to be correct in these cases as anything else is.


Welcome to our world! If you think what other people have written is far-fetched, then you should be able to understand at least some of the frustration we feel when picking through the random assortment of bits-and-pieces you present as "research" and "facts"... ;-)

yamilah
About the bison: 2 x 1/2 = 1 bison
Sorry for those who don't cope with algebra!
I trust it is you making the joke now - two fractional bison imply two whole bison, surely?

As I understand it, yamilah's "bison algebra" is necessary to make the partly-shown bison on the America cover valid as drawn animals, whilst keeping the partly-shown horse on the Cigars cover invalid as a drawn animal, thus retaining only four covers in this "covers-that-feature-2D-outlined-animals" category, and thus supporting the supposition that four is "relevant" in Tintin.

To unenlightened mortals like us, this might just seeem like another "additional clause" dodge, to force the data to fit with the conclusion you want to reach. But when we've all reached yamilah's higher plane of consciouness, we'll all see that it makes perfect sense. I'll outline the theory that yamilah's now arrived at, so we can appreciate its crystal clear simplicity:

At some point in his career Hergé decided he wished to impart the special relevance of the number four to any future readers enlightened enough to crack the code. So he decided (amongst other things) that there must be four Tintin book covers which showed animals, but not including covers showing 3-D real animals, only those with 2-D outlined animals, but not including hieroglyphs, and not including partly-outlined 2-D animals, except where the partly-outlined animals consisted of two halves of the same kind of animal.

There. What could be more rational and well thought out than that?

God forbid that those of us who dare to think that we're capable of reading Tintin books in the way Hergé intended, or dare to think that we know something about the actual processes involved in creating such work, should even suggest that such a proposition is completely insane.

Pass me the bottle of Rajaijah juice and a syringe, someone. If my brain is ever going to reach the plane of consciousness that yamilah's brain is on, I'm clearly going to need a pretty big dose.

Balthazar
As I understand it, yamilah's "bison algebra" is necessary to make the partly-shown bison on the America cover valid as drawn animals, whilst keeping the partly-shown horse on the Cigars cover invalid as a drawn animal,
Ah, thanks for that - that subtlty had escaped me. You see to me the bison(s) on the tepee are no more or no less outlines than the temple paintings (some of which are not hieroglyphs, but representational, which is a good distinction for you to bring up, I feel), and may be just as redolent with meaning to the Native Americans. If Danagasta is keeping up with the thread, prehaps she could provide a little insight on this matter, as her scholarship would be very welcome.
To unenlightened mortals like us, this might just seeem like another "additional clause" dodge, to force the data to fit with the conclusion you want to reach.
Too true; I also notice that the matter of the pelican motif on the caps of the soldiers in Ottokar has been completely side-stepped, another good technique for avoiding issues which don’t fit the theory…

There. What could be more rational and well thought out than that?
Your précis of the theory is most helpful! Put like that, it is a wonder I didn’t notice it before!

Pass me the bottle of Rajaijah juice and a syringe, someone. If my brain is ever going to reach the plane of consciousness that yamilah's brain is on, I'm clearly going to need a pretty big dose.
Steady there, lad! Lie in a darkened room and it will pass…!

Really? I thought they were weeds.

Thanks everybody for your most funny remarks! Obviously you know a lot about Tintin!

Now more seriously: what about the main question:
What are the four similar types of objects named in four different Tintin titles?

Considering the 'clear line' and it's transmission system via password titles have already inspired jock, maybe we'll end up by finding something?

yamilah
Considering the 'clear line' and it's transmission system via password titles have already inspired jock, maybe we'll end up by finding something?
I distance myself from that remark; I find much of this depressing, not inspiring...