Gilgamesh, I know there are threads comparing the story to Locke and Eko but I feel like the better match is comparing Gilgamesh to Alvar Hanso, both are on a quest for immortatlity. I think this was a major clue to the purpose of the island. We know from the website that they are already successful in extending life.

http://www.thehansofoundation.org/lep.html

That's definitely interesting.

How did you determine that Alvar Hanso was on a quest for immortality? Interesting speculation, but not based on anything we actually know.

How did you determine that Alvar Hanso was on a quest for immortality? Interesting speculation, but not based on anything we actually know.


I got my info from the hanso websight, the life extention project. I think we do know that they have made an ape live to 105 and they are working on life extension. Check out the link.

Anyone find it odd that the Chief Communications officer is introduced in the memo as Einar Ragnarsson, but is referred to as Einarsson from there on out? Not that it necessarily means anything, just kinda weird

Anyone find it odd that the Chief Communications officer is introduced in the memo as Einar Ragnarsson, but is referred to as Einarsson from there on out? Not that it necessarily means anything, just kinda weird

Could it be another shout out to the writer Raggs?

Anyone find it odd that the Chief Communications officer is introduced in the memo as Einar Ragnarsson, but is referred to as Einarsson from there on out? Not that it necessarily means anything, just kinda weird

I hadn't noticed that but I find the whole website and the idea of the island creepy. I wouldnt want to be on a island where those types of experiments are taking place. Unless of course they could make it so that I never die.

very interesting theory...

I hadn't noticed that but I find the whole website and a little creepy. I wouldnt want to be on a island where those types of experiments are taking place. Unless of course they could make it so that I never die.

This whole thing reminds me of the Ann Rice books about the vampire named Lestat...great books...very, very, very, very intense...I felt sick after I read them, but they were addicting...it dealt with how the vampires dealt with living forever and how it was really a terrible curse...they dreamt of living normal lives and then dying...it was what they wanted more than anything...the seeming opposite of what most people want, or think that they want...to live forever...for me...I don't want to die, but I dont' want to live forever, either...it would be so lonely...people coming and going in your life, but you, stuck................:undecide:
I think the experiments that went on / are going on on the island haven't even really come to the surface, so to speak...I think they will end up really creepy and scary and when the Losties find out more about them, like about the life extension project, etc., it will be horrifying for them...hopefully...it will make for great tv...:biggrin:

This whole thing reminds me of the Ann Rice books about the vampire named Lestat...great books...very, very, very, very intense...I felt sick after I read them, but they were addicting...it dealt with how the vampires dealt with living forever and how it was really a terrible curse...they dreamt of living normal lives and then dying...it was what they wanted more than anything...the seeming opposite of what most people want, or think that they want...to live forever...for me...I don't want to die, but I dont' want to live forever, either...it would be so lonely...people coming and going in your life, but you, stuck................:undecide:
I think the experiments that went on / are going on on the island haven't even really come to the surface, so to speak...I think they will end up really creepy and scary and when the Losties find out more about them, like about the life extension project, etc., it will be horrifying for them...hopefully...it will make for great tv...:biggrin:

I've never read any Ann Rice books but they sound like they would be worth reading (did she write "interview with a vampire"?) The whole living forever dilemma may be a curse to the vampires but I still would like to give it a try. Not as a vampire but as a rich immortal that doesn’t have to work. (If I had to work for eternity you can count me out!!!!) I really like where this island plot is heading even though, I don’t like to think about death because it’s one of my biggest fears and really freaks me out.

Think of all the implications if some company really did discover a way to prolong life indefinitely. Of course right away you have some serious problems, one- the planet is already over populated with finite resources; 2- only the rich would have the means to pay for such a procedure. This would split people into even more segregated classes; rich & poor; mortal and immortal. You'd probably need to have a secret island to keep the whole process secret or some crazy would kill you for "playing" god.

And I agree the experiments are only going to get more creepy, the whole idea of this island is wonderful, I really do love this show!!

The Vampire Chron. are GREAT!!!! Very Interesting world that Anne Rice created.

Another conflict with living forever would be religion. Since some religions already teach that followers will will live forever (just not in this mortal body) what would a religous person do if given the choice of living forever on Earth? Of course there is no real answer to that, the answer would depend on the person and their personal faith. If you truely believe in a paradise type "heaven" then why would anyone want to stick around here filling out tps reports or punching a time clock? but if you dont believe or are not real sure, what would you have to loose? Are you a man of science or a man of faith??

Another conflict with living forever would be religion. Since some religions already teach that followers will will live forever (just not in this mortal body) what would a religous person do if given the choice of living forever on Earth? Of course there is no real answer to that, the answer would depend on the person and their personal faith. If you truely believe in a paradise type "heaven" then why would anyone want to stick around here filling out tps reports or punching a time clock? but if you dont believe or are not real sure, what would you have to loose? Are you a man of science or a man of faith??

You have hit on some key points of these books...religion...heaven...hell on earth...extreme loneliness...depression...violence...the urge to be violent...Lestat (the vampire) and some of his followers/friends are constantly mulling their existence over...sort of always thinking about the existence of their existence and why it has to be as it is and...in the meantime...continuing on...and on...and on...and on...they don't punch in and out of a job, but they do deal with the urge to drink human blood...when they do that, they can either kill the person and right before they die, drink their blood, or drink their blood and then give the victim some of theirs and revive them, however...it makes this victim a victim in another sense of the word...they become a vampire and live forever, too...

I think I have LOST the connection back to LOST...:biggrin:

Ah...immortal life...it's not all it's cracked up to be...just ask Lestat!!! Maybe, the Others are not immortal, but in possession of some man-made powers that have gone bad and the only way out of the new, warped existence is death...:-(

You have hit on some key points of these books...religion...heaven...hell on earth...extreme loneliness...depression...violence...the urge to be violent...Lestat (the vampire) and some of his followers/friends are constantly mulling their existence over...sort of always thinking about the existence of their existence and why it has to be as it is and...in the meantime...continuing on...and on...and on...and on...they don't punch in and out of a job, but they do deal with the urge to drink human blood...when they do that, they can either kill the person and right before they die, drink their blood, or drink their blood and then give the victim some of theirs and revive them, however...it makes this victim a victim in another sense of the word...they become a vampire and live forever, too...

I think I have LOST the connection back to LOST...:biggrin:

Ah...immortal life...it's not all it's cracked up to be...just ask Lestat!!! Maybe, the Others are not immortal, but in possession of some man-made powers that have gone bad and the only way out of the new, warped existence is death...:-(

Maybe its not all its cracked up to be, but I sure would like the option of finding out.
You've really piqued my interest in Ann's books, which one do you recommend to start with?

Alright back on LOST, just wanted to clarify, I probably shouldnt have used the word immortal to describe what I think Alvar is up to, I think he can still die and is still human but I think he may have found a way to prevent ageing, thus giving him "perpetual" life, as long as he doesnt get run over by a tank. In addition in my little theory about what is going on, I feel like the "others" are part of the experiment or pawns, I doubt that they were given the gift/curse of never ending/ageing life. Hanso probably would reserve that for himself and only his closest allies and maybe the scientist that created the process.
Of course these are all just my thoughts and I in no way state that this is in fact what is happening on Mystery Island.

Maybe its not all its cracked up to be, but I sure would like the option of finding out.
You've really piqued my interest in Ann's books, which one do you recommend to start with?

Alright back on LOST, just wanted to clarify, I probably shouldnt have used the word immortal to describe what I think Alvar is up to, I think he can still die and is still human but I think he may have found a way to prevent ageing, thus giving him "perpetual" life, as long as he doesnt get run over by a tank. In addition in my little theory about what is going on, I feel like the "others" are part of the experiment or pawns, I doubt that they were given the gift/curse of never ending/ageing life. Hanso probably would reserve that for himself and only his closest allies and maybe the scientist that created the process.
Of course these are all just my thoughts and I in no way state that this is in fact what is happening on Mystery Island.

Bears,

That seems more plausible...it would also tie-in with how super-strong Ethan seemed to be...I have heard that the Others are pawns of sorts of the whole Alvar Hanso/Dharma group...and like we both said, maybe they volunteered to be experimented on or were "chosen" and it all went wrong, causing them to be a bit "tapped", like Ethan...Ethan seemed pretty angry, too...

With regards to Ann Rice, here is the list of her vampire chronicles...you are warned, as they say, that these books are very engrossing, you may have to skip over a page or two as they can get wordy, but they are very cool, too...I would recommend reading them when you have a chance...they are definitely "different"...:biggrin:

~Junie~

The Vampire Chronicles:

Interview with the Vampire (1976)
The Vampire Lestat (1985)
The Queen of the Damned (1988)
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
Memnoch The Devil (1995)
The Vampire Armand (1998)
Merrick (2000)

It definately would be a reason to keep the island secret. But then again they did report the ape being 105.

Gilgamesh, I know there are threads comparing the story to Locke and Eko but I feel like the better match is comparing Gilgamesh to Alvar Hanso, both are on a quest for immortatlity.


Gilgamesh? Alvar Hanso is hunting Smurfs...?

Gilgamesh? Alvar Hanso is hunting Smurfs...?

That would be Gargamel hunting smurfs.

I was hoping that Alvar would be Locke's dad, but I'll have to hold out on the speculation that Locke's Dad is the Con Man who swindled Sawyer's (Ford Family)

I find the Norwegian Alvar Hanso to be dumb. I was hoping for an American Businessman at least. If the Norwegians were as powerful and as technologically advanced as The Hanso Foundation/Dharma Iniative wouldn''t the be a World Super Power?

I hadn't noticed that but I find the whole website and the idea of the island creepy. I wouldnt want to be on a island where those types of experiments are taking place. Unless of course they could make it so that I never die.

Think about it would you really want to live forever? Think about what that would be like. It would be awful.

Think about it would you really want to live forever? Think about what that would be like. It would be awful.

That seems to be the concensus. Personally I'm not so sure it would be so bad. With a few conditions. I would need to have money, I couldnt work a 9-5 for the next 200 years, but with enough time I'm sure I could figure something out. It would be nice if I could bring some friends along for eternity also. Anyway seems to me anything would be better than death. I guess it all depends on what you believe happens after death.

I was hoping that Alvar would be Locke's dad, but I'll have to hold out on the speculation that Locke's Dad is the Con Man who swindled Sawyer's (Ford Family)

I find the Norwegian Alvar Hanso to be dumb. I was hoping for an American Businessman at least. If the Norwegians were as powerful and as technologically advanced as The Hanso Foundation/Dharma Iniative wouldn''t the be a World Super Power?

Not a Super Power but certainly wealthy (per head) http://www.nationmaster.com/country/no/Economy

I wonder if the price of their beer is a cause or effect of this? :P

Edited to add this link about superpowers http://www.answers.com/topic/superpower

The answer GILGAMESH is the correct answer for the crossword, but the correct answer then makes all the others incorrect. This is either a QC/Continuity/Fact Checker mistake or a clue. If you look at just the crossword you can see he has almost total nonsense in the rest of the Crossword.

The Alvar Hanso angle is a good one. But here's some things for you. the Alvars are hindu saints. Perhaps Alvar is a title like "grand pu-bah". Halfdan Ragnarsson. Halfdan was one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. He pillaged with his brothers in England in 855, and he was the ruler of London 871-872 where he had coins made. In 875, he conquered Northumberland where he became king. He was widely unpopular due to his alleged cruelty. He fell during a new Viking expedition in 877.

Einar
Einar is an old and extremely popular, Norse name deeply connected to the einherjar, the fallen warriors living in Valhalla (mythical home of the Norse Gods), meanings of the name: magnificent, unique warrior, leader.

There are many such allusions and allegories throughtout the show. Looks like we either have an excellent research staff on "Lost" or the writers are very well read and precise.

The answer GILGAMESH is the correct answer for the crossword, but the correct answer then makes all the others incorrect. This is either a QC/Continuity/Fact Checker mistake or a clue. If you look at just the crossword you can see he has almost total nonsense in the rest of the Crossword.



That's interesting, I wonder if it is a crossword that someone else (e.g. Desmond) had started and Locke was finishing off.

The answer GILGAMESH is the correct answer for the crossword, but the correct answer then makes all the others incorrect. This is either a QC/Continuity/Fact Checker mistake or a clue. If you look at just the crossword you can see he has almost total nonsense in the rest of the Crossword.

From what I've read they wanted us to concentrate on the word Gilgamesh, which is why it was darker.
so for me I'm going with the question and answer Gilgamesh as the only relevant clue. I could be wrong the whole puzzle could be full of clues but I'm only speaking of Gilgamesh and how that story could relate to LOST.
The search by gilgamesh for immortality and the clues about extended life experiments seemed to mesh well. So I'm thinking that is where they are trying to take us. I don't think that extended life is the only experiments taking place on freakshow island but I do think that is what the gilgamesh clue is about. (IMO)

maybe this can explain the hatch. they are secertly testing the life extension on human in the hatch. the code put in every 108 minutes lets the folks at the Hanso Foundation know that they are still alive and the test are working.

Anyone find it odd that the Chief Communications officer is introduced in the memo as Einar Ragnarsson, but is referred to as Einarsson from there on out? Not that it necessarily means anything, just kinda weird

dont you think that its some kind of typo error?

maybe this can explain the hatch. they are secertly testing the life extension on human in the hatch. the code put in every 108 minutes lets the folks at the Hanso Foundation know that they are still alive and the test are working.

that's great danmo. remember the drugs that desmond injects on himself? probably, the instruction to push the button every 108 (and not to push it endangers them) is just a ploy so that they cant go out of the hatch:ohwell:

The answer GILGAMESH is the correct answer for the crossword, but the correct answer then makes all the others incorrect. This is either a QC/Continuity/Fact Checker mistake or a clue. If you look at just the crossword you can see he has almost total nonsense in the rest of the Crossword.

The Alvar Hanso angle is a good one. But here's some things for you. the Alvars are hindu saints. Perhaps Alvar is a title like "grand pu-bah". Halfdan Ragnarsson. Halfdan was one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. He pillaged with his brothers in England in 855, and he was the ruler of London 871-872 where he had coins made. In 875, he conquered Northumberland where he became king. He was widely unpopular due to his alleged cruelty. He fell during a new Viking expedition in 877.

Einar
Einar is an old and extremely popular, Norse name deeply connected to the einherjar, the fallen warriors living in Valhalla (mythical home of the Norse Gods), meanings of the name: magnificent, unique warrior, leader.

There are many such allusions and allegories throughtout the show. Looks like we either have an excellent research staff on "Lost" or the writers are very well read and precise.

great the Zealot! and how they borrow from hinduism, to taoism, to buddhism and to almost all the religions and faiths (the bagua sign, the mother mary statue, the bible,even the hanso symbol looks like a twisted nazi insignia), and having those ideas questioned by scientific reason makes LOST a spellbinding intricate show that it is...

that's great danmo. remember the drugs that desmond injects on himself? probably, the instruction to push the button every 108 (and not to push it endangers them) is just a ploy so that they cant go out of the hatch:ohwell:

could be, I had forgotten all about the injections.

I've never read any Ann Rice books but they sound like they would be worth reading (did she write "interview with a vampire"?) The whole living forever dilemma may be a curse to the vampires but I still would like to give it a try. Not as a vampire but as a rich immortal that doesn’t have to work. (If I had to work for eternity you can count me out!!!!) I really like where this island plot is heading even though, I don’t like to think about death because it’s one of my biggest fears and really freaks me out.

Think of all the implications if some company really did discover a way to prolong life indefinitely. Of course right away you have some serious problems, one- the planet is already over populated with finite resources; 2- only the rich would have the means to pay for such a procedure. This would split people into even more segregated classes; rich & poor; mortal and immortal. You'd probably need to have a secret island to keep the whole process secret or some crazy would kill you for "playing" god.

And I agree the experiments are only going to get more creepy, the whole idea of this island is wonderful, I really do love this show!!
Some company did come up with life expansion...it's called cloning and will be available at a Walmart near you sooner that you'd expect. :)

Some company did come up with life expansion...it's called cloning and will be available at a Walmart near you sooner that you'd expect. :)

Sweet that little smiley face better cut the price down real low, cause I'm gonna get a few, no more work for me!!!! Of course having a clone isnt quite the same as not dying, unless you transplant your brain into the cloned body. Clones are just made from the same genetics but are different entities. dont get me wrong I'll take a clone, it'll help me live longer by reducing my work load, no more raking leaves, working, mowing grass, doing dishes, it'll be great!!

Until they kill me for treating them like slaves