The Great Chain of Being

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"These are real stars. They burn above the roof of the Neath, beyond the earth, in the spaces of heaven."

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"You know, now, something of the invisible rules on which the world rests."[1]

The Great Chain of Being is the cosmic order of living things as enforced by the Judgements. It works in tandem with its less-discussed counterpart, the Sequence.

ASCEND NOW TO YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN[edit | edit source]

"The 'Judgements' you had read of - those are what we call stars. They order the Universe with their Sequence. They ensure sanity, consistency, mortality, with the Great Chain of Being."[1]

The Judgements, which we know as the stars, decide upon the laws of the universe through deliberation, debate and compromise.[2] The Great Chain and the Sequence are the ultimate manifestation of these laws: the Judgements' plan for creation.

The Great Chain of Being, also called the Great Chain of Existence,[3] is the hierarchy of all living things.[4] All beings are made with features that give them a place and a purpose in the hierarchy.[5] Not much is known about the Sequence by comparison, but it "orders the universe"[6] and it must emerge from consistent and universal rules.[7]

Defiance of the Chain (and presumably also the Sequence)[8] is strictly forbidden on a cosmic level,[9][10] but the Judgements are not infallible. The Sequence is not complete, and its creators, now and then, have encountered something unexpected.[11][12] While ascending the Great Chain is impossible under starlight, in darker places like the Neath where cosmic law is more malleable, it becomes possible through the treacheries of the Red Science.[9][13][14]

The Order of the Chain[edit | edit source]

"Fraternisation between the links on the Chain is fraught. To ascend it is often treasonous; to descend, taboo."[15]

It should come as no surprise that those in a high enough place of power to determine the pecking order in their domain would stand at the top of any hierarchy. Naturally, this applies to the Judgements.[16] Curators, Grand Devils, Devils, Heart-Catchers, Flukes, Messengers, and December — not necessarily in that order — are all lower on the Chain than Judgements.[16] Humans sit close to the bottom.[16][17]

Taking the Universe At Its Word[edit | edit source]

Different schools of thought have interpreted the reality of the Great Chain and the Sequence in numerous ways.

  • The New Sequence is a group of servants of the Dawn Machine, who work to shatter the old order and create a new harmony in the Neath comparable to that of the heavens and the Surface.[18][19]
  • The Prehistoricists, an ideological faction of the Tracklayer's Union, believe that the purpose of humanity in the Chain is to innovate and revolutionize;[20] to facilitate this, however, many humans must perform unpleasant and undesirable tasks like hard labor. Therefore, there are gaps in the Chain, which should be filled by creating new beings suited for these tasks.[21][22]
  • Supporters of the Liberation of Night see the Chain as a tool of oppression that was never intended to help humanity.[23] In fact, the Liberationists believe that the order of the universe is fundamentally unjust, with some asserting that physical form itself is a prison.[24][25] They aim to end the tyrannical order of the Judgements.[26]

Historical, Cultural, and Scientific Inspirations[edit | edit source]

The Great Chain of Being was likely primarily inspired by the Christian concept of the same name in which every being is ranked. God stands at the top, followed by angels, humans, animals (stratified according to their role in nature), plants, and minerals.[27] According to historian Arthur O. Lovejoy, who wrote an influential 1936 book on the Great Chain of Being, there are three principles behind it: the principles of Plenitude (the Chain is the expression of God's power), of Continuity (there are no gaps in the chain), and of Gradation (all beings are ordered from the highest to the lowest).[28]

The Chain also connects to teleology, the concept of intrinsic purpose as defined in both biology and religion. William Paley, a philosopher who is referenced as the Watchmaker in Fallen London, argued that evidence of design in the natural world was proof of the existence of a divine creator.

Finally, it may also be inspired by a food chain, a concept in biology that organizes species in a hierarchy according to which other organisms in an ecosystem make up the bulk of their diet. This is supported by the motif of consumption prevalent throughout the Great Chain as depicted in Fallen London.[9]

According to Alexis Kennedy,[29] the Sequence references the Main Sequence, the classification by luminosity and color of the stars that mainly fuse hydrogen.[30]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Horizon Codex, Sunless Sea
  2. ↑ 'Sunless Skies': A Narrative Postmortem, 15:49 (timestamp) to 16:30
  3. ↑ Penance: Shift of Perspective, Sunless Skies "How are you feeling about the Great Chain of Existence? Positive, negative, or neutral?"
  4. ↑ Surrender to the traces of horror, Sunless Sea "All living things are joined in the Chain: men and apes, bees and roses, messengers and stars."
  5. ↑ Mr Sacks! Take this dream of skies untainted!, Fallen London "The Chain. The Seq— best not to speak of it. I should not miss them. I miss them. It is reassuring, my chick, to know your place in a greater order."
  6. ↑ The Horizon Codex, Sunless Sea "They order the Universe with their Sequence."
  7. ↑ The Erased Rat, Fallen London "[...] The Sequence must emerge from consistent, universal rules. But no king has ever made a law without wishing for exceptions.[...]"
  8. ↑ Experience, Fallen London "This was old in the days of the Third, when the knives were out in defiance of the Sequence."
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 You have rejected wine and song, Fallen London "To ascend is not possible, save by the Science [...] the flesh and blood of the Twelve is intoxicating and transcendent. If you consume something greater, then you may incorporate it: unless it incorporates you. [...]"
  10. ↑ An empty casket, Fallen London "CHARGES PREFERRED: OBSCURITY. VARIATION. PROMULGATION OF THE RED SCIENCE. AMALGAMY. AMALGAMY."
  11. ↑ Warm your Tears of the Bazaar, Fallen London "[...] There is no Sequence for this. We make our own road yet."
  12. ↑ Indicate a fondness for the Bazaar, Fallen London "[...] But even the Judgements, now and then, have encountered something unsuspected.""
  13. ↑ Pleasure, Fallen London "Flesh changes: the Chain forbids, but the Chain does not touch here."
  14. ↑ Surrender to the traces of horror, Sunless Sea "All living things are joined in the Chain [...] When the Red Science breaks it, even time is scarred."
  15. ↑ The sunset shawl, Fallen London
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Ambition: Consult the King about the Courtesy, Sunless Skies "There is a Chain of Being," the King whispers. "At the top: the suns. At (or near) the bottom: humanity. Between those two links are countless others: Curators, devils, Heart-Catchers, flukes, Messengers. Some secrets – like the Courtesy – are dangerous for those of us lower on the chain even to speak of. You must learn them from something higher. Three such beings reside in Pan: the Second Storyteller, the Piper, and December. Put your question to one of them."
  17. ↑ The sunset shawl, Fallen London There is a sudden seriousness to her gaze. "But it will fit you well, I think. There are yet links below. And after all, were the choirs not commingled, in the end?"
  18. ↑ The New Sequence, Sunless Sea "The Great Light is worshipped in the Churches. Certain measures have been set in place at the Bazaar. The Ministry of Public Decency runs much more smoothly now. Most of us are smiling. The gold-and-amber flags of the Sequence snap in the wind. Yes, we have wind now. At least, we will. For now, you may assume it."
  19. ↑ Dawn's fingers, Sunless Sea "Time will die. The Chain will end."
  20. ↑ Ask about his goals, Fallen London "Revolution is our place. Think about it. Scientists. Artists. Speech-makers. Novelists. We're the ones that look at the world and see how it should be and how it's falling short, and we go to work [...] Different methods. But the soul is always seeking and striving."
  21. ↑ Ask her about the Prehistoricists (Furnace), Fallen London "They think the Chain could do more to support them," says Furnace. "If there's a job to be done in the world, then the Chain should guarantee there's some creature that wants that job and thrives in it. Seeing that most of us do not take to working in a factory for Mr Fires. If the Chain wants us to follow its dictates, it should supply something that does."
  22. ↑ Ask about his goals, Fallen London "We're told by theologians and philosophers that there's a role for everyone, and a creature for every role. Where are the creatures for this work? If they don't exist, why not? Haven't they got an existential right to exist?"
  23. ↑ Ask her about the Prehistoricists (January), Fallen London "As below, so above; as for the gander, so for the goose. But which of those above us ever intended to be fair?"
  24. ↑ Opening a Christmas Card, Sunless Skies "Society's law is unjust because natural law is Unjust. Tyranny begins at the top. Not from the factory-owner; not even from the palace of a queen. But in the arch of heaven itself."
  25. ↑ The Season of Revolutions, Fallen London "A body is a prison. No one asked to be constrained in one."
  26. ↑ No-one. This is what you've been working towards., Fallen London "The Sun itself is not beyond your reach. The stars. The Judgements that rule the universe, that seemed eternal: you will end them. The cosmos will yet be free of light and law."
  27. ↑ Great chain of being, Wikipedia
  28. ↑ Great Chain of Being, Encyclopedia.com
  29. ↑ Alexis Kennedy, Failbetter Community "also can confirm that Sequence is quite an on-the-nose astronomy joke"
    Editor's note: Kennedy later deleted the Discord account from which he posted this, but his presence in the conversation is verified in context.
  30. ↑ Main sequence stars: definition & life cycle, Space.com
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