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Chandrian Names a Plan, Not the Beings Who Carry It Out

fringe mechanism · popularity 74 · 1 source thread

The children's rhyme frames 'Chandrian' as the answer to 'what's their plan?', implying an action rather than a group.

About: The Chandrian

Also involves: Naming, Abenthy

The theory§

This theory parses the Chandrian children's rhyme as a strict question-and-answer structure and concludes that 'Chandrian' is the answer to 'What's their plan?'—and so names an action rather than a people, who would then be called Chandrian by association with what they intend to do. Leaning on the established gloss that chan relates to seven, and on a separate reading that rian means flower, it treats chand as a verbed form (a noun turned verb by a terminal -d) and proposes the plan is to multiply flowers sevenfold. The clearest obstacle is Abenthy's canonical etymology: chaen means seven and chaen-dian means 'seven of them,' which already accounts for the word without any hidden verb. The rhyme also does not hold a clean Q-and-A pattern across all three stanzas, weakening the parsing the theory depends on. It connects loosely to the observation that the Chandrian are never described destroying plants or flowers, and to the lone magical flower in the world, that of the Cthaeh.

Evidence§

  • this is the song and it has a pattern of asking a question and then answereing it in the next verse.
    OP's foundational premise: the rhyme is a question-and-answer structure. — u/Bow-before-the-Cats
  • it seems obvious that chadrian is the answere to the question: Whats theire plan? … they are not a group of people that are chandrian but a group of people that plan to chandrian.
    Core claim: Chandrian names the plan, not the people. — u/Bow-before-the-Cats
  • Verbing is the usage of a noun in the form of a verb often done by adding a -d or -ed to the end of the word. … chand as verbial form of seven plus rian as flower.
    Reads -d as verbing seven into an action on flowers. — u/Bow-before-the-Cats
  • i sugest to read chand as to increase by the factor of seven. Increase what? rian, flower. Theire plan is to increase the number of flowers by a factor of seven.
    Conclusion: the plan is to multiply flowers sevenfold. — u/Bow-before-the-Cats
  • Notice how they never kill or burn down any plants or flowers.
    Comment adds supporting observation: Chandrian spare plants and flowers. — u/Flocculence
  • No there is one plant with magical flowers that will heal everything, the flower of the Cthaeth.
    Comment links the flower to the unique magical Cthaeh flower. — u/Last_Car_7853
  • Chaen means seven. Chaen-dian means 'seven of them.' Chandrian.” … I don't see any reason to discount the explanation provided
    CounterCounter: canonical etymology already explains the word, no hidden verb. — u/Zhorangi
  • neither one actually follows that pattern.. … So it should be clear poetic license is being taken, and the pattern is definitely NOT a simple call and response.
    CounterCounter: the rhyme lacks a consistent Q-and-A pattern across stanzas. — u/Zhorangi

Book refs: NOTW

Tier reasoning§

kept fringe; etymology is countered by Ben's canonical gloss

Contributors§

Source threads§