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The Fish-Men
The worm-men are one of the many hybrid species in the Blazing World. They are natural philosophers, like the fish-men, and they specialize in studying animals, plants, and minerals on land. They teach the Empress all about life underneath the planet’s surface, help her find the immaterial spirits to settle her questions about God and the soul, and play a pivotal role in the military campaign she wages on behalf of the King of ESFI.
The Worm-Men Quotes in The Blazing World
The The Blazing World quotes below are all either spoken by The Worm-Men or refer to The Worm-Men. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1 Quotes
How is it possible, that a natural nothing can have a being in nature? If it be no substance, it cannot have a being, and if no being, it is nothing; […] all parts of nature are composed in one body, and though they may be infinitely divided, commixed and changed in their particulars, yet in general, parts cannot be separated from parts as long as nature lasts; nay, we might as probably affirm, that infinite nature would be as soon destroyed, as that one atom could perish; and therefore your Majesty may firmly believe, that there is no body without colour, nor no colour without body; for colour, figure, place, magnitude, and body, are all but one thing, without any separation or abstraction from each other.
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The Duchess answered, that since she heard by her Imperial Majesty, how well and happily the world had been governed when she first came to be Empress thereof, she would advise her Majesty to introduce the same form of government again, which had been before; that is, to have but one sovereign, one religion, one law, and one language, so that all the world might be but as one united family, without divisions; nay, like God, and his blessed saints and angels: otherwise, said she, it may in time prove as unhappy, nay, as miserable a world as that is from which I came.
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Get the entire The Blazing World LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Worm-Men Character Timeline in The Blazing World
The timeline below shows where the character The Worm-Men appears in The Blazing World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World
...and humors.” This includes the bear-men and fox-men, but also many other groups, including the worm-men, lice-men, magpie-men, giants, and many others. Each group works in a profession fit for its...
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Next, the fish-men and worm-men tell the Empress about animals in the sea and on land. The fish-men discuss the...
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The Empress asks about reproduction, and the worm- and fish-men also explain that, in some animals, the offspring look just like the parent,...
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The worm- and fish-men debate whether springs shrink and grow over time because of underground water flows,...
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...The bear-men say they can’t see inside the Earth, where there’s no light, but the worm-men note that they can perceive other creatures inside the Earth—although microscopes won’t help them.
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The Empress asks the worm-men whether minerals are colorless, but the worm-men say that everything has to have a color,...
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...burns because a rock inside it bursts into flame when it’s wet. She has the worm-men bring her the rock. She also asks the bird-men to bring her part of the...
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...only way to learn about it is by sending immaterial spirits to find out. The worm-men tell her that there are no such spirits underground, but the fly-men affirm that there...
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...Empress asks the spirits if people are “little world[s],” and they say yes—so are flies, worms, and other animals. She asks if humans’ ancestors were just as wise, and the spirits...
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The Empress tells the worm-men and fly-men that she feels deeply guilty about accidentally getting the spirits banished to the...
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...Since the Empress changed the religion and form of government, the different groups, like the worm-men and bear-men, have started to fight. The Empress even fears a rebellion. To return the...
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The Second Part of the Description of the New Blazing World
...that can travel underwater, and they promise to try. Meanwhile, the Duchess proposes sending bird-, worm-, and bear-men towards the passage. The Empress worries that they would all quickly die in...
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...underwater ships, which are indestructible because they’re made of gold, but have no weapons. The worm-men will mine the fire-stone, which can serve as a great weapon for destroying the enemy’s...
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The Empress follows the Duchess’s plan, and her army of bear-, bird-, worm-, and fish-men assembles at the entrance to the passage. The fish-men drag the ships through...
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...then the Empress develops a plan. In each country, she will send the bird-men and worm-men to burn down larger and larger towns, until the ruler submits and agrees to pay...
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...where it doesn’t rain, but there is a massive “flowing tide” once a year. The worm-men put fire-stones under the houses of this country’s towns, and when the tide comes in,...
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