A mountain is a strange and awful thing. . . . I will try to tell you what they are. They are portions of the heart of the earth that have escaped from the dungeon down below, and rushed up and out. For the heart of the earth is a great wallowing mass, not of blood, as in the hearts of men and animals, but of glowing hot, melted metals and stones. And as our hearts keep us alive, so that great lump of heat keeps the earth alive: it is a huge power of buried sunlight - that is what it is. George MacDonald, The Princess and Curdie, 1883, Public Domain, Chapter 1. Available from Project Gutenberg.
MacDonald was a writer of Christian fiction and other works, and his fantasies (such as the work quoted here) have stood the test of time pretty well. Clearly, a century and a quarter ago, he had a pretty good idea of the fundamentals of geology.
Thanks for reading!
Musings on science, the Bible, and fantastic literature (and sometimes basketball and other stuff).
God speaks to us through the Bible and the findings of science, and we should listen to both types of revelation.
The title is from Psalm 84:11.
The Wikipedia is usually a pretty good reference. I mostly use the World English Bible (WEB), because it is public domain. I am grateful.
Yep - - - a very apt description of geological forces!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought so, for a 19th century Scotch preacher.
ReplyDeleteThanks.